In this fictional policy discussion, HR manager Reem, team leader Omar and employee representative Salma examine promotion evidence, unequal development opportunities and the limits of numerical ratings.
01Read the Arabic conversation
الِاتِّفَاقُ عَلَى مَعَايِيرَ عَادِلَةٍ لِلتَّرْقِيَةِ
رِيمٌ: نُرِيدُ مُرَاجَعَةَ مَعَايِيرِ التَّرْقِيَةِ قَبْلَ الدَّوْرَةِ الْقَادِمَةِ. تَلَقَّيْنَا شَكَاوَى مِنْ غُمُوضِ الْقَرَارَاتِ، لَكِنَّ مَعْرِفَةَ النَّتِيجَةِ وَحْدَهَا لَا تَكْفِي لِتَحْدِيدِ مَوْضِعِ الْخَلَلِ.
عُمَرُ: أُفَضِّلُ مَعَايِيرَ يُمْكِنُ قِيَاسُهَا: جَوْدَةَ الْعَمَلِ، وَالِالْتِزَامَ بِالْمَوَاعِيدِ، وَالْقُدْرَةَ عَلَى تَحَمُّلِ مَسْؤُولِيَّاتٍ أَوْسَعَ. إِذَا تَرَكْنَا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ لِلِانْطِبَاعِ فَسَتَسْتَمِرُّ الشَّكَاوَى نَفْسُهَا.
سَلْمَى: لَا أَعْتَرِضُ عَلَى الْقِيَاسِ، بَلْ عَلَى مَا نَخْتَارُ قِيَاسَهُ. قَدْ يُنْجِزُ مُوَظَّفٌ مَهَامَّ أَقَلَّ لِأَنَّهُ يُدَرِّبُ زُمَلَاءَهُ، فَيَبْدُو أَضْعَفَ بِمِعْيَارٍ يَتَجَاهَلُ هَذِهِ الْمُسَاهَمَةَ.
رِيمٌ: هَذَا يَعْنِي أَنَّنَا نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى التَّمْيِيزِ بَيْنَ حَجْمِ الْإِنْجَازِ وَأَثَرِهِ. هَلْ يُمْكِنُنَا تَوْثِيقُ أَثَرِ التَّدْرِيبِ دُونَ أَنْ نَجْعَلَ رَأْيَ الزُّمَلَاءِ تَصْوِيتًا عَلَى شَعْبِيَّةِ الْمُوَظَّفِ؟
عُمَرُ: يُمْكِنُ طَلَبُ أَمْثِلَةٍ مُحَدَّدَةٍ عَنْ مَهَارَاتٍ اكْتَسَبَهَا الْفَرِيقُ، أَوْ أَخْطَاءٍ تَرَاجَعَتْ بَعْدَ التَّدْرِيبِ. لَكِنَّ هَذَا الْأَثَرَ قَدْ يَتَأَخَّرُ، وَقَدْ يَشْتَرِكُ فِي تَحْقِيقِهِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ شَخْصٍ.
سَلْمَى: إِذَنْ نَصِفُ مُسَاهَمَةَ الشَّخْصِ وَلَا نَنْسِبُ إِلَيْهِ النَّتِيجَةَ كُلَّهَا. الْبَدِيلُ لَيْسَ إِهْمَالَ التَّدْرِيبِ لِأَنَّ قِيَاسَهُ أَصْعَبُ مِنْ عَدِّ الْمَهَامِّ الَّتِي أَغْلَقَهَا.
رِيمٌ: وَمَاذَا عَنِ الِاسْتِعْدَادِ لِلدَّوْرِ الْجَدِيدِ؟ التَّفَوُّقُ فِي الْوَظِيفَةِ الْحَالِيَّةِ مُهِمٌّ، لَكِنَّهُ لَا يُثْبِتُ وَحْدَهُ أَنَّ صَاحِبَهُ قَادِرٌ عَلَى تَنْسِيقِ عَمَلِ الْآخَرِينَ وَحَلِّ خِلَافَاتِهِمْ.
عُمَرُ: كُنْتُ أَعْتَمِدُ عَلَى قِيَادَةِ مَشْرُوعٍ كَبِيرٍ لِإِثْبَاتِ ذَلِكَ. الْمَشْرُوعُ يَكْشِفُ قُدْرَةَ الشَّخْصِ عَلَى تَوْزِيعِ الْعَمَلِ وَاتِّخَاذِ الْقَرَارِ عِنْدَمَا تَتَعَارَضُ الْأَوْلَوِيَّاتُ دَاخِلَ الْفَرِيقِ.
