~Mr.Hotelwalla is a small businessman owning a mini restaurant in a crowded city in India. The restaurant has average business until one day they come across a new hire named 'Makhan'.
Makhan is a school dropout and understands English with his limited education. He is about 20 yrs old when he migrates to the city for better prospects after working in a rural area 'dhaba' (a road side, usually illegal small-time eating joint).
Cutting the story short, Makhan turns out to be their most talented cook with an exclusive hand, who cooks many lip-smacking dishes, one of his specialities being the 'chicken-makhanwalla' which happens to be the top-ordered item in the restaurant such that no other cook is allowed to prepare that dish. The business grows gradually raking a substantial revenue for the owner. The owner is impressed and after a years completion of Makhan's tenure with the restaurant, he gives him a decent raise. Makhan is glad to get and increment in salary, but being an 'eager-to-learn-more' cook he also asks the owner if he could sponsor him for a short craftsmanship course in learning other dishes and specialities served in the city, this in return of being loyal to the restaurant and innovating more dishes. The owner though willing to agree to such a request, postpones the decision and asks Makhan to focus on this new-found success, which has increased current revenues for the business, and promises him that he would look into the request after 6 months. The business continues running good and 6 months hence, the request is forgotten by the owner, and so is Makhan over-burdened with being their most engaged cook that he too forgets to remind the owner. Another year and a half goes by with business being consistent, and the owner giving Makhan his annual salary increments keeping him monetarily satisfied.
All this, until one day a competitor (Mr. Gyan Chatur) knowing the internal operations of the restaurant decides to poach Makhan and offer him a similar job with a fractional salary hike, but with an additional joining bonus, (Mr. Chatur will also sponsor Makhan to complete a 3 week craftsmanhsip course in cookery before he starts with the new job). Makhan is 'overjoyed' only due to the additional perk and accepts the offer.
What happened to Mr.Chatur's business thereafter is something we would all like to rightly presume, and so we will end our story here.....
~
Reflection time. I would like you'll to focus on.... What SHOULD HAVE happened in the 3 years, that Makhan had spent with Mr. Hotelwalla...!
This might be a simple anecdote, but there are still many of us who can relate similar situations of this story to our corporate careers.
My primary reason for writing this article, was to focus on one of the sub-functions under the Human Resource (HR) Function popularly known as 'PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT' or 'PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS)'.
Now ask yourself these question...
1 - Has your organisation (current employer) ever considered PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ?
2 - If PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT has been considered and implemented, has it been taken seriously by the management / employees / Human Resource Division (HRD) specifically?
3 - What has been a chink in the armour (vulnerable area) for firms trying to effectively implement PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (PMS) ?
4 - What is the relation of 'PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS' to the entire PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS) ?
5 - Why do employees from a NON-HR function think of PMS as just another fad of the Human Resource Division (HRD) ?
In my next write-up we will look at some of the BOTTLENECKS in implementing PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (PMS)...
