(Question 1) What is 360-degree feedback? What advantages might it have over more traditional performance appraisal systems that use only downward feedback? What are some of the problems that could occur in using a 360-degree feedback system?
The 360 degree feedback system is a survey conducted by a few select individual within an organization about a specific employee or employees. Coworkers, supervisors, and executives from the top-down hierarchy can rate or grade the performance of an employee that is based upon behavioral characteristics and core competencies. It allows each employee to give his/her honest opinion about working with the rated employee. In addition to being rated by coworkers the rated employee must complete a survey/questionnaire about him/herself as well. The survey is confidential and anonymous and gives managers/leaders a general idea about how coworkers interact with each other. The 360 degree feedback system is an excellent method for determining if an organization possesses a multifaceted group that embodies team players. In retrospect, the survey system is a beneficial attribute for employees for the reason that it gives employees an opportunity to discover their strengths and weaknesses and enables them to become more efficient in organizational processes.
The aforementioned feedback system is an organizational developmental system used to measure the effectiveness of the workforce. Every organization has some form of weakness emanating from within the internal framework that prevents an organization from operating to its full potential. If weaknesses are not quickly identified organizations may incur significant ramifications, thus resulting in loss of revenue or competitive advantage. Acquiring new information about an organizations workforce will enable the organization to develop innovative methods of increasing performance and productivity. Each employee is analyzed based on the following criteria:
- Behavioral patterns
- Competencies
- Team orientation
- Active listening
- Goal setting
- Planning
- Prioritizing
- Leadership
Organizations rely on an employee's ability to function effectively with other employees with minimal difficulties. The feedback system quickly assesses the behavioral patterns of each employee to measure his or her ability to work with others. In addition to applicable team orientation, the feedback system also evaluates an employee's leadership potential as well as his or her ability to prioritize and establish goals.
The advantages of using the 360 degree feedback system is that the range of employee analysis is based on a precise formula that covers a multitude of core competencies unique to daily organizational practices as opposed to the traditional approach in which case targeted areas are more confined to a specific group of functions. For instance, most traditional performance appraisals establish a broad category of characteristics that an employee may operate within a small rating system of "5" classified as being the "best" possibility or "1" being classified as the "worst" possibility.
Consequently, there are a few issues that could be problematic when utilizing the system such as (1) allowing coworkers to rate and critique other coworkers may result in employees offering biased opinions that contradict the rated employees work performance. If coworkers harbor hidden agendas or animosity for another employee the rated employee may receive an unwarranted negative rating and evaluation as a result. (2) Managers/leaders who do not possess emotional intelligence (EI) may inadequately rate a good employee based primarily on emotional impulses instead of deductive and inductive reasoning.
(Question 2) Discuss the implications of the Family and Medical Leave Act for a small firm and for a family (at least 1 paragraph for the family and 1 paragraph for the firm).
Firm:
"FMLA, is a workplace law within the United States region that mandates that all companies with a workforce of 50 or more employees that operate under a public agency may provide 12 weeks of unpaid leave for employees facing personal medical hardship, prenatal and postnatal care, and/or adoption of a family member. " (Barlas, 2011). An organization by law is obligated to retain the position for the employee for the duration of an employee's absence. Consequently, while the employee is on leave, productivity decreases, cost of labor increases, especially in the event that management neglected to cross-train current employees to take on the daunting tasks and responsibilities of absent staff members, and cost of compliancy with FMLA regulations increase also. Employers are at a disadvantage for the reason that employers are required by law to continue to pay benefits for employees so that their job will remain by the end of the medical leave.