سَلْمَى: وَلَكِنْ مَنْ يَحْصُلُ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْفُرْصَةِ أَصْلًا؟ إِذَا اخْتَرْتَ الْأَشْخَاصَ نَفْسَهُمْ كُلَّ مَرَّةٍ، فَسَتَصْنَعُ الْفُرْصَةُ الْأَدِلَّةَ الَّتِي تَسْتَخْدِمُهَا لَاحِقًا لِتَبْرِيرِ اخْتِيَارِهِمْ مُجَدَّدًا.
عُمَرُ: أَعْتَرِفُ بِأَنَّنِي أُسْنِدُ الْمَهَامَّ الْعَاجِلَةَ غَالِبًا إِلَى مَنْ سَبَقَ أَنْ عَمِلَ مَعِي. أَقْصِدُ تَقْلِيلَ الْمَخَاطِرِ، لَكِنَّ هَذَا الْأُسْلُوبَ قَدْ يَحْرِمُ غَيْرَهُمْ مِنْ إِظْهَارِ قُدْرَاتِهِمْ.
رِيمٌ: لِنَفْصِلْ بَيْنَ مُتَطَلَّبَاتِ الْمَهَمَّةِ الْعَاجِلَةِ وَتَوْزِيعِ فُرَصِ التَّطَوُّرِ. نَسْتَطِيعُ إِعْلَانَ مَهَامَّ قِيَادِيَّةٍ صَغِيرَةٍ مُسْبَقًا، وَإِتَاحَةَ التَّقَدُّمِ إِلَيْهَا لِمَنْ يَسْتَوْفِي شُرُوطَهَا الْمَعْرُوفَةَ لِلْجَمِيعِ.
سَلْمَى: أُوَافِقُ، بِشَرْطِ أَلَّا تُضَافَ هَذِهِ الْمَهَامُّ إِلَى عِبْءٍ كَامِلٍ دُونَ تَعْدِيلٍ. وَإِلَّا فَسَتَكُونُ الْفُرْصَةُ مُتَاحَةً نَظَرِيًّا، وَمَقْصُورَةً عَمَلِيًّا عَلَى مَنْ يَسْتَطِيعُ الْعَمَلَ سَاعَاتٍ أَطْوَلَ.
عُمَرُ: هَذَا شَرْطٌ مَعْقُولٌ، وَيُمْكِنُ تَخْفِيضُ بَعْضِ الْمَهَامِّ الْيَوْمِيَّةِ خِلَالَ فَتْرَةِ التَّجْرِبَةِ. لَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ نَخْلِطَ بَيْنَ الْحُضُورِ بَعْدَ الدَّوَامِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ عَلَى إِدَارَةِ الْوَقْتِ وَالنَّاسِ.
رِيمٌ: نَعُودُ إِلَى وَرَقَةِ التَّقْيِيمِ. أَقْتَرِحُ ثَلَاثَةَ مَحَاوِرَ: جَوْدَةَ الْإِنْجَازِ، وَالْمُسَاهَمَةَ فِي تَطَوُّرِ الْفَرِيقِ، وَالِاسْتِعْدَادَ لِمَسْؤُولِيَّاتِ الدَّوْرِ الْجَدِيدِ. وَنَطْلُبُ دَلِيلًا مَكْتُوبًا لِكُلِّ تَقْدِيرٍ.
عُمَرُ: هَلْ نَمْنَحُ الْمَحَاوِرَ أَوْزَانًا مُتَسَاوِيَةً؟ قَدْ يَتَقَدَّمُ شَخْصٌ يَجْمَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ جَيِّدَةً، مَعَ أَنَّ لَدَيْهِ ضَعْفًا جَوْهَرِيًّا فِي مَهَارَةٍ لَا يَسْتَقِيمُ الدَّوْرُ الْجَدِيدُ دُونَهَا.
سَلْمَى: لَا أَرَى أَنَّ الْمُسَاوَاةَ فِي الْأَوْزَانِ تَعْنِي الْعَدْلَ تِلْقَائِيًّا. يُمْكِنُ تَحْدِيدُ حَدٍّ أَدْنَى لِلْمَهَارَةِ الْأَسَاسِيَّةِ، شَرِيطَةَ تَبْرِيرِهِ وَإِعْلَانِهِ قَبْلَ فَتْحِ بَابِ التَّرَشُّحِ.
