Case Study: I Can't Believe It Charlie Lu sat at his desk staring at his resume. He wondered if he should immediately quit his job and start looking for a new position. "That doesn't make sense," thought Charlie, as he had bills to pay and needed the income. That wasn't the only thing that didn't make sense to Charlie, who had just finished his annual performance review with his manager, John Carlton. As a salesperson for Onway Stationery, Charlie had met all of his sales quotas for the year. He had shown up for work on time, had been respectful to customers, and had only missed 2 weeks of work when his wife was really sick and he needed to care for her. Charlie had expected to receive positive feedback during the meeting, but instead John rated him as "average" on 2 categories: customer service and dependability. When Charlie asked John to explain the poor ratings, John indicated that he had received several customer complaints about Charlie. Charlie wanted to know who complained and what the issues were, but John stated that this information was confidential and that he couldn't share any details. When asked about the poor rating regarding dependability, John explained that Charlie suddenly took 2 weeks off work during the past year and left his coworkers with extra work. "Wow, john has no clue. This whole thing is a joke," thought Charlie. Having 2 "needs improvement" ratings meant that Charlie would not be eligible for a pay increase or any type of bonus payment. Feeling both angry and depressed, Charlie began writing a cover letter. "I have to get out of here," though Charlie as he began pounding on his keyboard.
Questions:
Q1. What mistakes did John Carlton, Charlie Lu's manager, make? In your answer consider John's: Biases and ratings Sources of information Presentation style
Q2. Which type of performance method would you recommend to Onway Stationary to use for salespeople like Charlie Lu and WHY?
Q3. What could Charlie have done in order not to find himself typing up his cover letter to look for a new job?