What can I do if I disagree with my performance review?
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When New York Times tech workers went on strike the day before the election, the newspaper’s publisher, AG Sulzberger, criticized the move, saying it was “troubling that the Tech Guild would try to block [the paper’s] public service at such a consequential moment for our country.”
Some of the striking workers handle software and data analysis. It wasn’t clear if, without them, the paper’s website would be able to handle what was an expected influx of election-related traffic. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of AI company Perplexity, responded on X to Sulzberger’s statements, saying that his company was “on standby to help ensure your essential coverage is available to all through the election.”
The tech workers’ strike ended after a week (though without a contract resolution), and there were no reported website outages. But the offer from Srinivas struck many as a way to undercut the union’s power and compromise workers’ ability to fight for better labor conditions.
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What can I do if I disagree with my performance review?
Welcome to?Pressing Questions,?Fast Company’s work-life advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of?The New Way We Work?podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions.
Q: What can I do if I disagree with my performance review?
A: Performance reviews aren’t well liked by many managers or employees. Many managers feel like it’s just another box to check and employees feel like they make no real impact in their career growth. At some companies, performance reviews primarily exist mostly as a punitive tool for underperforming employees. I’m an advocate for performance reviews (when done well) and think that they shouldn’t be a dreaded task once a year, but instead part of an ongoing conversation. But unless you are in the CEO or in HR leadership at your company, you likely don’t have the power to change the format of your company’s performance reviews. So here’s what you can do if you find yourself on the receiving end of a negative performance review that disagree with.
Have a conversation first
It may help for you to put a few talking points down before you speak to your manager. This allows you to ensure you don’t forget anything and can stick to relevant information. In most performance reviews, employees do a self-evaluation first and then their manager responds. If you thought you met expectations but your manager disagrees, you both should have evidence to back up your statements. Talking it through can help you both understand if there was a miscommunication in expectations.?
Stick to the facts
Much like in salary negotiations, it’s important to stick to facts not feelings. Even if you think your manager isn’t fairly evaluating you, your best approach is to come with irrefutable facts—data, emails, whatever you need to show that the negative performance review is wrong.
Don’t sign. Or sign with a disclaimer
Most performance review processes end with both the employee and manager signing that they are in agreement of the assessment. If you and your manager can’t come to an agreement you can refuse to sign the negative review, although that could be viewed as hostile, and ultimately not have a tangible impact. (After all, most employees are considered “at will,” meaning that they can be fired without cause.) Instead, you can sign the review with a disclaimer that you disagree with some of the assessment because of certain stated facts.
Make a plan for the future
What you do next depends on how your conversations with your manager went and your relationships with others. If you came to an agreement that there are areas for improvement, make sure you have agreed on clear expectations for what improvement looks like, and get it in writing. Then set up regular check-ins.?
Performance reviews should never come as a surprise. If they do, it likely means employees and managers aren’t checking in regularly (or not checking in effectively). If you can’t reach an agreement with your manager, it’s likely time to bring their manager or HR into the conversation so you can get more clarity on expectations.?
Want some more advice on performance reviews?
Partner and co-Founder, Brand Squared Licensing
14 小时前It is the direct report responsibility to develop reasonable and measurable goals early on in the role, agree with the supervisor on those goals - that way both parties can dispassionately evaluate performance based on the goals agreed upon. The key insight that should be fresh in a performance review, is where one stands relative to other people in her or his position. While that is hard to hear sometimes, a direct report can emulate their colleagues who are perceived stronger performers. Think of it this way. Unless your supervisor is dysfunctional, they want you to succeed. It makes them look good. And if you proactively map out the tenets of success during initial phases, you will uncover a great deal of infrequently spoken politic on what it takes for people to flourish in an organization. Direct reports should never wait until a performance review to understand the evaluation platform. Even in large hierarchies, junior managers can take control of the process before it begins for others. This helps sharply mitigate the risk of a performance review met with disagreement between the parties. Good managers know how to respond. Great managers know how to pre-empt!
Marketing Executive | Team Builder & Mentor | Revenue Growth Driver | Data-Driven Decision-Maker | Competitive Intelligence | Product Marketer | Cross-Functional Collaborator | Executive Communicator | GTM Strategist
14 小时前I remember starting a role in the late part of the year (October), and when reviews came around in March, I received several "Does not meet expectations," which I had never received in any role prior. Of course, I was held to the standard of someone who had been there a year and knew the business, not someone who had only been there 3 months. Looking back, I did a good job in those three months and had already set myself apart, but that wasn't considered. I was miffed, but I didn't feel I was in a position to dispute it; I just got after it and worked toward the next year. I received exemplary reviews from that same boss the next year, but it was still annoying, and the fact that I am responding to this post, it must still annoy me. ??
Partner and co-Founder, Brand Squared Licensing
14 小时前The content of any periodic performance review should rather be a confirmation of the coaching and feedback that has taken place since the two individuals started working together. If there is a disconnect between perception of performance between manager and direct report, that should surface long before a formal performance review. This phase should not be a moment of heightened stress, because both manager and direct report should long know where they stand. To be continued…