رِيمٌ: سَنُحَدِّدُ الْأَوْزَانَ وَالْحُدُودَ الدُّنْيَا بِحَسَبِ مُتَطَلَّبَاتِ كُلِّ دَوْرٍ، ثُمَّ نَنْشُرُهَا مُسْبَقًا. لَنْ نُعَدِّلَهَا بَعْدَ مُرَاجَعَةِ أَسْمَاءِ الْمُتَقَدِّمِينَ، وَلَوْ كَانَ التَّعْدِيلُ يُنَاسِبُ مُرَشَّحًا نُقَدِّرُهُ.
عُمَرُ: أَخْشَى أَنْ تُصْبِحَ الْوَرَقَةُ حِسَابًا آلِيًّا يُخْفِي الْحُكْمَ الْمِهَنِيَّ. قَدْ تَكُونُ لِشَخْصَيْنِ الدَّرَجَةُ نَفْسُهَا، لَكِنَّ الْأَدِلَّةَ الَّتِي تَسْنُدُ دَرَجَتَيْهِمَا مُخْتَلِفَةٌ فِي قُوَّتِهَا وَسِيَاقِهَا.
سَلْمَى: الْحُكْمُ الْمِهَنِيُّ ضَرُورِيٌّ، لَكِنَّهُ يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَعْلِيلٍ يُمْكِنُ مُرَاجَعَتُهُ. لَا تَكْفِي عِبَارَةُ أَنَّ شَخْصًا مَا يَبْدُو قَائِدًا، إِذَا لَمْ نُحَدِّدِ السُّلُوكَ الَّذِي نَسْتَنِدُ إِلَيْهِ.
رِيمٌ: لِذَلِكَ سَيَقْرَأُ مُقَيِّمَانِ الْأَدِلَّةَ بِشَكْلٍ مُسْتَقِلٍّ قَبْلَ النِّقَاشِ. إِذَا اخْتَلَفَ التَّقْدِيرَانِ نَطْلُبُ تَفْسِيرًا لِلْفَرْقِ، وَلَا نَكْتَفِي بِحِسَابِ الْمُتَوَسِّطِ الَّذِي قَدْ يُخْفِي سُوءَ فَهْمٍ مُشْتَرَكًا.
عُمَرُ: وَمَاذَا يَحْدُثُ إِذَا كَانَ أَحَدُ الْمُقَيِّمَيْنِ قَدْ أَشْرَفَ عَلَى الْمُرَشَّحِ؟ مَعْرِفَتُهُ بِالْعَمَلِ مُفِيدَةٌ، لَكِنَّهُ قَدْ يُدَافِعُ عَنْ قَرَارَاتِهِ السَّابِقَةِ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُ.
رِيمٌ: يُقَدِّمُ الْمُشْرِفُ أَمْثِلَتَهُ، وَيُرَاجِعُهَا شَخْصٌ مِنْ خَارِجِ الْفَرِيقِ. وَيُصَرِّحُ كُلُّ مُقَيِّمٍ بِأَيِّ عَلَاقَةٍ قَدْ تُؤَثِّرُ فِي حُكْمِهِ، لِنُقَرِّرَ هَلْ يَجِبُ اسْتِبْدَالُهُ.
سَلْمَى: أُرِيدُ أَيْضًا إِتَاحَةَ تَصْحِيحِ الْوَقَائِعِ لِلْمُرَشَّحِ. قَدْ يُنْسَبُ إِلَيْهِ تَأْخِيرٌ سَبَبُهُ تَغْيِيرُ الْمَطْلُوبِ، وَحِينَئِذٍ لَنْ يُصْلِحَ تَعَدُّدُ الْمُقَيِّمِينَ سِجِلًّا يَحْمِلُ مَعْلُومَاتٍ نَاقِصَةً عَنِ الْمَهَمَّةِ.
عُمَرُ: أَقْبَلُ ذَلِكَ، عَلَى أَنْ تُحَدَّدَ مُهْلَةٌ وَاضِحَةٌ لِلتَّصْحِيحِ. نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى تَمْيِيزِ الِاعْتِرَاضِ عَلَى وَاقِعَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ مِنْ مُجَرَّدِ عَدَمِ الرِّضَا عَنِ التَّقْدِيرِ أَوِ النَّتِيجَةِ النِّهَائِيَّةِ.
