Annoyed with feedback from annual appraisal

[fourstardan]

360 appraisals....except the 360 never goes upwards....

If this is down to a bonus rating then welcome to my world, some idiots in this world seem to get a kick out of judging based on % figures on a bonus.

Have you ever been asked to obtain feedback yourself that's positive? I usually like to do this so it assassinates any feedback from toxic idiots.

[Badda]

It sounds very much as if you know what you’re like and who you’ve pissed off and don’t like being told it.
Reflect on your feedback and adapt. Or leave if you don’t want to.

[Taita]

Who cares if you are direct with suppliers anyway? It's a customer business relationship, as long as you aren't calling them fking s and are 'you said xyz would be done and it isn't, not good enough' then can't see a problem?

[Rockets7]

Sounds like someone’s line manager is looking for the meat for their promotion sandwich. Having recently retired reasonably young; I can reassure you that none of it matters providing they’re paying you and your pension pot is increasing. When you leave they will fill the gap, but not quite as fast as you will be forgotten about.....

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

[KAgantua]

Its called 360 degree feedback, though I would argue slapping you with bad feedback that is 9 months old is not fair. If it was that bad, should have been raised at the time.

Sometimes you do get these sad feedbacks that cant really be articulated and are un - actionable 'Oh he was really.. off with me, im not sure why... it just felt... I dont know.... '

You just need to man up and take it

[vulture1]

wolf1 said:

You might think you're the best thing since sliced bread but others may just see you as stale toast. Take the criticism and just get on with it.

Yep. I managed 35 people and at least 8 of them think they are the absolute bees knees.

[sociopath]

Appraisals suck.

I had an appraisal when I worked for one of the big four.

All my reviews were excellent, but my direct line didn't like that as he'd already told me he wanted me to leave (before the appraisal)

So he went and found some other people to give me a negative review based on working with me 18 months previously when I'd just joined, and based on not following internal processes I'd not been told about.
I raised a formal complaint but nothing ever came of it because he had the power.

You can't win, so either ignore it or walk away.

I walked away.

[MadCaptainJack]

SkinnyPete said:

I recently had my first annual appraisal. It was delivered by my line manager 1 to 1, but it turns out it’s actually based on feedback from an anonymous selection of peers and suppliers.

That's what's known as a "360 review", and it's pretty much the standard now in most large or white collar companies.

SkinnyPete said:

It started off by being told that I’m excellent at my job, well respected and that people enjoy working with me, 10/10 all around, the usual stuff you’d hope to hear.

My manager then told me some anecdotal story about how I did something innocuous 9 months ago, that someone somewhere didn’t like, but she won’t elaborate any further or tell me where the feedback has come from. Yet it’s gone down as a negative on my written review.

A 360 review asks those providing the feedback to give both positive and constructive feedback, and they'll often be asked to provide examples - that's what your anecdotal stories are likely to be.

My advice: Focus on the 10/10 score, and don't obsess about the "negative" anecdotes. Nobody's perfect; everyone can get better at their job. The 360 review process is designed to extract feedback to help people improve.

SkinnyPete said:

I was then told I need to learn how to take constructive criticism.

Taking constructive criticism is tough. It requires that you swallow your pride, suppress the urge to react defensively, avoid letting your face adopt an annoyed expression, and humbly say "Thanks for that. I'll take that on board and give it some serious thought."

But if you can do that, it's like a super power. The way you perceive yourself, your actions and behaviour, and the way you speak, is often very different to how others perceive you. Understanding that is the first step towards being able to influence and, ultimately, control how others perceive you, and that's very powerful.

SkinnyPete said:

No, no conclusion, no targets…nothing…but my salary review is in another month so that’s the acid test.

Your salary review is the real annual appraisal.

