Performance Review at work. The very thought of it is stressing me out. Any Tips

I have my annual goal setting coming up

Out of interest has anyone had any success with reasonable adjustments on the annual review process itself ?  last year workload triumphed over ticking off the goals, but workload pressure Jan-Dec was largely what pushed me to the assessment

I do wonder why such goals seem to carry more in terms of the scoring an employees performance (and ultimately how much bonus) than the output (volume & quality) - for only the scores to probably get normalised and so not really relate to performance except for those few deemed to be at either end of the scoring scale

BTW - am recent late diagnosed (last month) so feel I have a fair share on my plate this year without the review: which to me can appear subjective

What are your views on performance reviews?

Jalapeno said:

last year workload triumphed over ticking off the goals

I would ask your manager if they consider the workload to be unreasonable therefore affecting your ability to achieve the goals they had set with you last year.

Push the responsibility back onto them as they are ultimately the gatekeeper of your workload. Chances are they can't change it but by flagging it up as not your responsibility then it will not reflect badly on you.

Ask them how they can regulate the workload to a healthy balance so that ANYTHING beyond day to day survival can be achieved. If they say it is up to you to manage it then my approach would be to say that you will then choose what to de-prioritise to be able to achieve the objectives, starting with weekly reports, meetings and other non critical tasks.

This is a reasonable ask but one they will freak out at and there is a good chance they may agree to a more structured time plan for these non-critical activities.

You need to become good at using this time well, planning ahead so you can offload work or reschedule it in order to start at the alloted hour.

I worked for a long time as a manager and can confirm that the performance reviews are primarily there to give an illusion of effort based reward. In reality the rewards are pre-set long before the reviews so your dept gets the same amount to share out if you do excellently of below average.

A lot of the distrubution is down to cronyism (hence why they have the rule that you are not allowed to discuss pay with your colleagues) although a decent manager will try to be even handed. Their manager will often over-ride this and share more to their personal favourites as I have witnessed on many occassions.

In my opinion it just isn't worth busting your gut for a company - do what is needed within the hours contracted, smile and give regular reporting / feedback and don't upset anyone in order to just earn your pay.

Forget performance bonuses - they are largely going to happen so long as you don't mess up and don't really reflect the effort you put in.

Find that work - life balance that helps you survive and just treat it as a way to pay the bills so you have energy enough to enjoy life outside of work.

Oh and when it comes to workload, just track your time carefully and be able to report on what task are taking up the time each week. If you get pushed to work harder then ask your manager for their opinion on which tasks that you do now should be dropped as you cannot give the company more time for free - it is not in your contract.

If they say it is your responsibility then document what you choose to do, communicate it with them and make it clear (without saying the words) that the workload exceeds your time capacity to do. This will help them justify more headcount if nothing else and should shut them up about making you work harder.

Just don't be seen to sit about chatting and being non productive outside of lunch breaks as they may see it as you slacking. Take your full lunch break away from your desk too - tell the team when you leave so you can prove you only took your alloted hour and it will help you recharge away from phone / emails etc.

I would also switch my work phone off after hours unless contracted to be on call - don't give them any of your time for free just to keep the focus on working hours. If it is your personal phone then close the work email app.

i've worked in a lot of corporates over the years and they are basically all the same in relation to performance reviews. Start-ups are different until they get big enough for a full time HR dept then it starts to go downhill.

These are just my views on the performance review situaiton.

Jalapeno said:

last year workload triumphed over ticking off the goals

I would ask your manager if they consider the workload to be unreasonable therefore affecting your ability to achieve the goals they had set with you last year.

Push the responsibility back onto them as they are ultimately the gatekeeper of your workload. Chances are they can't change it but by flagging it up as not your responsibility then it will not reflect badly on you.

Ask them how they can regulate the workload to a healthy balance so that ANYTHING beyond day to day survival can be achieved. If they say it is up to you to manage it then my approach would be to say that you will then choose what to de-prioritise to be able to achieve the objectives, starting with weekly reports, meetings and other non critical tasks.

This is a reasonable ask but one they will freak out at and there is a good chance they may agree to a more structured time plan for these non-critical activities.

You need to become good at using this time well, planning ahead so you can offload work or reschedule it in order to start at the alloted hour.

I worked for a long time as a manager and can confirm that the performance reviews are primarily there to give an illusion of effort based reward. In reality the rewards are pre-set long before the reviews so your dept gets the same amount to share out if you do excellently of below average.

A lot of the distrubution is down to cronyism (hence why they have the rule that you are not allowed to discuss pay with your colleagues) although a decent manager will try to be even handed. Their manager will often over-ride this and share more to their personal favourites as I have witnessed on many occassions.

In my opinion it just isn't worth busting your gut for a company - do what is needed within the hours contracted, smile and give regular reporting / feedback and don't upset anyone in order to just earn your pay.

Forget performance bonuses - they are largely going to happen so long as you don't mess up and don't really reflect the effort you put in.

Find that work - life balance that helps you survive and just treat it as a way to pay the bills so you have energy enough to enjoy life outside of work.

Oh and when it comes to workload, just track your time carefully and be able to report on what task are taking up the time each week. If you get pushed to work harder then ask your manager for their opinion on which tasks that you do now should be dropped as you cannot give the company more time for free - it is not in your contract.

