Boss kaun hai, malum hai kya?

Hello friends. I am back again. This time I am here with a controversial topic for sure. Its almost end of April. If you are in an IT company, it’s end of a financial appraisal, and it’s time of your appraisal. Anyway, due to recession, they have told before itself in most of the companies (except a few lucky ones) that there will not be any hike this time. But they still want to carry on this appraisal process to assess our personal development and growth. There are lots of stories and incidents linked with this, and I am hell bound to share those with you people. Recently there is a blog being circulated, full of cricket gossips, by some Fake IPL Player. That’s a super duper hit. One of the awesome characteristics there is the use of pseudo names for players whom we know well. I want to take that feature, hope it’s not under his copyright. Those who can configure the real faces behind the pseudo names enjoy it; rest all please try to take the fun part of it.

First I will start with my own first appraisal. Around July, 2007 we were going to complete 1 year in the organization, and with that a confirmation process too. We had joined as a trainee in BT band, and we were supposed to be confirmed to B band. ‘We’ means here, a big chunk of around 20-30 people who had joined together. We all were scattered in different teams. In our team we were 8 people together, working on different projects but. Very first year, I was never a brilliant performer, but I was a decent performer for sure. I had never done this buttering process ever in college also (there lecturers and my classmates all used to call me rowdy) and was fully unaware of that in corporate world. My few colleagues did use this path (sorry I am not trying to blame anyone, maybe they had better luck), and few were very lucky to achieve it by default. But I was lacking in it. My close friends still approve that in me. :)

Anyway, this appraisal was a method in which a person was assessed by immediate supervisor; he will give the scores out of total of 57 in seven different criteria’s, and then it was in hands of the big guns to give us final ratings, which will decide our level and thus the hike. L1 means, u are the best and L5 means that you need to quit. Similarly L2 as above average, L3 as average, and L4 needed training and at the end of it if still found not eligible, quit it. I was very much charged up for this. I had handled 2 big items in the project release, on completely a new technology; don’t know when last I had used that in engineering. After all I was a fresher, and I had done more than expectation. My two items had yielded just three bugs, during testing, which were fixed too, while average for each team member was minimum 9. So I was happy that I have done a brilliant job, and might get a good appraisal. When I was in college, our seniors, used to visit our college in between, and used to tell that if you work well in private companies, you will get acknowledged very fast, not like in a processed way in government jobs. Hard known that it was all illusion, and it’s going to break off soon. Coming back to that D-day, the day when I had my first appraisal. I filled the self appraisal form in the given format and had sent across my TL. My TL was no other than Bhanu Chacha. My friends in my team had already been appraised and they had all got in the range of 41-44. But still I had not lost hope. I was sure that I can see the face of half century and maybe will be able to raise my bat. :)

45 minutes after I had sent that doc, I got a call from him that we can go ahead for a discussion regarding my appraisal. I went in the meeting room, and there he showed me the print out of my appraisal he had taken. I directly turned to the page where they will put score. And I got the shock of my life. I had got 39. Ha ha ha. Over that I heard a dialogue, “Are you happy with what you have got?” I really didn’t know what I should answer. I just looked at his expressionless face, and then noticed for first time, the hair popping out from his ears. It was looking so odd in that small meeting room’s bulb light. I felt like laughing aloud, but controlled myself with just a smile. He took that smile in a positive sense, and asked me to read out his comments nicely, before putting my signature. I read them out; everywhere he had praised my work, except my documentation skills (lazy boy). But I never understood why the comments were not reflecting in the marks given. I feel the only hint I got then, was because I didn’t know the language, which was his mother tongue. Believe me, this is one of the necessity in corporate world. You and your head should be on speaking terms, and in same language and best if mother tongue. Anyways, I was fully pissed off by then. He again asked if I was satisfied with my marks. My reply – “It’s more than enough in fact, I had wished for only 35 only.” I think my reply was followed by a sarcastic smile, or maybe someone inside him forced him and he told that, no it’s very less for you, and I should increase little bit. He took the form, increased 1 point, made it 40, and gave a big grin to me. I was lost in some other world, still watching the flying hairs from his ear, and came back to reality, when he asked if we can wind up. He told he will take another print out after modification, and then I should come and put signatures. While leaving he added that don’t be disappointed, as this is for freshers, and we will get a flat hike. From next time I will get even better. The story was over before it could start. I was declared run out, while trying a cheeky single.

I came back and was almost shattered. Another story gave me confidence to stand back. One of my closest friends had also completed her appraisal discussions. She had got 41 or 42 I think. She had worked hard too. And the hint which she got for getting fewer score was even more interesting. Never in writing, but by attitude she was told, that she got less because had she converted to Christianity from a Hindu family, and that too she and her lead were from the same place. Till this was not known to him, he was very good, and the day he came to know, he became the biggest demon available. This guy was our Royal Tiger.

As usual with that score I didn’t expect much rating, and was happy to get L2. But then understood first that how we were fooled. They had not given appraisal, telling its flat hike, and appraisal had no effect, but ratings were based on this appraisal. And those who had got more achieved L1 and few more bucks too. Their heart was empty and so was our pocket. :(

Completed another year, and the second appraisal came. This time had controlled my josh and emotions a lot. The same doc which I had sent last year, modified and sent. This time my lead was different. Vastav ka Naujwaan was my TL. He also gave me ratings and called me for discussion. He showed the print out to me, and again it was the same expression for me. After a complete year, I was shocked again. I went to check hair from ears, it was missing. He had given me 51. Huffff. I never dreamt of that after what I got last time. He gave me a small lecture filled with tips. At the end one sentence which he typed in communicator and sent was so precious for me. First time I felt that I was appreciated. He told – “You have done brilliant work, and it is not in my limits to give more, or else I would have given more. Thanks.” This was enough for me, and I started dreaming again for the best rating, the L1.

The entire process takes around 1-11/2 months for this. And finally when we got our action letters, there was a new drama; mine was missing from the lot. After a search of another week, I got mine. Hey, what the **** (hell). I got L2 again. He he he. They told I got this because of normalization process. Something they explained I never heard. As if I was some abnormal, so I was not picked for normalization. It takes just a statement for your dreams to be shattered. :(

That appraisal time is back. And I don't know this time who is doing mine. Ha ha ha. I am not expecting anything. Anyways there will be no hike this time, so drop it down the hell. How supervisors will come to know what one has worked for whole year, if they don't get involved. It’s so disgusting. The supervisors are assigned to check only through appraisal, what we do for the entire year? I have sent a long 1, copy-paste again to my TL. But this time I have raised my voice too, telling I am not happy with how things are going around me. Let’s see what is the verdict. :) Last word is, it hardly matters how you work for good appraisal. What matters is, if you have a godfather in organization, or if you know your boss personally. Boss kaun hai? Malum hai kya? Ha ha ha.


Disclaimer - ******All the facts stated above are fictious[paradox]. Any match with anyone will be purely coincidence and their bad luck. Please ignore circulating this. Circulating will be hazardous, and circulators will be prosecuted under IPC.*****