Cultural Trendz

Let's not try to pool the wool over each others eyes with performance reviews. I've seen the system and witnessed it's flaws. Few participants have positive experiences with the process. For some people it's a dreadful expereince; for others, quite a slap in the face; and for most, a serious morale killer. The process can completely break down trust between management and employees that should be working together as a team.

The goal setting aspect of the process is particularly problematic as it can be extremely subjective and fatally flawed. "If the goals are such a stretch that most employees believe that they cannot be attained, the program is doomed from the outset. Few will be motivated to try to achieve such goals; others will become discouraged early on. On the other hand, goals should not be so easy that incentives are paid for results that would have otherwise been achieved through normal effort." It's quite obvious when goals are set to favor some employees over others. "Employees are concerned that management can manipulate the results to reward those they favor instead of those whose performance is outstanding." If so-called merit based performance programs are to succeed, employees must have faith in the fairness of the measurement system.