Responding to an Unfair Performance Review

A recent survey of 1,000 full-time employees, all born after 1980, found a great deal of disappointment with their performance reviews. Sixty-two percent, for instance, felt “blind-sided” by their reviews; seventy four percent frequently felt unsure as to what their managers thought of their performance; twenty two percent called in sick because they were anxious about their reviews; and twenty eight percent reacted to their reviews by looking for another job. Our conclusion: it’s very possible that sometime in your career you’ll experience dis-appointment as a result of your performance review.

It might surprise you to learn that most bosses actually dislike performance reviews. Why?

• First, managers are often uncomfortable discussing performance weaknesses directly with employees because they fear a conflict when presenting negative feedback.
• Second, many employees become defensive when their weaknesses are pointed out. It’s not uncertain for employees to challenge the evaluation by criticizing the manager or redirecting blame to someone else.
• Finally, employees tend to have an exaggerated assessment of their own performance.

Statistically speaking, half of all employees are below-average performers. But the evidence indicates that the average employee’s estimate of…