رِيمٌ: سَنُتِيحُ خَمْسَةَ أَيَّامِ عَمَلٍ لِتَصْحِيحِ السِّجِلِّ قَبْلَ الْقَرَارِ النِّهَائِيِّ، وَمَسَارًا لِمُرَاجَعَةِ تَطْبِيقِ الْمَعَايِيرِ بَعْدَهُ. الْمُرَاجَعَةُ لَا تَعْنِي تَرْقِيَةً تِلْقَائِيَّةً، بَلْ تَعْنِي فَحْصَ سَلَامَةِ الْقَرَارِ.
سَلْمَى: وَهَلْ سَنُطَبِّقُ هَذِهِ الْأَوْزَانَ عَلَى أَعْمَالِ الْعَامِ الْمَاضِي؟ لَا يَبْدُو عَادِلًا أَنْ نُحَاسِبَ الْمُوَظَّفِينَ عَلَى أَوْلَوِيَّاتٍ لَمْ نُبْلِغْهُمْ بِهَا عِنْدَ تَوْزِيعِ الْمَهَامِّ عَلَيْهِمْ.
رِيمٌ: سَنَبْدَأُ بِفَتْرَةِ تَقْيِيمٍ جَدِيدَةٍ بَعْدَ النَّشْرِ، وَنُجَرِّبُ الْوَرَقَةَ عَلَى حَالَاتٍ افْتِرَاضِيَّةٍ أَوَّلًا. أَمَّا الشَّكَاوَى السَّابِقَةُ فَنُرَاجِعُهَا وَفْقَ الْمَعَايِيرِ الْمُعْلَنَةِ آنَذَاكَ، لَا بِأَوْزَانٍ جَدِيدَةٍ بِأَثَرٍ رَجْعِيٍّ.
عُمَرُ: اِتَّفَقْنَا عَلَى تَجْرِبَةِ الْمَنْهَجِ وَمُرَاجَعَةِ اخْتِلَافِ التَّقْدِيرَاتِ وَتَوْزِيعِ الْفُرَصِ. لَا نَضْمَنُ غِيَابَ كُلِّ خِلَافٍ، بَلْ نَجْعَلُ أَسْبَابَ الْقَرَارِ أَوْضَحَ وَأَكْثَرَ قَابِلِيَّةً لِلْفَحْصِ وَالتَّصْحِيحِ.
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Reem: We want to review promotion criteria before the next cycle. We have received complaints about unclear decisions, but knowing the outcome alone is not enough to locate the problem in the assessment.
Omar: I prefer criteria we can measure: work quality, meeting deadlines and the ability to take on wider responsibilities. If everything is left to impressions, the same complaints will continue.
Salma: I do not object to measurement, but to what we choose to measure. An employee may finish fewer tasks because they train colleagues, and appear weaker under a measure that overlooks that contribution.
Reem: That means we need to distinguish the volume of work from its impact. Can we document training’s impact without turning colleagues’ opinions into a popularity vote?
Omar: We can ask for specific examples of skills the team acquired or errors that decreased after training. However, that impact may take time to appear, and more than one person may contribute to it.
Salma: Then we describe the person’s contribution without attributing the whole result to them. The alternative is not to ignore training because it is harder to measure than counting closed tasks.
Reem: What about readiness for the new role? Excellence in the current job matters, but alone it does not prove an ability to coordinate other people’s work and resolve their disagreements.
Omar: I used to rely on leading a major project as evidence of that. A project shows someone’s ability to allocate work and make decisions when priorities within the team conflict.
Salma: But who gets that opportunity in the first place? If you choose the same people every time, the opportunity will produce the evidence you later use to justify choosing them again.
Omar: I admit that I often assign urgent tasks to people who have worked with me before. I intend to reduce risk, but that approach may deprive others of the chance to demonstrate their abilities.
Reem: Let us distinguish the requirements of urgent work from the distribution of development opportunities. We can announce smaller leadership assignments in advance and let anyone who meets the published requirements apply.
Salma: I agree, provided those assignments are not added to a full workload without adjustment. Otherwise the opportunity will exist in theory but be limited in practice to those who can work longer hours.
Omar: That is reasonable, and some daily tasks can be reduced during the trial period. I do not want to confuse staying after hours with the ability to manage time and people.
Reem: Returning to the assessment form, I propose three areas: quality of results, contribution to the team’s development and readiness for the new role’s responsibilities. We require written evidence for every rating.
