An organization uses upward feedback for its managers. These numeric ratings become a part of the employee’s permanent performance record. Administrative decisions are made based on this information.
In the last year, employees were asked to rate their managers’ performance on a scantron-type form; same form has been used for about 5 years. They were given no instruction as whether to use pen or pencil. In recent years, both pen and pencil were fine.
Because of budget cuts, the data were sent to a facility with machines that could only read the responses done in pencil. There was no money to re-analyze data. The organization decided to use the ratings, knowing that any responses done in pen were not included in the results. The ratings are now a part of the managers’ permanent performance record.
Was this an appropriate action?
Would love your thoughts and opinion. A future blog post will summarize the results.
Most of our managers have only a handful of reports. If even one of those opinions were discarded, it could skew the results. And my guess would be that most of the surveys were thrown out (I can’t remember the last time I saw someone use a pencil in the workplace).
Seems like a bad decision up to me.