If they say it is your responsibility then document what you choose to do, communicate it with them and make it clear (without saying the words) that the workload exceeds your time capacity to do. This will help them justify more headcount if nothing else and should shut them up about making you work harder.

Just don't be seen to sit about chatting and being non productive outside of lunch breaks as they may see it as you slacking. Take your full lunch break away from your desk too - tell the team when you leave so you can prove you only took your alloted hour and it will help you recharge away from phone / emails etc.

I would also switch my work phone off after hours unless contracted to be on call - don't give them any of your time for free just to keep the focus on working hours. If it is your personal phone then close the work email app.

i've worked in a lot of corporates over the years and they are basically all the same in relation to performance reviews. Start-ups are different until they get big enough for a full time HR dept then it starts to go downhill.

These are just my views on the performance review situaiton.

Jalapeno said:

I recall someone who said, when they works from home, that before work they would go for a walk (their virtual commute) and after work do the same (virtual commute) again

This is a good call. I would pack stuff away, close my spare room door then go to the bathroom, wash my hands and face as it washing off the work day, brush teeth and spruce myself up then go and make a start on cooking dinner for my wife.

Good luck with the other work changes - I would suggest setting a reminder in your calendar (recurring) for this as it has a habbit of being pushed back by more urgent matters.

Hi Iain, your advice is a great help

My boss has been on leave this week - and I've not managed to get through the list, although not sure I was ever expected to tbh, but managed to tick off some

Agree that these issues existed before and are separate to my diagnosis and any adjustments I will need...so I'll will need to point this out clearly and ask that they separate the two, but addressing those existing conditions will in no doubt alleviate some of my anxieties, which to me is the worse aspect of my Autism currently.

So yes everyone should benefit with some of the changes you suggest not just there for me.

I'm going to talk to a local support group first regarding any workplace support, as I don't have the confidence to speak up right now, but the sooner it gets resolved the better.  However I will have to do it alone, if the firm bring it up.  Not sure if "access to work" is any good or something I should look into ?

Lastly - will take on board the the rituals for ending the day including next day actions, especially as working from home the work + home aren't physically separated:  I recall someone who said, when they works from home, that before work they would go for a walk (their virtual commute) and after work do the same (virtual commute) again - and that the walks helped separate the two.  I think I just need to pack away my work phone, laptop and note pads into the cupboard so I'm not reminded when I using the office for pleasure (be great if I had a separate room but I don't) and must avoid checking messages and be more firm with pulling the plug at say 5:50pm each evening without exception (well at least not make it regular or normal)

Jalapeno said:

My manager and I are both feeling the workload in our small team, and last year was all hands on deck for both of us. But all the effort we put in last year seems to have led to a request for extra resource being turned down.

My approach would be to agree a strategy with your boss where your team need to start to let some things fail in order for the lack of resources be identified as needing to be addressed.

I've over-performed time and again to save the team from disaster, doing my work as a manager and some of the teams work too so we can avoid failing, but the longer you can perform miracles the more you will be expected to do them.

Have the blunt conversation in a team meeting. Try to decide what needs to be allowed to fail so the most critical stuff gets done and maybe something impacting upper management fails.

The team need to have their time recording airtight and not be be see slacking so your boss is protected, and once the higher management feel the pain of it and have it demonstrated that it is down to lack of resource then the funding will magically appear.

The time recording needs to reflect what tasks you are spending your time on, down to the nearest 15 mins. It needs to be very granular and ideally through some sort of reporting app which is a ballache for the team but believe me, it pays off.

Jalapeno said:

Work worries do currently spill over into the weekend

I used to have a little ritual as I left the office, closing off that part of the day, making notes on what I need to deal with the next day then I don't touch it until the following morning.

That change of mindset making outside the office "my space" and free of the pressures of work was so liberating. It takes some discipline not to look at emails but you will get the hang of it.

Building that new balance with the support of your manager and hopefully colleagues should benefit them as well as you in the long run. Your manager needs to do most of the effort to get everyone on board but the benefit will be for them too in the long run.

Thanks, Iain !

Really appreciate your detailed reply and thoughts on performance reviews, plus the advice on handling the workload.

A few of my goals got pushed to this year, which was fine. My manager and I are both feeling the workload in our small team, and last year was all hands on deck for both of us. But all the effort we put in last year seems to have led to a request for extra resource being turned down.

I’ll definitely need to speak up for myself more, to make sure things stay manageable. I was asked to be more independent last month, but I think I’ll need some adjustments in workload, priorities, and deadlines going forwards.  So maybe that resource decision may need reviewing again

My diagnosis could be a good chance to look at my work and maybe drop or change some low-priority tasks. I haven’t taken a day-off sick in almost 3 years, not even just to take stock after my diagnosis.

I track my hours on my timesheet (so my hours are visible to all) and work from home, which means it’s unfortunately easier to put in extra hours in front of the screens. I do make sure to take a full lunch break with a walk. I turn off notifications after hours, though I admit I sometimes do check in the evening (I need to stop this - think its a hangover from Blackberry days).

I’m still figuring out who should know about my diagnosis and how to handle it with the team, company and clients.  For the moment the mask remains firmly in place.

Work worries do currently spill over into the weekend, but I try to relax with wine, movies, and now some Autism education/reading, reviewing my therapy notes and even asking ChatGPT for its thoughts