<p>I am getting conflicting messages from my direct supervisor. She says I am doing good in my job, but it does not reflect that on the paper. It says “below expectation”. I have most of the categories checked as meeting their expectation (e.g. attendance, professionalism, customer service, etc) except for one, and I got a bad score. How is that possible?</p>
<p>I do not know what the heck is going on with them. Why would they tell me I am doing really really good, except for some things and heavily penalized me for that…</p>
<p>I made a mistake today of sharing my evaluation to 2 of my co-workers. I found out that they did badly than me. Also found out that the head management and my co-workers were in a meeting 2 weeks ago and talked about my performance. Is that even normal??? </p>
<p>I am working in an entry-level job. Why do I feel like they are expecting so much from me? This is my first job. I really don’t know that performance review is this tough.</p>
<p>First of all, what major functional area are we talking about? office / professional, technical, full time, part time, good long term career prospects, or what?</p>
<p>In my experience, there’s really three performance ratings - one is ‘bad’, another is ‘good’ and another is ‘incredible’. Use the bell curve and you’ll see in a typical company most people are ‘good’ even with wide variances in ratings or job results. That means that performance ratings are rarely indicative of real world deliverables.</p>
<p>The ‘one rating bad, everything bad’ syndrome is typical. Higher ups in some jobs are often focused on finding negative things rather than positive things. Positive things are ‘expected’.</p>
<p>Based on your description, I’d say you’re not in a professional environment (attendance? professionalism? I would have flunked these decades ago :-)). So, if you’re in an industry with heavy turnover I would not worry about it. I would do my best to (a) find out specifics and (b) as for help in ‘addressing’ the specifics, knowing well in advance that all of this is really a show. </p>
<p>Supervisors often decide to make themselves look good by giving lower ratings then ‘helping’ the employees ‘improve’. It’s a game. If you had 27 years with the place like I do, that’s different… But in a service type position, who cares? </p>
<p>The bottom line is that you don’t have many options. It’s not a good idea to discuss ratings with coworkers (another great way by management to keep people in the dark…). Use your effort to improve anything that needs improvement, and most important, improve your skills. </p>
<p>It’s not a straight score like a multiple choice test in school. Not all factors are weighted the same and it’s usually a manager’s subjective opinion that determines the final result. The manager might have felt that the category you didn’t do well on was the key factor for you position.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t have shared your review with your coworkers - that was unprofessional on your part. They shouldn’t have shared theirs either. If (when) this gets back to the manager they won’t appreciate it. </p>
<p>As far as the manager discussing you with the coworkers - if the manager was asking for input from them on you then it’s not unusual and valid. If the manager was just bashing you to them then it’d be unprofessional on the manager’s part.</p>
<p>Figuring out what the real issues are is something you should have done in the review with your manager. If you don’t understand a particular rating or don’t agree with them or wonder how they determined the final rating you should have discussed it with your manager at the time of the review. If you were shell shocked at the time you can always request a meeting with your manager to discuss it further.</p>
<p>Actually, anyone who receives a ‘below expectation’ rating is usually on their way out the door so the manager should be very explicit with the employee as to what they must do to turn it around with concrete objectives and then the employee needs to do it. Of course, not all managers are the same in their approach.</p>
<p>I have heard that some companies sometimes do this to justify not giving raises or performace/merit increases as well. (Or giving a 1% raise instead of 3%, or giving 10 cents an hour vs. 25 cents an hour, for example). So a position may not at all be in jeopardy, you just will get a low or no pay increase. Also, by what you are saying, the state of the economy, and that you have not been written up for your “poor performance”, I have a sneaking suspicion this may be the case in your situation.</p>
<p>^^ That’d be a very poor strategy on the part of the management since all it does it create a bunch of unhappy workers and unhappy workers are usually less productive and a liability to the company. They could be doing it but in short, it’d be stupid on the part of the company. If they don’t want to give increases they can still give a decent review. A good review doesn’t have a one to one correspondence with an increase in pay. A lot of companies have frozen pay increases but still give normal reviews.</p>
<p>Regardless, the OP should either find out what the actual issue is or if no answers are forthcoming, look for another job elsewhere.</p>
