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Performance Evaluations

Here are the questions filed under this category. To read Ken's advice on any item, click on the link "Read Ken's Answer."


Our large communication company has implemented a monthly evaluation of each work group to increase productivity. The result is the low performer is harassed by management even if the group is satisfactory in every way. We are being appraised strictly on data the employees themselves supply to management. What to do?
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Our company is putting in a new performance appraisal system and we are supposed to tell our manager what we think of him. He is not the best manager in the world, and we are concerned about what he might do after he hears this from us. Maybe we should just sugarcoat it.
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How does a company decide who to lay off? My friend was a buyer and received a good performance review, but another buyer who had previously worked for the Purchasing Director received an excellent review, although she had only been in the position for six months and her performance was inferior to my friend's. When my friend finds a new job, how she can track her performance so she has backup at review time? Could it be that the Director evaluated the other buyer based on past performance rather than present?
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My boss is five months behind on my annual performance evaluation. I have sent him several reminders, but none has worked. He told me he's waiting for his boss's approval. Just last week, I reminded him again via e-mail and copied his boss. Neither one replied. I want my salary increase and I want to know how I'm doing on the job. Can you give me a suggestion?
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We have a new supervisor, and three of us work under her. She manages by threat and intimidation. She gives us a performance appraisal and shows us our errors, but does not credit us for anything we do right. What is the best way to deal with her?
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During my performance review today, my manager told me that I don't have much "cubicle etiquette." I told her I had never heard that expression before. She said something about my being too noisy and distracting employees in the cubicles around me. I don't think I'm that noisy. I don't know what to do with what she said. Any ideas?
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In my most recent performance review session, my manager said that he views me as the "weak link in the chain." I was shocked and hurt by the statement since I had no idea that he viewed me this way. He told me that he expects me to "shape up," but I am not sure what he wants. How should I handle this?
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My manager works at another site. When he asked if I wanted his ticket to a seminar he was unable to attend, I said yes. The next day I found out that he led my co-workers at the other site to think that he was not at work due to the seminar. Later, when discussing my merit, he said I deserve an "exceeds expectations," but having missed the deadline for submitting paperwork, he had to give me a "meets expectations." Seeing I was unhappy with this, he cited the seminar ticket as a perk he offered exclusively to me because I am a valued employee. How does this sound to you?
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My manager gave me my performance review in an airport lounge, in front of everybody, and I felt like a complete fool. When I told him later that I did not like being evaluated in front of an audience, his reaction was that they are all strangers, so what difference does it make. I am still very upset. What do you think?
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I started a new job 9 months ago, and the company just announced that it is review time. Their method of reviewing employees seems perplexing as they have the employee do a self-evaluation, and then compare it with your manager's evaluation of you. I find this difficult, as I would not want to rate myself too high or too low, yet my pay increase is based on the review. Can you please suggest a way that I can evaluate myself?
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I work for a large, bureaucratic organization. It is a great company, and the only problem is that the raises are not based on merit. I know of several people who received "needs improvement" on their review and were given 5% increases, while others received "meets job requirements" (two rankings better) and received only 3%. Why would a company do this?
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I have been over a research unit for 3 years, and I have memos from previous managers supporting my good work. My unit was transferred to a new division, and the home office sent a manager to temporarily run it until one can be hired, and he and I have not seen eye to eye on anything. He takes no heed to the fact that I have always run the unit. He gave me a very low evaluation, and he writes me up for every little thing. I feel my job is in danger. What can I do?
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The supervisors who report to me write up evaluations on their employees. I meet individually with the evaluated employees and go over their reviews. There is one employee whose review is fairly negative, and I am concerned about how to deal with her. What can you suggest?
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I worked very hard over the past year and received an outstanding review. My performance and contribution were definitely above average, but my increase was the same as everyone else received. When I voiced my concern about this, my manager said that many criteria are used in the process, and he thinks this is fair. How does this sound to you?
