LLNL P.A due soon. Here is a sold response
******,
I am reluctant to provide feedback for my performance appraisal. Fact remains in my 15 years of service here I have only managed to move up one rank group, and my largest raise was 2.5 percent. I do understand that salary packages have not been that great, but that is not the issue. Considering the level of responsibility I have, I should have been a 300 eight years ago. All of the PA inputs I have filled out, the inputs from others, the numerous awards I have received, the presentations I have done, none of this has made a difference.
I have had ownership of this *** *** for a long time. I manage daily operations. I am responsible for the facility. I prioritize and schedule the work. I manage projects at the RI level. I put the process in place to move deliverables out the door in an efficient cost effective manner. I am quality control. I have developed a flexible work force to provide additional labor when needed. This program is Work for Others and competes with the other two labs. We have four primary customers, and they recognize Livermore products when they see them. I am directly responsible for that. I have given tours here for some high ranking officials.
My input for the PA Process has never made a difference. If you think it’s of value, then I will do it. Historically it has not made a difference. Input or no input I get the same raise and the same recognition.
Comments
The PA is really a meaningless exercise. It's just the window dressing so that the real method can remain hidden from the employees.
The C students who run the place now, probably never had a class in statistics, where they would have learned about randomness.
If you make it into management, you'll be highly compensated, job protected and a member of the club of parasites who seem to thrive in the NNSA's new 'for-profit' LLC system. If you make it into the exclusive executive ranks of management, you'll be privy to the lucrative 20% annual bonuses for brow beating your employees into submission on minor safety issues.
That's where we are at at the LLC run NNSA "research" labs. These labs now involve little "research" and lots of lucrative "management". The PA process has little to do with compensation.
The PA process is a joke and an expensive waste. Management demonstrates it's incompetence by the fact that the process keeps changing each year. One would think they would eventually get it right. Obviously not.
For those of you who are unfortunate enough to be still employed by LLNL, this could be a real win. Over my many years at the Lab, management has made it clear that it does not fund the entire PA process. Matrix organizations that receive a large amount of indirect funding could easily fund the ranking process, but instead divert their funding to other areas, e.g., supplementing research that didn't make the LDRD cut.
If you are part of the ULM you have heard the sentiments of the rank and file employees regarding the PA system. Please do whatever is needed to improve the PA system for the younger generation. For us long timers it is too late for the change we are captive to the Lab but we still want the Lab to succeed. The only way for the Lab to succeed is to retain the best ands finest.
you expect a raise with that kind of attitude?
September 7, 2013 at 11:34 PM
Says it all. Raises at LLLNL are dependent on attitude, not productivity. Must be a manager tuning up for this round.
you expect a raise with that kind of attitude?
September 7, 2013 at 11:34 PM"
You say attitude, man that is a rich rich one coming from such putrid vile scum like you. This is so typical of the new LLNL age of "strip as much money as can from the place and F* America" attitude that the new low level life forms that have been brought in have. I take that back I don't want to insult low level life forms. All
you losers care about is getting as much profit for as little work. You scum don't care about results, the mission, the workforce, the ideas, honor, and the American people. I know you think you are the elite and part of the group of winners in life that gets the big salaries, but in hearts you know what you truly are. You think of the LLNL and LANL workforce as slave cattle and people who are not adapting to the new corporate world attitude of winner takes all and F* the rest. Ya we know your attitude all right, it is the same attitude that tanked the economy. The attitude of making fun of people with morals and integrity, the hatred toward dignity, values and most of all your hatred toward meaning. You can justify what has happened by saying nothing has any meaning, well you can take you managerial Nihilism and shove it. God I hope America wakes up to see what this foul smelling corruption is doing to us and where it will take us if it lets us. The national labs used to be shinning examples of greatness of America. Now they are symbols of what corruption and greed does to institutions. Maybe all great things must end and perhaps what was made American great must also come to end but it is better to fight for what is right than to happily embrace evil and justify you actions. I have some news for you and your lot, some people up in DOE and DC are starting to realize what an utter colossal failure the contract changes has been. Maybe there is some hope but no matter what in the end you will lose “For how is a man benefited if he should gain the whole world and he should lose his soul?”
