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Performance Reviews Are Designed To Trigger One Basic Human Instinct
Ultimately skewed for the employers’ benefit and waste our time
Managers and above are expected to communicate formal feedback at least once a year to their team.
It feels like a forced procedure that leaves us feeling like we are not good enough.
It taps into our inner critic which puts us in survival mode and we want to compensate. So we feel bad but we work harder for the boss.
According to a study by Gallup, only 14% of employees strongly agree that their performance reviews propelled them to improvement.
Be you but do not be you
In most of my jobs, I have been told to be myself. Just be you, they told me. That feels good on the moment, when your personality is appreciated.
But most companies I have worked at have some kind of fictional individual that you should aim to be like. Let’s call him Batman.
So at the end of each cycle, which usually happens annually (or quarterly though that is changing), you are measured against Batman. He comes with a series of criteria, grouped under different categories, like leadership, technical skills etc.
