To find Work Appraisals excruciating

[frankentall]

The main issue is being instructed to comment upon my own performance and achievements. I am not a dream employee, a rockstar over-achiever. Nor am I useless tosser - just an ordinary person doing an ordinary job.
Most of my job is boring and utterly pointless admin that adds no value and I hate those parts - and in my book that includes appraisals.
If I am not doing what I'm supposed to do the the required standard I expect my boss to tell me, that's part of her job managing people. Otherwise I'd like to be left alone to do the job as well as I can. But no, some git has designed a process to torture me.

[JayAlfredPrufrock]

Used to hate it.

And the fact you were always meant to be trying to ‘improve’ yourself.

Eff off and let me carry on with my humdrum job.

[Itsallabouttea]

Feel the same, my job is a fairly menial one that doesn't 'go anywhere' but we're still expected to sit through the process of reviews, goal setting etc, none of which have any impact on our pay. I wish they'd just leave us alone to do the job. The goal setting is particularly daft when you just do the same task every day with no scope for doing anything different!

[Mamette]

I absolutely hate them too.

I just fight fire with fire.. oh you want waffle and management-speak do you? Ok.

[Funfuninthesunsun]

I hate them with a passion. I also hate doing them with my team. They take ages to do too which is particularly irritating when you're pushed for time to do your actual work.

[Namechange13101]

likewise @Funfuninthesunsun I hate doing them with my team, i hate doing mine with my manager a my team haste doing them to! Its definitely a tick box exercise in our organisation and not linked in anyway to pay or performance!

[ComtesseDeSpair]

I previously worked in an organisation where the appraisal process was so granular and extensive that it actually prevented people from doing their actual work several weeks of the year. It was ludicrous. And moderation was completely based on how good you were at arguing and vehement you wanted to be about arguing and appealing to have your grade reassessed. The end of year process took months to conclude. And all that for an average bonus of about £500. Bonkers.

I now work for an organisation where I meet twice a year with my line manager who asks “how do you think you’ve been doing?” and I respond “I believe I’ve met my agreed targets and the team is working well” and he says “I agree, I’ll sign everything off” and that’s that.

I’ve no idea how my organisation manages underperformance, although we’re an industry heavily driven by very high bonuses related to overall financial and business outcomes which tends to focus people’s attention to their work, and as a company all our bonuses are interlinked with team, departmental and overall company goals so there’s a feeling of accountability and duty to colleagues to do well. 

[TTPD]

I agree.

I particularly hate setting goals for the next year. I always want to just write "my goal is to continue to do my job well" but apparently that isn't deemed acceptable, despite being very honest!

[TwirlyWhirlie]

I’ve got mine coming up. I can never be bothered with it all. I just want to come to work, do it and get paid. I just want to be Mrs Average, nothing more.

[CheapThrillsMeanNothing]

I too hating having my appraisals, and doing my teams. I fo7nd them largely pointless, and mainly used to give a grade which determined your salary increase (always minuscule %). I worked for a large retail group with a very stingy owner.
You would set future goals which would swiftly become irrelevant and business needs change so much.
I don't miss it.

[Lemonyfuckit]

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.

[Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong]

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.

[Mamette]

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.

[SlipperyLizard]

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.

[lazyarse123]

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.

[ItWasntMyFault]

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.

[Startingagainandagain]

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?

[Fluffywigg]

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.

[JustABitOfUncertainty]

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.

[Namechangeforthis88]

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.

[honeylulu]

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.

[malificent7]

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

[BrioNotBiro]

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'!

[coxesorangepippin]

Yeah, what a pp said

Just pay the lip service

[SoundTheSirens]

@TTPD

I agree.

I particularly hate setting goals for the next year. I always want to just write "my goal is to continue to do my job well" but apparently that isn't deemed acceptable, despite being very honest!

"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.

[coxesorangepippin]

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