AIBU to be gutted and worried about this performance review

[N4mechangingforthisone]

I have been in current job circa 5 years and recently had my first performance review using the 9 box grid system. I was ranked in the bottom middle square which is ‘Effective performer, low potential’.

My works guidance on this states that it means I am doing my job effectively but unlikely to have potential to progress beyond current role.

AIBU to be concerned? The HR blogs/websites on 9 box grid systems indicate that at this marking you aren’t really considered worth investing in (or at least only to a limited degree) and instead you should be left to determine your own improvement plan and observed with some coaching/feedback.

I am gutted as I am highly motivated and diligent. So it’s clearly about capability not motivation. I am also concerned that the label will stick now regardless of my efforts, I’ve just wasted 5 years of my career and I need to move on asap.

Do you think that’s a reasonable reaction or am I being over dramatic?

I am also a bit gutted that my manager didn’t provide any suggestions for improvement or development which I think could just reflect that he doesn’t think I’m worth investing in. He didn’t also explain why I am in the box I am and we ran out of time so I didn’t get chance to delve into it further.

(Particularly interested to hear from anyone in the HR sphere!)

He didn’t also explain why I am in the box I am and we ran out of time so I didn’t get chance to delve into it further.

I'd be asking for a further meeting, and I wouldn't 'sign off' the review until we had had the meeting.

It sounds as though this was very badly delivered, OP. The point of performance matrices is to guide people on how they can move into the next square, or a 'better' square. Your manager should have asked you where you aspire to be and set goals to achieve this.

It might be a clumsy way of saying you are not considered ready for promotion to the next level in your job, but that's not a static position - if you are looking to advance your manager should be supporting you with development opportunities and also options such a lateral move to build your skill base.

I would ask for another meeting, being clear where you want to move to, and that you want your manager's support in getting there.

This is where they see you now. You can move. You need to make sure that they see your potential (which you may not have shown), this would go beyond doing your job diligently - it is taking on nee things, putting yourself forward and deliver. If you have been doing the same role for 5 years without showing growth then it is not a surprise you are there. But you don’t have to stay there.
meet again, tell them of your aspirations and discuss how you could take on more responsibility. If that is what you want

God HR is genuinely over promoted bollocks isn't it.

I'd be putting job feelers out.

This

And start looking for other jobs too.

In organisations where their talent is valued and looked after better than your current place.

This is an inadequate review and you need to contact the HR and ask for explanations, further meetings and joint improvement/support plan. Marking an employer down without explanation of support plan is just bad management that demoralises staff. This needs to be addressed appropriately.

This is just an example of how they have to fit everybody into one of the boxes. Therefore there will always be people who have to sit in the lower boxes, regardless of how good they are. They then have to justify their ridiculous nine box system.

There is a thread in the work section about a woman who found herself in this position and how she didn’t want to take the rating. I will try and find it.

Haven’t heard of this before but it sounds like corporate bollocks. Could you just laugh about it and say you think it’s silly nonsense or would that drop you into another box?

This sounds grim. Maybe you should start looking for another job. Why should you put up with this shit.

I've never heard of that system but it sounds horribly demotivating! I definitely think you need.to ask for a follow up and a plan to improve but honestly I'd be looking for a new job they sound shit

As it is your first time using the 9 box grid perhaps you didn't know how to play the system and say the right things.

a) yes, but only if companies choose to use such a stupid system in the first place - it isn't imposed upon them, if a company is shit enough to think 'yes a system that insults and demotivates at least half our workforce, that's the one we want to use' then they are unlikely to be a great place to work

b) and at the very least it should be clearly explained to people why they are in the box they currently are, and how to improve

I’m in HR

the nine box grid is hugely overly simple. I’ve only ever used it when trying to introduce managers to starting to think about taken management and succession planning when they are really new to things. I’d never recommend they share their markings with employees but just use it as a tool to identify who needs what sort of development or management

your manager sounds a bit rubbish

I think the wording is clumsy.

It says you’re a high performer which is good, but are you also high potential? It sounds like you’ve been at the same level for 5 years which is a long time to be at the same level with a company and not have gone for a promotion.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing, it means you’re high performing at your current level, but maybe you’re not interested in getting promoted. There is nothing wrong with being a ‘career’ administrator for example and they can be highly valued.

It is useful to know where people sit as otherwise if you’re not interested in moving up, then it would be a waste of everyone’s time to keep pushing for that. You can still be developed at the level you’re at though.

I’d have a real think about where you see your career going and it’s for you to drive that forward. If you want to stay there and progress you’ll just need to push that and let your manager know. Appreciate the wording is a bit clumsy and if it hasn’t been explained properly then it’s easy to take it personally.

In my head one of my staff is low performing/low potential even though she thinks she’s promotion ready. The reasons why are she hasn’t got the basics right - eg lots of complaints from senior staff about her work ethic, she interacts with people in a standoff manner, struggles to make difficult decisions etc. therefore she can’t really progress to the next level until she sorts the basics out. She’s also been in role a similar amount of time

Thanks all, I really appreciate your posts. I am going to ask for a follow on discussion but also look at internal and external moves.