[oldbanger]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

It’s hardly micro management if the manager waits months to bring up performance issues/negative feedback

[jet_noise]

I'd struggle with the anonymous bit. If there was a pattern then perhaps but a single event that you cannot recall is in no way "constructive" criticism. And in any event sometimes a supplier needs an assertive hand

Do/did you get the opportunity to minute (not just say) your response to this or the appraisal in general?
My last employer required the appraisee (!) to respond to any points noted.
The appraisal was then signed by both parties. There does not necessarily have to be agreement (although it is hoped you would be able to reach it) but there should be an accepted record of both issues and reactions.

[MitchT]

The annual appraisal process is a crock of st. Rather than using ongoing feedback to ensure that any issues are nipped in the bud immediately, it allows issues to go unresolved for up to 12 months and then dumps them all on you in one go when they've been going on long enough for you to have drifted quite a way off course. In my experience, annual appraisals are the favoured tool of st managers in toxic organisations who have a fetish for bullying their reports by threatening them with warnings, disciplinaries and performance management over issues which wouldn't exist id they'd been subjected to gentle ongoing feedback rather than one giant, annual hammer blow.

[p4cks]

Countdown said:

1. It may be that your line manager needs training on giving feedback

This. Plus she avoided feeding back the other instances too presumably to avoid a difficult conversation. You see it loads and it's a real shame

ETA: the annual review should be a collection of your monthly 121s so nothing should be a surprise. If you don't get regular reviews, then the process is flawed and allows for ste like this to happen

Edited by p4cks on Sunday 20th June 17:15

[lyonspride]

Everything else aside, I have no tolerance for people who bh and complain about colleagues, I mean it really pisses me off.

I've been a team manager, i've had people complaining all sorts of dumb sh*t about my team........ "They talk too much", "they spend too long in the toilet", "they have too many drinks per day", "they're too noisy", "they're too quiet", "they've got a window open", "one of them keeps farting", and honestly my reaction was "yet they meet targets every week and every month, they're happy in their work, they put themselves out for the team, they even help out other departments....."

I couldn't work for a company that took that sort of back biting so seriously as to incorporate it into a performance review.

[SkinnyPete]

Thanks for the comments all, some good feedback.

I've still been a bit restless over this, so I brought it up with my line manager. As I explained to her, a person's perception is their reality, and I'm not happy with the perception she has of me based on someone elses ‘feelings’.

It turns out the person who gave the feedback got confused; they have never worked with me and were talking about someone else. It's not like I have a similar name to anyone else in the organisation.

That's one example done anyway. Whether or not she makes an effort to withdraw the feedback and re-submit it to HR records remains to be seen.

P.S. Having read up on the 360 reviews, it's awful approach, totally flawed, as my experience highlights. I think this has given me a kick to think about going contracting; I'd much rather work for myself and change team every 9, 12, 18 months than but up with this st.

MadCaptainJack said:

SkinnyPete said:

I was then told I need to learn how to take constructive criticism.

Taking constructive criticism is tough. It requires that you swallow your pride, suppress the urge to react defensively, avoid letting your face adopt an annoyed expression, and humbly say "Thanks for that. I'll take that on board and give it some serious thought."

But if you can do that, it's like a super power. The way you perceive yourself, your actions and behaviour, and the way you speak, is often very different to how others perceive you. Understanding that is the first step towards being able to influence and, ultimately, control how others perceive you, and that's very powerful.

I love constructive criticism, as I never want to stop learning and improving, but it needs to be constructive.

For example, "Pete, I really like that charter you wrote, you really did a good job covering point A, B and C. Regarding point D though, I'd like to see this include XYZ because...., have a go, see how you get on, but if you struggle let me know and we'll get some time in the diary together".

Thats a far cry to what I have just gone through.

[Countdown]

SkinnyPete said:

I love constructive criticism, as I never want to stop learning and improving, but it needs to be constructive.

For example, "Pete, I really like that charter you wrote, you really did a good job covering point A, B and C. Regarding point D though, I'd like to see this include XYZ because...., have a go, see how you get on, but if you struggle let me know and we'll get some time in the diary together".

