Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time • Hacker News Board

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#111

Post by john_moscow » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:21 PM UTC

rrggrr wrote: post #22

I was a young employee during a recession, and finding work was difficult. When I landed my first job I was I was grateful and focused on ways I might make my work contribute to the company's bottom line, by pushing the limits of my job description and tasks to ensure my role impacted revenue and value creation. I appreciated training and feedback, but forced myself to deliver results autonomously through self-teachi…

>It is a profile increasingly hard to find. Someone who "needs" a review is typically not a good fit for my management style, and someone who can anticipate the needs of my business I try very hard to retain.

Blame the economic cycle. I would assume, your company is self-funded, profitable and being run with efficiency in mind. Unfortunately, in the current economy you just can't compete salary-wise with companies that focus on raising, bloating the headcount, raising more, playing hocus-pocus with the "cost of revenue" line and doing a spectacular exit. And as an employee, if playing a hipster infant who loves his boss and depends on him pays 2x more than hard work and initiative, well, I'm sorry to say that, but I'll go where the money is.

That said, you might be able to find that type if you offer more equity or some revenue-based incentives or look into partnering with other small business owners rather than trying to find someone to work under you.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#112

Post by greedo » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:22 PM UTC

bcrescimanno wrote: post #19

> Avoid the temptation to synthesize and anonymize feedback that really should be given directly. Yes, yes, YES! When I solicit feedback for people on my team, I always remind everyone that anonymous feedback is the worst. Honest, direct feedback is incredibly valuable. Feedback should be the catalyst for a conversation; not a one time statement to be interpreted or ignored.

That works great in a non-dysfunctional team. In many teams, communication is so toxic that anonymous feedback is the only way to express grievances. I've had team meetings where my manager scolded us for 90 minutes because he received a poor rating in an anonymous review from his subordinates. He was surprised that no one had expressed disatisfaction; yet he never encouraged open, honest, reprisal-free communication.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#113

Post by zerkten » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:22 PM UTC

organsnyder wrote: post #40

jmartrican wrote: post #25

I disagree with this dudes blog. I love my reviews. I seek criticism so that I can improve and like the positive feedback because it helps motivate. But maybe I am an outlier. And as a person who has to give reviews, I want to tell people where they need to work on and praise their strengths. I tend to work with people from East Coast finance world, and they not too keen on the touchy feely story telling stuff. Its s…

My concern (which I think is at least partially shared by this blogger) is the rigidness of formal annual reviews. A formal review should contain no surprises—if a formal review is the first time you've heard a certain piece of feedback (especially negative), then your management is shirking one of their primary responsibilities. Given an environment where feedback is frequent and useful, the formal annual review bec…

Completely agree on "no surprises", but the annual review process provides a way to frame progress that the manager and employee can work within. When folks stayed at one company for their whole career it was a permanent record of progress that could be referenced. Moving companies is the norm now in tech, but when your are working in an enterprise having this record will benefit you when you want to move up or around in the organization.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#114

Post by pfortuny » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:23 PM UTC

exelius wrote: post #77

rrggrr wrote: post #22

I was a young employee during a recession, and finding work was difficult. When I landed my first job I was I was grateful and focused on ways I might make my work contribute to the company's bottom line, by pushing the limits of my job description and tasks to ensure my role impacted revenue and value creation. I appreciated training and feedback, but forced myself to deliver results autonomously through self-teachi…

No offense, but this is the kind of thinking that leads to workplace bias. Working styles like this tend to reinforce hiring single, young men who are otherwise unencumbered so they can work long hours and push the envelope of the job description. That leads to a lot of group think, and products that are built for a very small subset of users — so there is real business value in diversity. Reviews are important for s…

Well, yours is another type of bias: that people are unable to have an honest and just view on their employees/applicants because they have a worls view.

I prefer dealing with people to dealing with black-boxes.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#115

Post by john_moscow » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:24 PM UTC

agumonkey wrote: post #96

rrggrr wrote: post #22

I was a young employee during a recession, and finding work was difficult. When I landed my first job I was I was grateful and focused on ways I might make my work contribute to the company's bottom line, by pushing the limits of my job description and tasks to ensure my role impacted revenue and value creation. I appreciated training and feedback, but forced myself to deliver results autonomously through self-teachi…

I fit this profile a bit, and it's hard to get hired because that quality is not a tag on a resume. Alas it even caused me harm in college, teachers weren't very welcoming my enthusiasm.

