You would think
why would anyone want to describe an appraisal process… first day at college..
first date.. first kiss.. first night would b more interesting to describe…
Boss... (...this
refers to you.. not my boss… generally people from aamchi Mumbai tend to call
random ppl as boss) u’ll njoy my appraisal process as well…
After working
for more than 3 yrs in a govt. office on a meager stipend… this was the first
time I felt a tinge of the corporate
aggressiveness in me! (Not being used to the bargaining process… I guess I
needed my mom or my friends to accompany me for shopping!)
Day 1: After filling up the KRAs and self-evaluation… the form
came back to me after my boss’ review.. and as expected, boss had given me a
“2.0 - needs improvement” tag everywhere. No matter whether I had rated myself
as 5.0 - outstanding, 4.0 - exceed expectations or 3.0 - solid contributor!
He handed me the prints early in the morning and fixed the
one-to-one after lunch.
I didn’t have the slightest idea that an appraisal is like shopping
at the fashion street… he says a 2 & I say a 4 & we settle at 3!
After lunch he guided me to the conference room himself… I was
in my usual jovial… bouncy way… smiling at the passersby… they were wishing me
good luck and I casually greeted them n thanked them! Boss (this time I AM
referring to my boss!) in turn would laugh and comment “There’s no need for
that! She seems to be very casual” (I swear… and it never seemed to me that I
was taken to the conf room to be grilled! …well there IS a reason to that… I
have a rather cool boss…!)
Inside the conference room… he started the blah blahs of any
typical boss… We have a lot of expectations from u… u r a young blood.. u shud
b creative.. we saw ur track record… u topped in your grads… so keeping that in
mind…………………………….
I was rather bored… he always keeps on telling this (obv. its
his duty to!)…… and then suddenly he was like… “You don’t have to be known as
any ‘pretty girl floating here n there’…” Looking at my dropped jaw he cleared,
“U like it or not… everyone here knows you that way!” (he has a rather amazing
observation & also knows each n every person on all the 4 floors of our
office building!)
Boss! Now wat was that! A part of an appraisal talk!
He lectured some more.. & then asked me whether I had any
argument against what I had been rated… No one has to accept what others rate
them.. u can fight back… we r here to grow.. u, me, & everyone else.. so
tell me.. defend urself!
By this time I was so lost… ARGUE… DEFEND… What! am I supposed
to fight with d boss! Is it really.. actually… factually.. so or is it like
this only with my boss! (coz… he’s really a cool guy.. but the prob was that
he is a sensitive one too… ).
I was silent & meditative..
He asked again “Do u have anything in your defence???” I was
still silent and in deep thought…
The court was adjourned for the next day… I was supposed to
present my justification by lunch time the next day..
DAY 2: I just read & re-read the comments given by my boss…
just to find out some catch here and there on which I could argue with my boss!
(Well.. there are many… but nothing to argue.. just needs improvement… needs
improvement… & needs improvement…!!!
Improvement!... of course… there it was.. just right there… this
word itself “Improvement”!
A girl interested in the miracles of the nature, the sea, the
sun, moves completely in to the unnatural world of banking… debits, credits,
transactions, accounting & what not! Learns all the basics… & can now
even explain complicated bits and pieces of this... money-magnet world within no
time, actually!
Is this not improvement??
Well I explained (read it as ‘argued’) all this to my boss… (confidently
enuf) and believe me my arguments did confuse (& may be surprised) &
pinched the boss’ confidence instead!
