To find Work Appraisals excruciating

I hate appraisals too. Where I have worked they have been nothing more than demotivating and pointless box ticking exercises.
In my last one, my manager had just left and I had my appraisal with someone who didn't know me and had never worked with me. They then proceeded to give me a very low rating and no feedback whatsoever to say why. I don't work there any more.
In my new role, I actively sought out a company that has regular one to ones with managers and no annual appraisal.

Yes!

Yep hate them.
Never know what to say or put
And yet you're required to put god knows what

Years ago had an appraisal just after giving in my notice call centre job so exactly dream job . When ask what my goals were for coming year I replied to leave as soon as possible 😁
Not much left to say at that appraisal really

Load of bollocks - l don't want to climb the ladder, l want to get home on time and not think about work til the next time l am in. Don't make me say my ambitions and goals cos l have none and am ok with that!

It's the best way.

It would not be so bad if poor performers or those who are very difficult to work with were moved to jobs more suited to them, or lose their jobs. The process does not do this in my experience.

Its an outdated antiquated business model that has to stop

Dates back to sweat shop call centres and putting people in fear of their jobs. Its a form of control.

I employ 47 people and would never ever use this. Good managers should be on top
of things at all times. I believe in a relaxed environment where people
feel safe to communicate freely

Hate them. We seem to have employed a hundred people to develop a new framework for PDRs and it is all bullshit. I just load some made up objectives and ignore them until the next review.

You need to beat in mind that it's painful for your manager too... Just something to get through

"I aim to consolidate the learning and process changes that have taken place over the last 12 months to ensure I meet the required standards in all areas over the coming year"

= I'm going to carry on doing my job and you'll no doubt continue to make a million changes to how we do things, and I'll just get on with that too.

Yeah, what a pp said

Just pay the lip service

Horrible things. I marked myself honestly on the first couple and my manager knocked me down a couple of points. In subsequent years I gave myself 9s, she could knock me down to 7 and 8s and we were both happy. Pathetic mutual game playing.

I always think of Keith the accountant in "The Office" whose strength was 'accounts' and weakness was 'eczema'!

Ive been in my job nearly 2 years...not 1 aopraisal...u feel invisible.

I hate them too. They've become more and more formulaic at my firm since we merged with a bigger one. We now have a very rigid form with very specific items mostly about financial stats. There is no room for a real discussion about aspirations etc.

I've done two for my team this week. We rushed through them because it seemed like nothing more than ticking a box though I pointed our to them that the fact that there is a record of good consistent problem-free performance is protective if they should need it! I liked our old system better which was more conversational and encouraged more sharing.

I have found my people here. So much bloody self reflection, it's like a hall of mirrors.

Like someone upthread, I'm quite self critical so I just sort of spiral into self loathing if asked to think about how come I can't seem to get a promotion. It's made me decide I'd rather plod at minimal effort so I don't have to engage with it all.

Yes, I used to dread the shit sandwich and the pointlessness of it all as there was no opportunity for progression, or a better salary, or training, and the whole thing made me feel I needed to come up with new ways in which the company was going to keep squeezing more from me, year in year out, for no incentive whatsoever.

We’re all in agreement OP, pointless. Understandable if someone wasn’t performing to help them improve but filling out forms and having to write the shight every month/4 months, is exhausting. I needed the time to get my work done as I was always snowed under.

I hate doing this as a manager in most of the organisations I worked for because:

• the appraisal process was not linked to extra pay/bonus
• there was no promotion opportunity for the employee
• I was supposed to agree a 'development plan' with them when really all that was available is maybe a small budget for them to do one day of training a year...

Completely pointless exercise really all that would need to be said is that the employee is doing their job well or not.

Unless there is a reason/reward for people to put extra effort and go above and beyond why would they be expected to do more than just doing their job well or well enough?

We have them quarterly - complete waste of time. I've been doing the job years and regularly speak to my manager so it's really not needed.

My manager agrees with me but has to do them.

I work for a supermarket and we all used to have reviews but they've changed it so that us lower folk don't have to have them unless we ask to progress, which is brilliant.

Although I do remember the last one I had. I was that colleague who always covered last minute absences, stayed late when necessary, covered shifts. When it came to the bit about them deciding if I was achieving or going above and beyond apparently I was just achieving. Well that bit them on the arse because I no longer do any extra and they struggle. It didn't make any difference to them because everyone's wage is the same depending on your level but a bit of recognition that I give my job everything would have meant a lot to me.

I hate them. I’m currently working as a contractor (same job, just paid by the hour), and one of the best things is not having to set nonsense “objectives” that I can be assessed against in 12 months’ time.

I just want to do my job, and do it well. I’ve always hated appraisals but now I’m mid 40s they’re even more irrelevant, I’m not chasing promotion I just want to be paid fairly for what I do and be left alone.

@ComtesseDeSpair it wasn’t a Big Four firm was it? I worked for one that made an industry of the annual appraisal, for what seemed to me to be no better outcomes than other places I’ve worked.

Ours just seems to be never ending. There’s goal setting, mid year review, quarterly self-reflection, assessment of progress against goals, blah blah

In my last job it was every 6 months which wasn’t so bad.

I have a terrible habit of talking myself down or undervaluing myself so either I complete the forms incorrectly saying I am working less than I should, or I say how fantastic I am but get deeply uncomfortable and embarrassed by it. The second option is still the best one but it makes my skin crawl.

I guess it's that time of year! Mine is coming up, and I'm currently on the naughty list for not having completed my self appraisal by the deadline, or my feedback on others (because I've been too busy with work, and because I absolutely loathe doing it). I can't claim that it has no value / use in my organisation in that my role does have very clear progression, parameters to meet that progression, and accompanying pay increases (plus bonus on the basis of individual performance / team financial performance / overall company financial performance) so there is a point to assessing performance and setting objectives.....BUT I still absolutely loathe the way you have to go first - so, how do you think you're performing? Please can you just tell me what you feel I'm doing well, what I can improve, and then that's that.