At HPE, the pirates parrot the parrots! HPE discriminates, not only against older folks, but also, HP discriminates against decent and ethical folks! Won’t play dog-eat-dog? Prepare to be laid off!
HPE employees are so fearful of layoffs… And HPE uses “forced distribution reviews”… Such that, in order to keep your job, you have to make others look bad, and almost everyone knows it. I have sat in a weekly staff meeting where one co-worker savaged a missing co-worker, and all that the boss said, was along these lines: “Well, I am glad that we seem to feel free to speak out minds here”.
It’s like this here political cartoon (Can someone please draw it up?): The boss is a jolly old peg-legged pirate, lurching around the ship. On his shoulder, there is an angry, aggressive parrot, squawking (in large bold letters), “Awwwk! Awwwk! Poly wants a cracker, co-workers are slackers! Awwwk! Awwwk!” Pirate meekly hangs head, repeats, in small, submissive script, “Awwwk! Awwwk! Poly wants a cracker, co-workers are slackers! Awwwk! Awwwk!” …
Lazy managers (who have neither the time nor the competence to look over your shoulder and watch, let alone help, as you write code or run technical hardware), will just take the word of your team leader, or other favored team member, when writing your review. So what we have is a plain and simple conflict of interest, where team leaders or other favored workers can get themselves a better review, by bad-mouthing you. So then… “The pirate (supposed leader) parrots the parrots”, not vice versa. And “Poly’s cracker” is getting to keep Poly’s job, while Poly’s victims lose theirs.
If I were The Meggot I would…
Ditch the “forced ranking” performance reviews. If you can’t bring yourself to do that, at least eliminate what is clearly a conflict of interests that is taking place here. Teach your pirates and parrots that leaders are supposed to lead, and followers are supposed to follow. Start leading; that’s what you’re paid for.