How to Protest an Unfair Performance Review
Performance reviews are never easy, but they should never surprise you. A good boss will tell you throughout the year how you're doing. Unfortunately, we don't all work for good managers. If yours comes out of left field with an unfair assessment, how do you go about protesting it?
The key to successfully challenging your review is backing your argument with facts. Emotions and facts don't mix, so don't blow up, and don't let your manager to rush you into signing any document. Ask time to think about the feedback and a copy of the review. In your emotional state, you won't convince your manager of anything but your unprofessionalism if you attempt to appeal immediately. You need time to think through her comments and thoroughly gather all your facts.
Spend some of that time internalizing the review and considering whether it has any validity. Although having performance issues sprung upon you at review time in itself is unfair, there may be a nugget of truth buried in the comments. If the feedback has any merit at all, you might be unwittingly holding yourself back from achieving your career goals. If your manager accused you of not being a team player, maybe you're rubbing people the wrong way for some reason and don't even realize it. If she told you that you had too many errors in your work, but hasn't been pointing them out through the year, maybe you had no idea that you need to work on your attention to detail. Try bouncing your thoughts off of friends and family, and ask for sincere feedback from them.
After deliberation, if you still think the review was inaccurate, compile your facts in writing. Brainstorm what you remember, dig through emails, and ask your colleagues if they recall instances where you achieved special successes or compliments. List examples that demonstrate when you successfully met the expectations your manager has accused you of not meeting. Managers are fallible, and she may have simply forgotten some of the things you did, or maybe doesn't know them all. Be careful to keep your arguments relevant, though. If your manager is concerned about your punctuality, and you offer facts about your willingness to work overtime, you won't convince her that you met her punctuality expectation. On the other hand, perhaps she's calculated a percentage of tardy days compared to total days worked, and she failed to include your overtime in the calculation. In that case, overtime might be a relevant fact to include.
Consider also whether your manager made the expectation clear. In the punctuality example, perhaps she gave you the impression that flex time was acceptable, and since she never mentioned the performance problem all year, you assumed that it wasn't an issue. While your responsibility as an employee is to meet your manager's expectations, her responsibility is to spell them out clearly for you and let you know when you're not meeting them. How can you reasonably be expected to meet a requirement you didn't know existed?
If you are unable to sway your manager with facts, consider whether it's important enough to elevate the matter to Human Resources. You're getting into some politics at this point. If your manager's decision is overturned, workplace harassment laws protect you from retaliation, but you still want a good relationship with her, and you may decide just to accept the review as is if she doesn't agree with you. If you do choose to elevate your appeal, make sure you approach Human Resources with relevant facts and remain professional and unemotional.
If follow appropriate channels and your appeal is still denied, document all of your conversations carefully. Type up everything you remember, print the document, and then sign and date it. The review could be used against you later decision regarding a promotion or raise, or worse, termination. You may need those notes if your case goes to litigation. If you choose to seek legal counsel, look for an attorney that specializes in employment law.
If your manager surprises you with an unfair performance evaluation, you do have some options. Remember to keep your cool, gather your facts, and keep your arguments relevant. Elevate the issue if you feel strongly enough about it, and remember to document your conversations. This is your career. You deserve timely and accurate feedback and fair chances to improve your performance. Good luck!
