But Olson said she can see how employees might be worried about the prospect of bargaining. She speculated that one reason employees might worry is because it's a new system for about 60 percent of Enron's employees. In years past, only the wholesale energy services group was ranked this way. It doesn't say much about the confidence of your recruiting system if you're getting rid of 10 to 15 percent of your work force each year, said a human resource manager in Houston who asked to remain anonymous. Some may not fit in Some people, as smart and talented as they are, just don't fit into Enron's culture, Olson said.
Some folks just have a hard time in that environment.
After thinking about it for a moment, Olson added that maybe Enron's recruiters aren't doing a good enough job weeding out the people who wouldn't do well in an entrepreneurial environment. Forced ranking systems were popular several years ago. But they fell out of favor, in part because they were seen as damaging employee motivation. Olson said she doesn't see a problem with motivation. People like to know how they stand and will work hard to reach the top category, she said.