![]() Basically if a target is painted on your back and you know there’s a high probability you’re going to get managed in the next 6 months, it’s better to do the bare minimum at work and focus as much as possible on getting a new job. I imagine the reason Amazon doesn’t want people to know about Focus/Dev plans is that once you know you’re in the earlier stages of the pipeline, you may come to a similar conclusion. So on Blind the most common suggestion for people on PIP is to do the absolute bare minimum and start interviewing elsewhere, expecting to fail the PIP. In theory it’s possible to “get out” of it but because of the quotas it’s pretty much a lost cause. In the later stages when you’re actively getting managed out they put you on a formal PIP. So maybe your quota is 5% but you have another 5-10% extra in earlier stages of your pipeline so you can sacrifice them later. ![]() Because of this built-in churn they need to have a pipeline of low performers - because once the current set of URA targets get managed out or leave you will need to still hit that quota next quarter/half/year/whatever. Not every manager needs to hit the exact target but under a certain level of middle management they do. I have spent a lot of time on Blind where this is discussed often and I think I have an idea what is going on.Īt a high level, Amazon orgs have Unregretted Attrition (URA) targets/quotas for orgs. It also seems like a tool that could be abused to make arbitrary firings seem like they are for legitimate cause. To me it seems like FOCUS is a dark pattern meant to encourage managers to implement stack ranking. I could be wrong about this, but why would these instructions be in a FAQ if they were baked in to actual procedures? tell the employee that their performance is not meeting expectations, the specific areas where they need to improve, and offer feedback and support to help them improve." is completely optional and in fact requires that the manager take the initiative to actually do this. Once you push the button, the employee is on track for termination and all of the CYA for-cause documentation happens automatically.įrom my reading of the article it sounds like the part where the manager is to ". It takes all of the friction out ordering from them, and gives you the option to purchase right at the moment of greatest need.įOCUS is a "button" managers can push to fire employees. There is no way to have this process without creating a toxic culture.Īmazon is the company that created a button you can push to reorder toilet paper. Out of all the things I've heard about Amazon culture for its software organization - this single thing (secretive lists of employees with performance issues with "never rehire" consequences that employees can't even understand they are on) symbolizes for me all the reasons I would avoid them as an employer. It is so on it's face a recipe for having a toxic culture which breeds stress, doubt, and only serves to reinforce poor performance outcomes. Honestly it boggles my mind how Amazon managers accept this status quo at the scale that Amazon operates. The solution is not to maintain a secretive list of employees who have performance issues - it is to be fully transparent about those performance issues and destigmatize being included in this nebulous secretive list in the first place - through a culture of support and shared success. Especially with the harsh consequences such as - if you leave while on this secretive list (which you cannot even know you are on) - you are ineligible for rehire. If it's understood it has to be communicated and there is a list specifically including the individual, it's up to the company to manage that communication in a supportive manner.Īnd the consequences of this secretive list are a culture of fear and uncertainty and doubt. The only "positive" here is that it can affect the individual's moral to know you are not meeting expectations - but that has to be communicated regardless. If they are on a formal list, they should know that too. If an employee has a performance issue, they should know. ![]() I never understood the secretive nature of these Amazon "devplan" / "FOCUS" lists.
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