B2 – Upper Intermediate
Rank and yank is a management style where employees are assessed and graded based on their performance and the lowest-performing individuals are let go or moved to different roles each year.
Critics say this is an outdated practice, but some still defend it.
Read the whole article to know more about the topic.
https://www.business.com/articles/the-end-of-rank-and-yank-management-practices-revisited/
Vocabulary Questions
- What does the idiom “to pull one’s weight” mean in the sentence, “How do you determine which employees are making a valuable contribution to your business and which aren’t pulling their weight?”? Use it in a sentence.
- What does the idiom “to purge dead wood” mean in the sentence, “The idea behind employee rating systems is to purge dead wood.“? Use it in a sentence.
- What does the term “to dole out” mean in the sentence, “While a rank-and-yank evaluation sets performance goals and metrics and provides a way to dole out incentives, it also promotes individuals over the team, discourages collaboration and can demoralize underperformers.”? Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions
- What is your opinion about Jack Welch and his stack ranking system? Do you see him as a good CEO? Why or why not?
- After reading the pros and cons of the rank and yank management style, are you its defender or detractor? Explain your stance.
- What recommendations do you have for companies that implement the rank and yank method?
- Among the rank and yank alternatives mentioned in the article, which one do you think is the most efficient? Explain your answer.
- What management style does your company use to assess its employees? Do you like it? Why or why not?