Nope. Not at all. Performace reviews must adhere to the money in the budget at my workplace. Sad, but true.

I'd much rather have my manager tell me, "You did an outstanding job, but we can't pay you for your level of performance..." Rather than, "We don't have $$ in the budget to give you an outstanding on your review, so instead, you get a "Satisfactory." "

I hate office politics...

Rant over,
-Z-man.

Most of the managers who have worked for me have been easy graders, or afraid to piss off their staff by giving a realistic review. I've used a system with specific accountabilities and objectives that is reviewed at the beginning of the review period with the employee. Then come review time, it's pretty easy to score the review. This cuts down on the easy grader syndrome. If they want to give a high score for attitude or effort, we usually have a category for that at managers discretion. Having that category usually helps the manager keep a good relationship with their direct report.

It's pretty standard PwC operating procedure. We weren't PwC, but half the partners worked there once, so I guess they just stole it. :)

I didn't think about it, but it really took everyone off the hook. You could skate with some pretty marginal performance. The turnover was really high, so you could do marginal work and if your project manager gave you the "go away 3" (satisfactory) and nobody brought your name up in roundtables, you'd have a job for another year. Remember, an ass in a seat is revenue. :)

Yea, it's sad to say because conceptually I really like the idea of performance-based salary adjustments and in providing very important honest and open feedback to people. But it ALWAYS is a simple bean-counter-driven numbers game. So-and-so says "we can expand payrolls by no more than 3% this year", so that's what it is. If your department budget is $500k, then you decide where the extra $15k is going. You can spread it evenly among everyone, or give some a lot and others nothing, or all to one great person and everyone else nothing - but ultimately you can't exceed your cap. It's especially difficult when you have a team of ALL good people who know it and then have to tell them, "sorry, indexed for inflation raises only" or even worse "sorry there's no money this year - thanks for the hard work though". While people SHOULDN'T expect it, they do. And it's a huge DE-motivator when there's nothing there to give them and they feel jilted.

There comes a point when you "top out" in any field, not matter what the corporate budget is. .... You have to get comfortable in knowing that, not likeing i though. If you want unlimited earnings potential, you need to be the owner, not the employee.

Yep

Also 100% correct.

AND one of the major reasons I'm seeking to start my own practice in the next 2-3 years. :) But that's another issue.

In exchange for providing the illusion of job security, employers take (on average, in my profession anyway) about 1/3-2/3 of the billable value of an employee's services and an unlimited amount of long-term earning potential.

I like to say that "nobody ever got rich by working for someone else". I've been criticized for this statement, but as a general rule I stand by it and think it's absolutely correct. You can do OKAY, you can live COMFORTABLY (to an extent), but you'll never ever be WEALTHY or RICH or completely FREE until you work for yourself.

Right now I'm just killing time and accumulating the necessary skills, connections and credentials necessary to go independent. I gave up giving a damn about being a partner in someone else's company long ago.

These is all true:

1. A 12-man consulting firm did a project for 6+ weeks and failed. I got hired and, by myself, I was able to correctly implement the project in <1 week.

At performance time,....."Windsor, we want to give you a 5 because we think you walk on water. However, HR said that no one walks on water. So we give you a satisfactory 3.5 rating."

2. Working my ass off all year, while some are just kissing-ass, at review time,......"The budget this year is 3%. Since you did well, we are giving you the max." Well, come to find out later on, "everyone got 3%!!!!"


As stated by others,
1. Life is never fair.
2. In this economy, it's better than no job.
3. I know my clients were happy. So I am happy.


Reviews are crap!!!!!!

my boss tells me i shouldn't have to baby sit you. then goes into a short rant usually resulting in something banged or thrown. i've worked their for over two years and the experience i gained should be worth more then minimum wage.
but.......

That's exactly right. Sales guys can get rich working for someone else, but they kind of work for themselves as well. It also depends on the company.

If you want to be well off working for someone, you have to be on the revenue side. Overhead guys get less. Always will. If you don't know what side you're on, you'll never be rich. :)

Ok, next question. Has anyone here told their boss they knew their review was total BS?

I've had subordinates tell me that, but I politely told them that their opinions of themselves exceeded reality.

Most of the jobs I have had, I wrote my own. Recently, I would have people write theirs and I would edits out the hyperbole. If you write your own, it's much more palatable when you get it back. If you know it's going to be BS, then just write that. Remember though, it goes in your permanent file!!!

I think my job got a lot safer today and I would bet money that I get a stellar performance review in January, despite being way, way below revenue goal and generally living on my boss's *****list full time (though only in the last year).

One of our team's good producers gave her notice today, going to a major magzine and doubling her money for it. Another co-worker was hit by a car on the way to work last week and badly injured. She was the one they hired to replace me in DC and she wasn't performing well. Another co-worker is about to go on maternity leave and I don't think she'll return. Another one just got married and moved to north of Baltimore and the boss won't let her telecommute. One more co-worker, who's a star producer is rumored to be looking for another job. And that leaves one other sales guy besides me. I don't worry about getting laid off anymore and I bet I take over some of these folks' good accounts. If I get a good review, it will forever be proof that performance reviews mean nothing and are all predetermined.

It sounds like they're gonna yank you back to DC to plug their holes there. Welcome back. ;)

I thought I'd revive this one, as I just got my 2009 perf. appraisal, fully one quarter into 2010. This time last year, I was struggling to hang onto my job, was regularly threatened with termination and even when I had a few stellar months, never heard a single word of praise from my manic depressive boss. I finished the year at around 86% of goal, which, per company policy, was grounds for termination, though I was well into the top half of producers. To my knowledge, no one was canned last year because of bad numbers, though we were all told it would happen after three consecutive months of being under 100% of goal, which just about everyone experienced.

2010 has been going really well for me so far, but this perf. appraisal is supposed to be all about 2009. Anyway, I got a stellar review. I'll take it, but it's further proof that these things are either pre-determined or complete BS. 2009 was not a great year for me at all. I did better than most, but most did horribly and I only did poorly. I predict I'll make 25% more money this year, will finish at or above 100% of goal.....and not get such a great review this time next year. Maybe I should ask for a base salary raise while I have a good review to back it up.

Absolutely, but there are far better reasons to be the owner.

I got mine about a month ago. Stellar review, probably the best one I have ever gotten.

Go figure. I haven't done anything differently in the last year. In fact, I wouldn't have been a bit surprised if I had gotten a reprimand on several issues. There were several things I just didn't do because I really didn't feel like it.

This year, my review had more to do with org chart changes, and getting various employees moved (or kept) under various managers. That and it's a legal/HR policy thing.

Total BS, and has very little to do with anything I actually accomplished.

Reviews are just a control mechanism. I think you should tell your boss that annually you are going to give him a review to let him know how is is doing. Tell him you want to schedule it after you get your results :D