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Former Yahoo Employee Challenges the Legality of Yahoo's Ranking System (nytimes.com)

Posted by timothy on from the this-isn't-Nam-smokey-there-are-rules dept.

whoever57 writes: A former employee of Yahoo is challenging Yahoo's performance review and termination process. The ranking system was introduced to Yahoo by Ms. Mayer on the recommendation of management consultants McKinsey & Co.. Gregory Anderson, an editor who oversaw Yahoo's autos, homes, shopping, small business and travel sites in Sunnyvale, Calif. is claiming that the ranking and termination process was flawed to the extent that the terminations were not based on performance and hence constitute mass layoffs, which require notice periods under both California and Federal law. He is also alleging gender discrimination, under which women were given preferential treatment over men in the hiring, promotions and layoff processes.

4 of 250 comments (clear)

  1. CEOs: what a life! by whoever57 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The ranking system was introduced to Yahoo by Ms. Mayer on the recommendation of management consultants McKinsey & Co..

    It's great to be a CEO: get paid millions, then use the company's money to bring in consultants to do your own work!

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
  2. What works for Jack Welch doesn't always work... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I had a manager who was a big fan of Jack Welch and implemented a policy to fire the bottom 10% every year. Except he didn't hire replacements and the middle soon became the new bottom. The top 10% saw the writing on the wall and vacated for greener fields elsewhere. I was the third of a dozen senior testers who left the company. The manager rode the company all the way into bankruptcy, unwilling to admit that his channeling of Jack Welch was wrong.

  3. Re:What works for Jack Welch doesn't always work.. by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I've seen a couple of places do this with a forced bell curve.

    They had pre-defined that you can only have so many at each level, and had to fit -- if you had 10 people, the number at each level was defined by a formula.

    Which meant the ranking system couldn't say "wow, I have a bunch of good people", or "shit, I have a bunch of dullards".

    Morons who manage by arbitrary metric tend to do a lousy job of it. Because apparently reality is a problem for such people.

    I find that style of management pretty pathetic, because it's just drooling idiots blindly following stuff they don't understand, and can't see why it's failing them.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
  4. Re:Good luck with that... by herovit · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Yeah, except that that's incorrect: http://www.lawfficespace.com/2013/12/yes-white-males-are-protected-class.html.