Article: The Counsellor: Managing the gaps between expectations and reality

Learning & Development

The Counsellor: Managing the gaps between expectations and reality

Can an organisation withdraw the promised incentives and bonus at the time of payout ? Is it right for my boss to follow me on Twitter and comment on my personal tweets?
 

The practices have to be continuously challenged, questioned and changedas necessary

 

I work as a sales manager for a manufacturing organization and have been working here for the last 5 years now. I have enjoyed my tenure in the company, but a recent instance has left me disturbed. The sales incentives and bonus for the last FY was announced recently and while the organization has done well and that led us to have different expectations, the numbers do not look very encouraging. The same is at least 35 percent less than what we expected, and this has upset my personal financial plans for the year. While I understand the organization has valid reasons for its decision, how do I deal with this dilemma that I am faced with?

Gap between the expectations and reality always leads to various emotions, frustration being one of them. Basis for expectations many a times can be wrong. You need to figure out what was the basis for your assumptions on what you are likely to get? You have also stated that “you understand the organization has valid reasons for its decisions”; this indicates that the company’s decision was not necessarily unfair or wrong.

The dilemma that you are facing has to be sorted out first internally within yourself. Learn to set the right expectations. Remain connected with your bosses, get involved with management processes, and become aware of the logic and rationale that your company has while making decisions. This will ensure that in the future you will have a high degree of realism while setting expectations.

Vivek is a Senior HR professional with over 35 years of experience, ranging several leadership positions, in India and abroad. He leads his consulting practice since 2003 and presently works as a Strategic HR Advisor to Reliance Industries, and is also an independent Director on the Board of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd. Prior to this, he was based at Singapore for several years where he was Director HR - Operations at Hewlett Packard for the Asia Pacific Region.

Allow Vivek to clear your career and professional dilemmas by writing to us at ask@peoplematters.in
 

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Topics: Learning & Development, Performance Management

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