Been there. Learn business or get hurt more. Sorry.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#116

Post by andrei_says_ » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:27 PM UTC

coloroftheskye wrote: post #90

exelius wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No offense, but this is the kind of thinking that leads to workplace bias. Working styles like this tend to reinforce hiring single, young men who are otherwise unencumbered so they can work long hours and push the envelope of the job description. That leads to a lot of group think, and products that are built for a very small subset of users — so there is real business value in diversity. Reviews are important for s…

What? you are saying only young single men are willing to work hard and actually function autonomously? That is so offensive I can't fathom you actually believe that.

I think the issue is that many managers and business owners do believe that and confirmation bias leads them to never challenging their own beliefs.

It is an unquestioned, invisible belief, which may bring up defensiveness when pointed out, as it is no longer (as) politically correct.

As we are sloooowly transitioning from institutionalized sexism, it becomes obvious how a premise which is offensive to someone who sees and values everyone’s contribution and dignity could be seen as naive or outlandish by people carrying unquestioned old beliefs.

It sucks that this takes as long as it does.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#117

Post by scotty79 » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:28 PM UTC

Performance review is wonderful cost reducing tool. When employee wonders why he doesn't earn more it can postpone the process by "ask me after performance review" and when it finally comes it can sometimes trick him that "it's not us, it's you" is a valid answer to that question.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#118

Post by TooBrokeToBeg » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:28 PM UTC

exelius wrote: post #77

rrggrr wrote: post #22

I was a young employee during a recession, and finding work was difficult. When I landed my first job I was I was grateful and focused on ways I might make my work contribute to the company's bottom line, by pushing the limits of my job description and tasks to ensure my role impacted revenue and value creation. I appreciated training and feedback, but forced myself to deliver results autonomously through self-teachi…

No offense, but this is the kind of thinking that leads to workplace bias. Working styles like this tend to reinforce hiring single, young men who are otherwise unencumbered so they can work long hours and push the envelope of the job description. That leads to a lot of group think, and products that are built for a very small subset of users — so there is real business value in diversity. Reviews are important for s…

> This is what we call a “blind spot” — you have had success with your working style, and start to assume it’s the only effective way to do the work.

After decades in the industry, I'm comfortable that my success is repeatable (as I have done) and is the most effective way to do the work. As if there's a debate, I'm really surprised by the endless process and bad management advice circulating on the web, among the good. "This hasn't killed my company yet and I'm happy with what we have" is the refrain from small and large companies wasting time and effort (with things like scheduled reviews). Talented Managers aren't supposed to be listeners, unless you're trapped in a byzantine/hobbesian org (these emerge in different tiers).

> Reviews are important for someone with whom you don’t share a lot of built in cultural cues.

No, they aren't. They are important for you to set standards of accountability, at best...unless you really don't have power to do anything about it, which I've seen. You don't change their culture and they don't change yours, regardless of what you tell yourself. The job description and company-necessary responsibilities aren't changing based on the person. I'm not sure there's any value in going on about it, this kind of thinking is just madness.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#119

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:29 PM UTC

coloroftheskye wrote: post #90

exelius wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No offense, but this is the kind of thinking that leads to workplace bias. Working styles like this tend to reinforce hiring single, young men who are otherwise unencumbered so they can work long hours and push the envelope of the job description. That leads to a lot of group think, and products that are built for a very small subset of users — so there is real business value in diversity. Reviews are important for s…

What? you are saying only young single men are willing to work hard and actually function autonomously? That is so offensive I can't fathom you actually believe that.

[deleted]

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#120

Post by drharby » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 6:29 PM UTC

rrggrr wrote: post #22

I was a young employee during a recession, and finding work was difficult. When I landed my first job I was I was grateful and focused on ways I might make my work contribute to the company's bottom line, by pushing the limits of my job description and tasks to ensure my role impacted revenue and value creation. I appreciated training and feedback, but forced myself to deliver results autonomously through self-teachi…

I aspire to have this attitude 10 years from now