Omar: Do we give the areas equal weights? Someone might come out ahead with a good total despite a fundamental weakness in a skill essential to the new role.
Salma: I do not think equal weights automatically mean fairness. A minimum can be set for an essential skill, provided it is justified and announced before applications open.
Reem: We will set weights and minimums according to each role’s requirements, then publish them in advance. We will not change them after reviewing applicants’ names, even if a change would suit a candidate we value.
Omar: I worry that the form will become a mechanical calculation concealing professional judgment. Two people may have the same score, but the evidence behind their scores can differ in strength and context.
Salma: Professional judgment is necessary, but it needs a rationale that can be reviewed. Saying someone looks like a leader is not enough unless we identify the behaviour on which that judgment rests.
Reem: That is why two assessors will read the evidence independently before discussing it. If their ratings differ, we ask for an explanation rather than simply averaging them, which could conceal a shared misunderstanding.
Omar: What happens if one assessor supervised the candidate? Their knowledge of the work is useful, but they may unknowingly defend their own previous decisions.
Reem: The supervisor supplies examples, which someone outside the team reviews. Each assessor declares any relationship that could affect their judgment so we can decide whether they should be replaced.
Salma: I also want candidates to be able to correct facts. A delay caused by changed requirements may be attributed to them; having several assessors will not repair a record containing incomplete information about the task.
Omar: I accept that, provided there is a clear correction deadline. We need to distinguish an objection to an incorrect fact from simple dissatisfaction with a rating or final result.
Reem: We will allow five working days to correct the record before the final decision and a route to review how the criteria were applied afterward. Review does not mean automatic promotion; it means checking the decision’s soundness.
Salma: Will we apply these weights to last year’s work? It does not seem fair to assess employees against priorities we did not tell them about when assigning their tasks.
Reem: We will start a new assessment period after publication and first trial the form on hypothetical cases. Earlier complaints will be reviewed against the criteria announced at the time, not new weights applied retrospectively.
Omar: We agree to trial the method and review differences in ratings and the distribution of opportunities. We cannot guarantee the absence of every disagreement, but we can make reasons for decisions clearer and more open to scrutiny and correction.
02Useful words and expressions
| Arabic in the conversation | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| مَوْضِعِ الْخَلَلِ | the source of the problem |
| تَحَمُّلِ مَسْؤُولِيَّاتٍ أَوْسَعَ | taking on wider responsibilities |
| تَصْوِيتًا عَلَى شَعْبِيَّةِ الْمُوَظَّفِ | a vote on the employee’s popularity |
| فُرَصِ التَّطَوُّرِ | development opportunities |
| عِبْءٍ كَامِلٍ | a full workload |
| مُتَاحَةً نَظَرِيًّا | available in theory |
| حَدٍّ أَدْنَى | a minimum requirement |
| حِسَابًا آلِيًّا | a mechanical calculation |
| تَعْلِيلٍ يُمْكِنُ مُرَاجَعَتُهُ | a rationale that can be reviewed |
| تَصْحِيحِ الْوَقَائِعِ | correcting the facts |
| سَلَامَةِ الْقَرَارِ | the soundness of the decision |
| بِأَثَرٍ رَجْعِيٍّ | retrospectively |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Look back at the Arabic conversation for evidence. Open the English question support or a hint when you need help.
What to remember
- Distinguish measurable output from broader contribution and access to development opportunities.
- Support professional judgment with reviewable evidence, published criteria and a clear route to correct errors.
Explore the Arabic in this conversation
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this conversation.
Lakinna and Lakin in Arabic: Two Patterns for But
لَكِنَّ الْأَدِلَّةَ الَّتِي تَسْنُدُ دَرَجَتَيْهِمَا مُخْتَلِفَةٌ فِي قُوَّتِهَا وَسِيَاقِهَا
Contrast equal scores with differing evidence using lakinna and the accusative noun al-adillata.
Idha in Arabic: How to Say When and If
إِذَا اخْتَلَفَ التَّقْدِيرَانِ نَطْلُبُ تَفْسِيرًا لِلْفَرْقِ
Connect a possible difference in ratings with an indicative response using idha.
Because in Arabic: Give a Reason with Lianna
لِأَنَّهُ يُدَرِّبُ زُمَلَاءَهُ
Explain why a useful contribution may be overlooked with lianna and an attached pronoun.