<p>I absolutely agree that it is not a good practice, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that huge national companies engage in this practice. Are the workers happy? No. Do they care at the entry-level? No. If an entry-level worker quits because they are not happy, they will replace them with the next person to walk through the door. Very sad, but very true. At higher levels, what you say is very true, but entry-level is another story at some companies unfortunately.</p>
<p>You need to sit down with your boss and ask for specifics on how to improve in that one area. Found out exactly what is expected, ask her to list them and for help in meeting them. do not waste time being angry, sad or emotional, spend time and energy fixing the problem. OK, spend a little time being upset, then move on.</p>
<p>Regarding discussing with co-workers, some companies practice what some call 360 degree reviews, with input from superiors, peers and those that may be below one on the ladder. That is usually known from the orientation or handbook. Also some managers are encouraged to rate on a bell curve like in school, ranking their subordinates along the spectrum. My H had to identify 10% for layoffs based upon their reviews. Painful, but necessary in management.</p>
<p>My manager thinks that I am not following the rules because I am doing things differently. I take notes in every phone call I receive in a notepad, and use excel to monitor the area I am assigned in. I am supposed to rely on my brain to remember what the clients are telling me, and use a paper to mark off things that I’ve done. The thing is, this is really very inconvenient for me because it means I have to print my sheet everyday. </p>
<p>They also think that I am doing other people’s job. I am trying not to, but what if my co-worker is really slacking off? I have to help or else my phone calls will be bombarded all day. There is no direct line going to anyone of us. Everyone takes the call. </p>
<p>It’s hard to explain , but … I feel that I was being unfairly criticized because of what my co-worker said to them. This co-worker doesn’t like me because I don’t do what she does. A week ago, she made it seem like I have a learning disability. She compares me to his 7 year old son who is struggling at school. She voluntarily ask the manager to be my mentor. Stating that she thinks that I have the potential to be the best in my job if only she guides me. She thinks I have a low self-esteem because she caught me reading a book about how to better at customer service.</p>
<p>When you did your performance review, were their specifics about the performance, or at least expectation fo acceptable performance? Use this review to talk to your manager about clear expectations, and begin documenting the actions that you take to correct the situation. I ahve worked for several large companies and have never been given a review with no explanation. Not everyone at work is a superstar in the management’s eyes, and it is good to know what the highly-valued behaviors are before it is too late.</p>
<p>With respect, I don’t think there’s any such thing as “my manager* thinks* I am not following the rules.” The manager defines the rules. There’s no “think” involved. If the manager says you have to print something every day, mark things off on paper in an inconvenient way, etc., then you DO have to. If you think you’ve found a better way to get the work done, you can present the idea to your boss, but if the answer is “do it my way,” then do it her way. Every entry-level job is going to carry with it some rules that seem silly or counterproductive. You have to follow them anyway.</p>
<p>I’m a little too old to remember entry level jobs. However, in my experience, the evaluation is not a mathematical calculation. Most reviews I’ve seen and done start with the bottom line number (“I think this person is a good worker/poor performer/future star”), then they work backwards to try to fill in numbers that match the overall assessment. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t focus too much on any one particular grade. I would sit down with the boss, with a positive, listening frame of mind, and ask what you need to do to perform better and make a constructive contribution to his/her team. </p>
<p>And I agree with Hanna’s post #11. However, I wouldn’t try to present a better way to get things done, certainly not at this stage. Do your job as your boss wants. With an entry level position, it’s not about who’s got the best way to handle things, it’s about you making your boss feel you support the boss.</p>
<p>Lots of good advice. If there are procedures, follow them. At some point in the future if you have a better idea take it to your manager and get approval. Also some managers will almost always have some area for improvement even if you are the “star”…that is how people get better, learn, etc. Think about what your manager said. Think about things you can do to meet the performance objectives in the area where you needed improvement. If you don’t feel like you had the opportunity to talk at the review, schedule some time with your manager. </p>