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I just evaluated one of my employees, and she became rather upset. I had notes on her performance from throughout the year, but she did not like what she heard and denied just about everything. What is the best thing to do when this happens?
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My evaluation is coming up next month, and my manager asked me to evaluate myself on the same form that he will be using to evaluate me. I'm concerned that if I rate myself lower than he rates me, he might question my performance. I think I should give myself superior ratings across the board. What do you think?
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I just had my evaluation, and I don't know what to do with my manager's comments. He gave me average ratings and said I need to work harder and improve my attitude. I don't think his assessment is correct, and I don't know how to improve in those areas. What do you suggest?
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Our manager recently introduced a goal-setting program as part of our performance appraisals. He said goals are important for motivation, but some of the goals he set are impossible to meet, and we have had no participation in the process. What can we do?
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My manager knows very little about what I do each day. He is not very accessible, and my few meetings with him are brief. I am coming up on my one-year evaluation, and I am concerned that he is going to rely on minimal information and some comments from one of the other managers who is not exactly my best friend. What can I do without sounding like I'm groveling?
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I just received my annual review from my manager, and I don't know what to do with the feedback he gave me. He said I need more confidence and initiative. I don't know where to begin. Do you?
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I just had a performance review with my manager, and he included statements that are not accurate. To anyone who reads them, I look like a bad employee. He used words like "lazy" and "incompetent" to describe me, and that's not true and I can prove it. What should I do?
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I think employees should be given a formal performance appraisal twice a year, but most of the other managers think it should be once a year. Two appraisals give employees current information, and they are more useful in decision-making by the company. Which approach makes the most sense to you?
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In my year-end evaluation, my manager said that he does not think I am promotable at this time. When I asked him when he thought I would be ready, he said he does not know. I asked him what I should do to prepare for promotion, and he said that is up to me. What do you suggest?
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I am in management, and the managers' offices have plants, all of which are thriving but mine. After a recent meeting in my office, my manager suggested that my attitude might be causing the plants to do poorly. I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't. What should I say to him?
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In my performance review, my manager said I am the weakest link in the chain and that I need to show more energy and motivation. I do not want to be terminated, but I am not sure of what to do now. What do you think?
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My manager keeps putting off my performance review. It was due three months ago, and whenever I ask him about it, he says he'll do it soon. I don't know if he thinks I am doing a good job or not, and I'm even wondering if he is stalling because he wants to fire me. What should I do?
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Before my annual evaluation with my manager, I did a self-evaluation and gave myself honest ratings that were pretty high. I then met with my manager, and his evaluation of me was much lower. He knew practically nothing about what I had accomplished, and his ratings are the ones that will be used for raises and promotions. What can I do?
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My manager often gives me additional projects and assignments, and I manage to fit them in and get them done. In my last review, he said I did not complete several of the main responsibilities of my job. I told him he is right, and the reason is the extra work he gave me. He said he expects more of me, so he gave me a poor review. What should I do now?
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I have an employee who has a poor attitude. He does not show much enthusiasm or interest in his work or in the company, and everything about him seems to say, “I don’t care.” He is the only one in the department with this attitude. How do I express my dissatisfaction to him and not face a wall of defensiveness?
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When I evaluated my employees last year, I had only been with the company for a couple of months. Since I did not know the employees well, I gave them all high ratings. Now with a year of data, I gave most of them lower ratings. Several have complained that their performance did not drop and it is unfair to rate them lower than last year. How should I handle this?
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I was surprised to find that my manager added a new classification to my annual evaluation and then gave me a low rating in it. The new classification is based on how environmentally responsible I have been. As a credit analyst, I am not sure what I can do in this area. Although I think this is an important issue, I do not like what happened here. What do you think?
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I have done excellent work during the year, but I am concerned that I am not going to get a raise because my manager is heavily influenced by another manager who does not like me. My manager let this happen last year, and I am afraid he will do it again. What should I do?
