Review Time!

It's review time! You should expect a review following your newbie probationary period, usually 3 or 6 months after starting a new position, and a review on the anniversary of being in this position. Here are a few things to consider before, during and after your review.

Before

You should have received monthly mini-reviews, weekly productivity reports, or some other form of weekly/monthly evaluations from your boss within the past year. These evaluations are important. Even if these evaluations are ambiguous, and/ or strictly numerical, your review is a summation of all them you received and then some. If the work relationship between you and your supervisor, along with evaluations, do not provide clarity on the way she/he perceives you, ask for clarity. Sit down with your supervisor every once in a while (e.g. monthly) and ask, “How am I doing?” Between you asking and your evaluations, you should have a reasonable expectation of your upcoming review.

During

Read and listen. Listen to and read every remark your supervisor says about you. If you’re lucky you have a thorough, couple page, sectioned review. This review will give you an overall detailed account of you in your workplace. However, if your review is simple and small, you might have to pull it apart and dig deeper into your supervisor for more information. What your supervisor says ought to reflect what is written. If your supervisor says glowing things about you, but your review is lackluster, ask for a rewritten review. Regardless of what type of review you have, review time is the best time for all the questions you have. If you don’t have any questions, respond to the comments in your review. If your review wasn’t so well, take the time in this review to work out a strategy with your supervisor to get you on track to meeting your job’s expectations.

After

If your review went well, keep up your productivity and work on doing more. If you worked out a plan for the next year in your position, start thinking about the execution of this plan. Most importantly, continue to build a relationship with your supervisor in which you can feel comfortable talking about your performance. If you want a promotion, do research on the expectations of your desired position and work on being the best candidate.

Oh, That’s So Not Fair!

He breaks the rules, she breaks the rules, but the day I do anything close, I get in trouble. Management is cruel; this is an injustice, just plan unfair! So, there is a coworker that doesn’t stay in dress code. According to the guidelines set forth by the powers of HR, the work outfits they routinely wear are against the rules. You and everyone else see it and ponder: How does management not see this? What is being done? Then, one day, you walk into work with leggings you thought could pass for pants. Management sees you, your supervisor pulls you aside, and you’re told those leggings are not acceptable. You are enraged.

You walk back to your cubicle and fizzle in momentous anger.  In your head, you rerun the mantra “this is unfair”.  Yet, you don't come to the conclusion that despite what anyone else is or isn’t doing, you did break a rule.

It is unfair that the actions of management suggest selective discipline. It is unfair that a coworker breaks guidelines or doesn’t put in the same amount of work but is still blissfully working beside you. The reality is when management makes their move against you and you are actually breaking a rule, they were within their right to do so. You or anyone else in such scenario can’t huff, puff, and blow all the angry winds towards management because management isn’t doing anything wrong by telling you when you do wrong.

The best way to handle selective discipline is own up to your rule breaking; then ask management if they are aware of other continual rule breaking – you can’t assume management is aware of everything. This is not to be asked defensively or spitefully. Fix your face, hide all that pout, put on the concerned serious face of a dedicated employee, and pick a better time to ask management if others are being corrected also. It may sound like an out of place question; however, if you pick a good way to ask and you ask using that office bible called the handbook as your back up, management should have no choice but to answer. If you have a manager that doesn’t care then you have to abandon action or go above their head. If you are lucky to have a human resources department (not one person who does HR work), then you should probably go to them.

The moral of this story: when you’re wrong, you’re wrong. Two wrongs don’t make a right, most times. Your wrong may not be as big as someone else’s wrong but if you are caught, own up to it. Pouty faces and silly angry thoughts won’t help you. Knowing how to approach management and doing so seriously with respect is the best course of action. However, if you can’t fix your face, let it go.