TK's Stack Ranking employee rating system (AKA "Rank and Yank")

It's been accurately compared to the Hunger Games. Employees are forced into a distribution of top, average and low performers and even if you are working hard and exceeding expectations for your role, if your coworkers are working harder, YOU WILL BE CANNED from the company for "performance" . Stacked ranking creates a culture where teams do not trust each other as they shouldn't because they are now competitors. Also, how do you measure the bottom performers, is it within the team, or everyone with the same job title? What if there is a two person team, does one go every year because by default they would not be in the top? What kind of pressures are on a workforce for knowing that if they have some kind of stumble in their performance, THEY WILL BE WALKED OUT THE DOOR?

Even crusty old Microsoft had stacked ranking for a short while AND AXED IT 10 years ago recognizing that it failed to achieve a higher performing work group. Why? Because no one was demonstrating team work, individuals were not sharing information to ensure that they "shined" better than their peers. It was a disaster, and was quickly replaced with a more effective performance rating system that achieved improved performance results for employees and the organization as a whole.

So now TK wants to introduce this rotting performance rating system to Citrix/CSG. Clearly the goal here is to humiliate and frighten employees. Make no mistake about it, TK wants YOU to resign because your job can be done cheaper in India. Stack Ranking is yet another attempt to get you to resign.

Comment! It's anonymous!

12 replies (most recent on top)

Stack ranking helps justify firing workers, TK’s goal:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90850190/stack-ranking-workers-hurt-morale-productivity-tech-companies

i have to say this poster was dead on - based on the evidence and behavioral patterns by General Krause this is exactly where this is headed. You have been warned people no surprises. Apply this simple rule, if it walk like a tu-d, smells like a turnd and talks like a tu-d -------- then it's a tu-d! When Chet was turned into a pile of do----o in Weird Science.

}+_+]+_={+_{+_{+__{{+

"I think a couple press articles said that they would pay severance for those released within a year timeframe. First round of layoffs came last September? Some in December. And the biggie this month. That means the clock is ticking. TK said they will do the 1-2-3 ranking this summer at some point. By the time they sort thru it, just watch, it'll be AFTER September and BEFORE November. That way they avoid paying severance, and they will avoid the VCIP true up that TK promised for November. No guarantees this is how it would go down, but it sure looks like a perfect timeframe to sc--w a bunch of loyal folks over. "

A comparison of Citrix with IBM and the Broadcom Software BU seems appropriate. All three have been proven to be places where good ideas go to die and employees are retired in place.

yah. when i was at ibm they did stack ranking for a looong time. it was eliminated about 6-7 years ago i think. of course IBM is on their own $hi77er due to stupid exec decisions over the past 2 decades...

i'm at Braodcom now, we've been doing stacks for over 5 years. Herr Krause is using same old playbook from here...

I think a couple press articles said that they would pay severance for those released within a year timeframe. First round of layoffs came last September? Some in December. And the biggie this month. That means the clock is ticking. TK said they will do the 1-2-3 ranking this summer at some point. By the time they sort thru it, just watch, it'll be AFTER September and BEFORE November. That way they avoid paying severance, and they will avoid the VCIP true up that TK promised for November. No guarantees this is how it would go down, but it sure looks like a perfect timeframe to sc--w a bunch of loyal folks over.

“How does he sleep? Soundly, in footie pajamas rolling in cash.”

I don’t see that. I do see him sleeping in soiled Depends next to a hog trough, though…

How does he sleep? Soundly, in footie pajamas rolling in cash.

@rol+1kTuxTzL I’m the original poster on this thread. Your analysis makes perfect sense. Thank you.

"if your coworkers are working harder"

No chance this is about hard work when it comes to it. It'll be about favorites.

Every respectable and informed business person has moved on from stack ranking. It's objectively bad practice for building functional teams.

But it isn't about performance, or productivity, or any of that. It's about being able to claim that you are shedding your oldest and most expensive talent for cause and avoiding lawsuits. Don't forget. It's not just your ranking that can get you fired. It's lack of promotions too. And he considers management above contributing on the totem pole. So if you don't want to be a manager you best plan to be looking for a job.

And if you are a manager, and you give somebody who is effective a bad ranking to fill your quota, you're complicit and evil too. Anybody with a shred of morals will quit rather than participate in this.

“ I really don't understand how this man sleeps at night.”

He doesn’t. He only comes out at night and sleeps during the day hanging upside down in some cave or something…

I really don't understand how this man sleeps at night. And as for Vista: I know they think they're geniuses, but nobody can tell me that the TK method results in the most profit.

Double-plus agreed. People on a transition period should be especially wary of the promise enshrined in the severance agreement -- TK is basically giving a heads-up that they're looking to frame those people for non-performance so they don't have to pay any agreed severance or continuation of certain benefits.

Thread regarding Citrix Systems Inc. layoffs

TK's Stack Ranking employee rating system (AKA "Rank and Yank")

12 replies (most recent on top)

Post a reply