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I just completed an annual review with one of my employees, and he was not satisfied with his raise. He said he could make more money elsewhere, and he does not think his pay here is fair. Our pay is average for the industry. What can I say to him?
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I just received a poor performance evaluation from my manager. My performance during the year was very good, but I ran into major problems on one of my projects a few weeks before my evaluation. I think my manager put too much weight on my recent poor performance, and I don’t think this is fair. What should I do?
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I have two employees in my department who have not been performing well, and I gave both of them poor evaluations. They got together and complained to my manager. He believed everything they said, and he called me in and criticized me. What should I do now?
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At my evaluation, I received a minimal raise, but I did get a better title. I am unhappy with the raise, and a new title doesn’t mean much. I was afraid this would happen because I heard my manager say that employees prefer titles over money. Is he right?
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I just went through a performance evaluation with my manager, and I thought I would get a good review. I was totally surprised by the negative comments my manager made. I had no idea he was so dissatisfied with my work. I asked why he did not tell me about this earlier, and he said the purpose of the performance review is to provide this information. Is that right?
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When my manager evaluated my performance earlier this week, she relied on comments from one of my co-workers. I have never gotten along with this co-worker, and I know that she and my manager are friends. The feedback was 90% wrong, and I ended up with a minimal raise. What should I do?
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On a recent business trip, I sat next to my manager on the flight. He used the opportunity to give me my performance evaluation. Although the evaluation was generally positive, I was disturbed by having it done this way. I told him that I would prefer to have future evaluations in a more conventional setting, and he agreed but said I am overreacting, especially since the evaluation was positive.
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Although I am pleased with all five employees who report to me, three other managers on separate occasions have said that one of my employees is rude and nasty. I have never seen this side of her personality, and I don’t think it is right to give her feedback based on hearsay. However, I don’t want to ignore the other managers. How should I approach this?
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We have a popular long-term employee. She has received raises over the years, but her performance has not been good, and it is continuing to slip. We are seriously thinking about terminating her. How do you terminate an employee like this?
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My manager called me into his office and made some critical comments about my performance and handed me a copy of a write-up he placed in my file. I defended every criticism that he made, but that did not matter. What should I do now?
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My granddaughter has been on her current job for over a year and has been doing an excellent job. Before her review, her manager gave her a booklet about her duties and asked her to rate herself. She gave herself all 4’s, the highest rating, except for a 3 on one item because some of the duties were not part of her job. At the review session, her manager accepted the 3 and dropped some of her 4’s to 3’s, saying it would not be right for them to be a perfect score. What do you think of this evaluation, and what do you think about deductions for unassigned duties?
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I recently reviewed one of my employees and indicated in writing the areas that needed improvement, while also indicating that there would be no raise unless improvements were made. Less than two months later, this employee demanded a raise and threatened to leave if she did not get it. Should I give in or risk losing her?
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During my mid-year review, I took the opportunity to bring forward my concerns and frustrations since being hired, and my boss stood up, got belligerent and yelled: “I can’t take this any more. This is a job! There are lots of jobs out there, maybe you should take a look around and go get one where you can sit in a corner and do projects all day. I have a lot of people I need to take care of, not just you. You obviously are not happy but I cannot make you happy. You need to decide if you are happy--and I’d like to know soon--because we are hiring.” She then stormed out of the room and returned to our department, got her coat, etc. and said to the team coordinator: “I need to get out of here NOW. I need a cocktail, badly.” [or something to that effect] and left enraged. It was said loud enough that others could hear and were alarmed. I was later texted by co-workers asking, “what happened? …are you ok?” The Assistant Manager was in the room with me during the yelling. He texted me later saying, "If you want to take a sick day that is fine and if you want to you talk with HR, they will be around next week." Is this acceptable behavior from my boss and should I discuss with HR? I have heard that HR is not helpful with employees, they tend towards blaming the employee and backing management…. Thank you.
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