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Performance Management and its Effects on Workers

Performance Management and its Effects on Workers. Professor Phil Taylor University of Strathclyde CWU TFSE 3 rd February 2010. Origins and Scope of Study. Motion passed at the STUC Conference (2009) Proposed by CWU and supported by UNITE (FS)

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Performance Management and its Effects on Workers

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  1. Performance Management and its Effects on Workers Professor Phil Taylor University of Strathclyde CWU TFSE 3rd February 2010

  2. Origins and Scope of Study • Motion passed at the STUC Conference (2009) • Proposed by CWU and supported by UNITE (FS) • Workers being subjected to various forms of PM • Tightened controls, monitoring, surveillance etc. • Ill-health effects, particularly mental ill-health • Proposal that research should be desk-based • Decision taken to widen the scope to do primary research – what is happening is not documented • Interviews with officers and reps in finance sector and telecoms (clerical and engineering)

  3. What is Performance Management? • The measurement of performance as in output, number of tasks completed is nothing new • The purpose to which it is put is the key • Performance Appraisal around for a long time – individualisation of pay and conditions • Spurious link between effort and reward • PAs typically annual, 6-monthly, always a problem with subjectivity, who decides • PM now not periodic but continuous in its effects and a conscious shift to disciplinary purpose • Various names – Performance Improvement, PIPs, Managing Performance

  4. Commonly micro-measurement and micro-management of individual performance • Quantitative outputs and • Qualitative aspects – behaviours, attitudes, ‘delighting the customer’ • Targets, targets, targets – early call centre research and September 1999 in BT • Spreading beyond the cc to diverse areas of work • Targets, KPIs, SLAs – determined at the top, cascading down through tiers of managers, to TLs and then to individual workers • Managers given targets so pressure downwards

  5. Lean, understaffing, PM, management by stress • If war of attrition then time/effort is the battleground • ‘Time is money’ – porosity of the working day • Call centres – 1 sec off each call saved BT £2m • Engineers - new technologies, tracking, mobile phones etc leading to intensification – save minutes • Fundamental driver is reduction in labour costs • As much or more work done with the same or less resource • Continuous pressure on so-called underperformers • The Bell curve

  6. Managing people out of the organisation, managed exit etc. irrespective of ‘actual’ performance • RBS – 6 weeks, NAG – 750 on disciplinaries for underperformance • Potentially deliberately targeted at older workers • Profound insecurity • Compounded by stringent implementation of SAP • Both new procedures and harsh implementation of existing policies and procedures • Offensive on short term absence and long term sickness • Effects on health – intensity, pressure and stress

  7. The vicious circle => intensification of work + insecurity => contributes to illness => coming to work when ill => makes condition worse => under-performance => increase insecurity and likelihood of a disciplinary => continuous improvement etc. • Not caused by recession although accelerated by it • Trade union pro-activity is the only defence • From negotiated agreements (CWU) to health and safety audits • Non-unionised environments - T-Mobile presents organising opportunities • Need for media coverage of the new tyrannies in the contemporary workplace

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