On November 14, 2016, The Seattle Times posted an article entitled, “Amazon to Drop Dreaded Stack-ranking Performance Reviews.” The article stated that Amazon was completely changing their annual performance review process in order to compete with other large tech companies for employee talent. The company “vowed” to make employee evaluations more focused on achievements instead of how an employee looks compared with other colleagues. This announcement comes more than a year after a piece was published on the ranking system in the New York Times. That article showed that stack-ranking is a factor in a “bruising” work culture.
None of this was news for the President of Green Worldwide Shipping, LLC, Thomas Jorgensen. In 2012, Jorgensen decided that he wanted his management to focus on the cornerstones of the company:
- Respect
- Dedication
- Customer service second to none
- Positive and healthy work environment
- Long term relationships
- Personal and professional growth
- Ethics and integrity
- Our people
At Green Worldwide, what companies generally refer to as “Performance Reviews,” were to be called “Employee Development Meetings/Discussions.” The discussion was to be about the employee and the employee’s relationship to the company and the job. The goal of this change was to motivate, encourage, inform, and most importantly to listen to what the employee has to say in terms of wellbeing, feedback, and plans for the future. The grading system was removed and was replaced with a dialogue between manager and employee.
Since Jorgensen’s change in 2012, Green Worldwide has a higher employee retention rate, better communication between management and employees, and a more relaxed and open work environment. This program is proof that Green Worldwide Shipping, LLC is a cut above the rest.
For more information about our company and our values, visit our website, or connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
