ALT-1 What a Low Performance Grade might mean for your Career
Performance reviews are something that every company has to do whether they like them or not. While a performance review can provide insight to an employee about what they are doing right, and wrong, it can also be something that can weigh on the mind of an employee. What happens if a performance review is deemed to be not up to the standards that the boss wants?
If you have gotten a poor review, it really means nothing in the long run. In the short term, your boss might keep an eye on you to determine if you have taken any of the words to heart. Long term, he will most likely forget about your review or might not even be with the company anymore for the next review. Don't sweat it too much.
The best thing you can do is to participate in your review and make sure that you and your manager are on the same page. This is your chance to make sure that anything that you are not doing right can be fixed and that any mis-communications can be cleared up right then and there. Any issues that you and your boss have should be aired at this time when you have the best chance of airing grievances without much retaliation.
Keep in mind that most reviews are as much political as they are factual. You don't always get an honest assessment from your boss as to your actual performance. He could not like you so he focuses on your 8 tardy clock ins as opposed to the time you stayed late for an entire week to help him get ready for a big presentation that landed a huge client.
After a bad review, you should consider your options. If the review was accurate, and you have things to improve upon, you should take the time to do so. If you feel like your work has been better than your boss has understood it to be, it might be worth it ot look at other job opportunities, or hope that your current boss leaves soon. There might not be much you can do to impress him.
Until an objective review system is used in every workplace, it would be foolish to take it too personally. Most bosses do it so they can fire you if need be and have documentation. A good manager realizes that a true performance review is best done on the spot with good feedback and good communication all throughout the year.