Thats a far cry to what I have just gone through.

Is that "criticism"? That seems like just normal line management IMO.

I'd consider constructive criticism to be bringing up areas where somebody had clearly not performed to the required standard, advising that they were capable of doing better, [giving examples of where they had performed well] and providing advice/guidance on how they could improve.

[lyonspride]

Countdown said:

SkinnyPete said:

I love constructive criticism, as I never want to stop learning and improving, but it needs to be constructive.

For example, "Pete, I really like that charter you wrote, you really did a good job covering point A, B and C. Regarding point D though, I'd like to see this include XYZ because...., have a go, see how you get on, but if you struggle let me know and we'll get some time in the diary together".

Thats a far cry to what I have just gone through.

Is that "criticism"? That seems like just normal line management IMO.

Sounds more like bullst to me

First it's a backhanded compliment, it opens you up and then sts down you're throat, I guarantee everyone has the same experience.
Second it's a carrot on a stick, it's saying "try harder" and maybe you can be like me.
Third it's gaslighting you into thinking you're not good enough to do it on you're own, which the most damaging part of this.
Forth it's asserting dominance, you have to rely on this person to tell you what to do and how to think.

I know it's just an example, but that's got to have come from experience.

[anxious_ant]

lyonspride said:

Sounds more like bullst to me

First it's a backhanded compliment, it opens you up and then sts down you're throat, I guarantee everyone has the same experience.
Second it's a carrot on a stick, it's saying "try harder" and maybe you can be like me.
Third it's gaslighting you into thinking you're not good enough to do it on you're own, which the most damaging part of this.
Forth it's asserting dominance, you have to rely on this person to tell you what to do and how to think.

I know it's just an example, but that's got to have come from experience.

So how would you prefer constructive critism?

"lyonspride, your work is st and I expect you to know that before submitting this to me. I give you one last chance to get this sorted"

[Taita]

lyonspride said:

Countdown said:

SkinnyPete said:

I love constructive criticism, as I never want to stop learning and improving, but it needs to be constructive.

For example, "Pete, I really like that charter you wrote, you really did a good job covering point A, B and C. Regarding point D though, I'd like to see this include XYZ because...., have a go, see how you get on, but if you struggle let me know and we'll get some time in the diary together".

Thats a far cry to what I have just gone through.

Is that "criticism"? That seems like just normal line management IMO.

Sounds more like bullst to me

First it's a backhanded compliment, it opens you up and then sts down you're throat, I guarantee everyone has the same experience.
Second it's a carrot on a stick, it's saying "try harder" and maybe you can be like me.
Third it's gaslighting you into thinking you're not good enough to do it on you're own, which the most damaging part of this.
Forth it's asserting dominance, you have to rely on this person to tell you what to do and how to think.

I know it's just an example, but that's got to have come from experience.

I mean you COULD read that much into it if you wanted

[DanL]

lyonspride said:

Sounds more like bullst to me

First it's a backhanded compliment, it opens you up and then sts down you're throat, I guarantee everyone has the same experience.
Second it's a carrot on a stick, it's saying "try harder" and maybe you can be like me.
Third it's gaslighting you into thinking you're not good enough to do it on you're own, which the most damaging part of this.
Forth it's asserting dominance, you have to rely on this person to tell you what to do and how to think.

I know it's just an example, but that's got to have come from experience.

I think that comes from your experience, rather than what’s been written.

[Rushjob]

The whole point of constructive criticism is rooted in the word constructive.

If the manager is unable to use the information in a constructive manner to develop and mentor the candidate then they may as well not bother.

From what I've read, it seems like the OP has a manager who has little or no experience in coaching and developing staff - I wonder how this manager would respond to a 360 appraisal from their reports? Would be an interesting meeting methinks.

With the caveat that the OP has been 100% honest with their disclosure, I'd suggest that whatever the intent, the effect of the appraisal has solely been to damage the confidence of the OP in both the manager and the appraisal process.