What would you do to fix the PA and salary management system?
Remove human resources from the process. In fact, consider eliminating human resources entirely and save burden cost by releasing all HR personnel. Have departments where employees perform directly for customers soley responsible for employee performance, evaluation and salary administration.
Remove the barriers between employee performance and employee rewards.
I often hear that the solution is to "do it the way they do it in industry." I think that means letting managers have more discretion in determining raises. That would certainly be a lot less effort, but it seems that it would tend toward even more favoritism.
So, all you "outside industry" folks (current or ex)- how SHOULD we do this?
Do I get a big raise now?
One of the issues with measuring "performance" at the labs is that the prime motivators are the PBIs. The lions share of that is for safety and security. One way to help increase safety and security is to not do anything. In this way a large fraction of the workforce is really seen as a liability rather than an asset. You can do a great job at what you do and be the best at the lab doing that but that does not bring in the bonus. More likely is that if you where never showed up to work than the same bonus would still be made. Why should the PA input change than? I think a big part of the problem was just the wording in the contract. It should have said
bonus is maximized for fro safety, security and excellence in science and engineering. If you look at the wording you can see that that actual work is very small part and you just have to do some to get it. If we are willing to pay millions for a fee at least we can demand results on all fronts, not just safety and security. In the end not one improvement has been made. I personally do not even believe we are safer or more secure but we now have more power to cover these up. Additionally by doing less work we will by definition be more safe and security. In fact if you just closed down the lab safety and security would be 100%. Sure maybe a few deliverables would not be meet but I am sure you could get a waiver or something and 80-90 percent of the fee would still be given. I know this sounds incredible but just think about it.
Give everyone the same percentage increase and top performers a bonus. Stop trying to manage with money - try actually managing and fire those who don't measure up!"
I think this is a great idea. But..since it takes so long to actually fire those who don't measure up,give them a clear message right now with a $0 increase to start.
It is unfortunate.
Leave something on the table for others.
I like the story about how the managers, in the outside world, would command much larger dollars. While the lowly workers who have the skills to "actually do" and "execute" the job are next to worthless.
September 10, 2013 at 7:58 PM
Sounds like it run by Rechtal & Company
Tell me again why we (at the worker level) don't get reasonable pay raises or any of that bonus action?
The PA/salary managment process is a CYA exercise, an expensive and distracting exercise.
New deputy AD Steve Leidle walked out of his first of Miller's 3-day Nifty-Fifty ranking pissing contests appalled. Even a Retchtilian bored of the ego-trip.
September 12, 2013 at 5:45 AM
Because 1) your pay raises are reasonable by industry standards, and 2) the bonuses are for management. Get a clue who you work for, it ain't UC anymore. You are a corporate drone. If you haven't realized that after 7 or 8 years of corporate management, you are just clueless.
We've seen a lot of eroding since the for-profits took over the NNSA labs.
The tipping point will be when they no longer care, and you're at that point. Might want the distribute largesse.
The tipping point will be when they no longer care, and you're at that point. Might want the distribute largesse.
September 15, 2013 at 2:28 PM
So you can use an uncommon word like "largesse" correctly, but you don't know the difference between "you're" (a contraction of "you are",) and "your" (a possessive adjective, which is what you meant). Astounding. I am a loss to explain this except possibly by envisioning someone who never learned grammar, but who nonetheless reads a lot. Interesting. But still problematic for you in educated society.
We reward managers that don't actually manage, so I think we can accept poor grammar if the message has value.
Is it a smart idea to treat the dedicated workers poorly? Will they stop caring at some point? Is there some strategic gain to this behavior?