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Odd that many in this thread blame performance reviews themselves ("complete and utter waste of time", "waste of time and simply busy work", etc) and not the ma

Odd that many in this thread blame performance reviews themselves ("complete and utter waste of time", "waste of time and simply busy work", etc) and not the manager giving them. For your manager to do it right requires some courage (to give negative feedback), maturity (to do it professionally), training (e.g. never deliver feedback in 'the compliment sandwich') and empathy (to relate to the employee's POV). Obviously most managers lack these. E.g. Some employees are over-eager and blitz colleagues: "Hey did you get the email I just sent 30 seconds ago?" Others like to have Jira ticket comment wars. A good manager would give direct feedback routinely throughout the year. "Hey Bob, blowing up my inbox with dozens of IMs and emails in a single day is counter-productive." "Hey Suzy, that 750-word Jira comment about why your dispatch function to the React store is a better approach then Duane's could have been better handled face-to-face." Then the performance review is hopefully a boring, pedestrian summary of stuff talked about all year. Instead managers are afraid to give feedback and wait until January to tell you all the things they hate about you. Plus your review is likely tied to your compensation/promotion, often making it unnecessarily a high-stress, do-or-die bombshell. What's really important these days (IMHO) is not the review itself since nowadays everyone changes jobs like they change pants, what matters is your ability to receive negative feedback like an adult and adapt. It means having a manager who can give negative feedback like an adult (a big if) but that will likely help you more in your career than generic pats on the back. Happy review season everyone.

poulsbohemian 7y ago
I hear what you are saying, but... in several places where I have been a manager, it really didn't matter what I said or how I said it. Pay increases (or not) came from HR. Scoring rubrics came from HR. The performance review was performance art, nothing more. I knew it, the employee knew it, and frankly it was more fun to polish our resumes and laugh/cry about it. What I tried to do instead was offer continuous feedback and career direction, with the understanding that it was just advice. Sure I tried my part to advocate to HR and up the food chain, but in a lot of places they really don't care about retainment or career progression.
- ordinaryperson 7y ago
  Ideally a good performance review helps the employee become better, and they can use that feedback to grow in their carer. E.g. have someone on your team who writes long e-mails? Or insta-replies to things without taking time to think? Helping those people grow is the point. Compensation is a universe unto itself. Ideally we'd all be paid according to merit but merit is hard to measure. A (well-executed) performance review should have value in helping people grow and not just be a vector for more $$. Realistically speaking if you want to significantly increase your compensation these days you have to get a new job.

poulsbohemian 7y ago

I hear what you are saying, but... in several places where I have been a manager, it really didn't matter what I said or how I said it. Pay increases (or not) came from HR. Scoring rubrics came from HR. The performance review was performance art, nothing more. I knew it, the employee knew it, and frankly it was more fun to polish our resumes and laugh/cry about it. What I tried to do instead was offer continuous feedback and career direction, with the understanding that it was just advice. Sure I tried my part to advocate to HR and up the food chain, but in a lot of places they really don't care about retainment or career progression.

ordinaryperson 7y ago
Ideally a good performance review helps the employee become better, and they can use that feedback to grow in their carer. E.g. have someone on your team who writes long e-mails? Or insta-replies to things without taking time to think? Helping those people grow is the point. Compensation is a universe unto itself. Ideally we'd all be paid according to merit but merit is hard to measure. A (well-executed) performance review should have value in helping people grow and not just be a vector for more $$. Realistically speaking if you want to significantly increase your compensation these days you have to get a new job.