Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time • Hacker News Board

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#251

Post by scotty79 » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 9:58 PM UTC

polymerase wrote: post #139

scotty79 wrote: post #117

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.

This is shortsighted because the employee may already be sitting on an offer/is willing to leave. If a good employee asks management for a raise outside of the annual performance review cadence, and is rejected with "Ask me after performance review", management shouldn't be surprised to receive the employee's 2 week notice.

The point is, people are usually not proactive about money. Usually they don't ask for more money if there's a schedule for possibly getting more.

In industry where employees are expensive and they switch jobs roughly every two years anyways it makes total sense. You get to keep employee for another six months for same salary on he may think that it's what he deserves.

Key employees who ask for more, get more. Non-key emploees get "wait for it" because nobody cares if they leave. And some key employees don't ask.

I agree that exploiting your employees it's short sighted but for most businesses short sighted works good enough.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#252

Post by bfrog » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 10:08 PM UTC

Taniwha wrote: post #219

adrianmonk wrote: post #129

Paraphrasing what a manager told me once: "If anything in your performance review is a surprise, then I have failed as a manager." Coaching is not a purpose of a performance review. The coaching and communication should be an ongoing process that happens before the review. Problems should be brought up early enough that you have a chance to change or improve before it gets to the point of being written in a review. I…

I think there's another reason for annual performance reviews ... to remind management that it's time for a COLA without it becoming a big deal

The only way to get some COLA is to get a new job.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#253

Post by stealthmodeclan » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 10:16 PM UTC

iamcasen wrote: post #198

stealthmodeclan wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine if company fired someone. They can sue the company. And what if there is no evidence of degrading performance against this employee?

It's pretty unrealistic, as you can be fired for any reason, at least in most states in the USA. It's called at will employment, and all a manager has to do is say "You know, things just aren't working out, good bye!"

So employees don't sue for unfair firing?

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#254

Post by booleandilemma » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 10:17 PM UTC

scarface74 wrote: post #250

GFischer wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any tips you can share on how you improved your political game?

Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power. There are one or two that I feel are unethical (Law #7 in particular).

Oh wow, Law # 7 is my boss’ favorite.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#255

Post by crankylinuxuser » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 10:22 PM UTC

throwaway5752 wrote: post #102

coloroftheskye wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 agree with you completely and am flabbergasted you're being downvoted on an ostensibly startup-oriented forum. The comment you replied to managed to be ageist and sexist, too.

> am flabbergasted ....

I'm not. HN is a sausagefest. Just remember to add in some virtue signalling every now and then, and it's OK.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#256

Post by AceJohnny2 » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 10:51 PM UTC

scarface74 wrote: post #250

GFischer wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any tips you can share on how you improved your political game?

Robert Greene's 48 Laws of Power. There are one or two that I feel are unethical (Law #7 in particular).

Machiavelli's The Prince?

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#257

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 10:53 PM UTC

bitL wrote: post #137

skj wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> or keep being taken advantage of Presumably they're getting paid for their work.

OK, you get paid but you have to slow down, play politics, form your/join a clique, because otherwise you become hated by all your colleagues for casting a shadow on them, then be driven slowly out of the company by hiding information from you and spreading rumors about you. In other words, you are wasting the most precious thing you have - time, where you could perform much much better, for some "standard salary". I…

[deleted]

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#258

Post by ams6110 » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 10:55 PM UTC

Like most HR processes, performance reviews are at least as much a CYA activity to guard against claims of discriminatory management practices as they are about actually coaching or improving performance.

If there is a performance problem with somebody who happens to be a minority, documented performance reviews that are handled the same for all employees are necessary to show that the employee was not promoted or dismissed or disciplined due to bias.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#259

Post by lquist » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 11:04 PM UTC

adrianmonk wrote: post #129

Paraphrasing what a manager told me once: "If anything in your performance review is a surprise, then I have failed as a manager." Coaching is not a purpose of a performance review. The coaching and communication should be an ongoing process that happens before the review. Problems should be brought up early enough that you have a chance to change or improve before it gets to the point of being written in a review. I…

An opposing viewpoint from Andy Grove's High Output Management:

Let's talk about surprises. If you have discharged supervisory responsibilities adequately throughout the year, holding regular one- on-one meetings and providing guidance when needed, there should never be surprises at a performance, right? Wrong. When you are using the worksheet, sometimes you come up with a message that will startle you. So what do you do? You're faced with either delivering the message or not, but if the purpose of the review is to improve your subordinate's performance, you must deliver it. Preferably, a review should not contain any surprises, but if you uncover one, swallow hard and bring it up.

Re: Performance Reviews Are a Waste of Time

#260

Post by Jach » Wed, Jun 06, 2018, 11:08 PM UTC

s73v3r_ wrote: post #218

StaticRedux wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about reading minds, it's about taking the initiative to make things better or get things done without specifically being told what to do. And there is a big difference between people that can and people that can't. If your significant other reminded you to go to the grocery store, would you get a general idea of what she wanted and go get a bunch of stuff you know y'all need, even if it isn't on the list? O…

"It's not about reading minds, it's about taking the initiative to make things better or get things done without specifically being told what to do." And how do I know I won't be yelled at or punished if I happen to get this wrong?

More importantly, you're not in a hierarchical power relationship (probably) with your spouse. And at some point after management has demanded some amount of initiative and workers have implemented some amount of things on their own initiative (which is another barrier), there's a big question of why there's a manager at all, or at least why they get paid more.