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<p>Who did you learn this from? Did your manager talk to you about this or was it hearsay or did you hear it directly from the person who wanted to mentor you? If it was your manager and the potential mentor is well regarded you might learn something by letting her mentor you for awhile. At the very minimal if she is highly regarded by your manager you just might have found an ally who can help you navigate the politics. Listen to what you are saying you are saying “she doesn’t like you” and then you are saying that she said “you have the potential to be the best”…you could be totally misreading and thinking about someone negatively who just might be able to help you, so figure it out. </p>
<p>Finally,never ever discuss your salary or your views with co-workers. If asked directly be vague or simply state that don’t prefer to discuss private information. That is something that can come back and bite you in the rear.</p>
<p>I agree with VeryHappy. It looks like you are in a bad work place. You should prepare to find another job (it does not have to be now but keep this in mind). “Below expectation” is the ground for dismissal or promotion denial later and you cannot win the lawsuit.</p>
<p>I suppose this could be a good concept if properly implemented. But at the one company I worked at that did this, it meant that people were constantly filling out other people’s review forms, and everyone gave everyone else a 4.5 out of 5, dutifully finding one small thing to criticize (to show that our hearts were in the process) while saying lots of nice things about all other aspects of the co-worker’s performance. What a waste of time!</p>
<p>At age 63, I am so fed up with Corporate Life that I can barely keep a straight face at work any more. I’m thinking of writing a book about my experiences. Except no one would believe them.</p>
<p>Most of us would believe it. I’m lucky to be in the 1% in terms of career happiness, but Mrs. Turbo has seen more dictators in the workplace than in any UN meeting… </p>
<p>My philosophy is simple - 1. Make yourself invaluable and irreplaceable. I know, easy to say, but do it. Be at the top of your game, offer to do extra things, etc. Be Michael Jordan. 2. Early on, establish your boundaries. One of mine was no frequent travel because I had younger children back then. 3. Early on, establish your own unique personality - your ‘persona’. People remember that. 4. Play defensive career planning and document everything 5. Find a good boss and stick with them - even at the risk of passing promotions. 6. Worry about getting the job done, not about performance reviews. 7. If there are rules, first follow them, then break them if needed and if it gains you a competitive advantage. After a decade you may be able to do it ‘your way’. I could continue…</p>
<p>Maybe I’m not making as much money as I should, but have survived epic layoffs for a number of years… And I’m having LOTS of fun.</p>
<p>360 reviews don’t work for the reason another poster mentioned above. Little information, lots of work. If your manager manages by walking around, no need.</p>
<p>OP, I’d give you a poor performance review, based on what I see in your posting. There are typos, poorly constructed sentences, and omitted words. If you are rushing through your work instead of taking the time to do it well, you would indeed be performing “below expectations.”</p>
<p>The way to deal with it is to look carefully at the criticisms in your performance review and aim for improvement in those areas. Schedule an appointment with your supervisor and ask her where you should focus first. Ask for her help in creating a plan. Follow through on the plan.</p>
<p>All of that assumes a) you want to keep your job, b) the job is worth keeping (are there clear upward paths and do the jobs up those paths appeal to you?), and c) you have the intestinal fortitude to make the changes you need to make.</p>
<p>Your manager might not realize this but taking notes on what your callers are saying in note pad is a great idea - you can jot down little things that you hear from them and you’ll have them there during the whole call… as opposed to trying to remember it all. I can’t tell you how many customers I’ve taken aback by wishing them a happy birthday at the end of our conversation, or telling them to enjoy their upcoming trip that they mentioned briefly 10 minutes prior, etc. If you are going to do it differently you need to justify it in a way that it makes sense to the company. It’s not taking you any extra time to jot down notes and it can increase your customer service.</p>
<p>Then again, a lot of corporations don’t seem to care about their customer service. Sad but true. Nor about their employees. Entry level people are sometimes deemed very replaceable. Hopefully companies can get past that hump.</p>
<p>As far as them being part of your review, it just depends how the company does it. You really shouldn’t be comparing reviews with each other - at my job that’ll land you right in HR.</p>
<p>In my past department, you could meet every single one of your metrics… and that would make you an average employee. 3 out of 5 on a 1-5 scale. Only certain people would get 2’s in categories, and nobody ever got a 1. If they admit you’re a 1, where is room for improvement? Just use the feedback constructively and ask your boss what you can do to improve. If it means mentoring with the person you don’t like (I hate to say it, but if your boss likes that person, it could also improve their feelings about you by you showing you’re willing to listen and learn) then it might be a good idea.</p>