What to Do If You Get a Bad One-Maninder

Remember the feeling you got in the pit of your stomach when it came time for your teacher to hand out report cards? Whether or not you felt you deserved a good report, you still had that moment of doubt. With school now behind us, you would think report cards were part of our pasts. Unfortunately, this is not the case. As working adults we must deal with employee performance reviews, also referred to as employee appraisals or performance evaluations. Whatever you call them; employee reviews evaluate our performance on the job. They often determine raises, promotions, and sometimes whether we get to keep our jobs. That can explain, why even as adults, these “report cards” often make us feel uneasy.It is helpful to prepare for an upcoming review. Document your achievements and list anything you want to discuss at the review. Sometimes fear of the unknown is the worst fear of all. That is why it may help to take a look at some definitions of the terminology used in employment reviews. According to this article, the goal of an appraisal should be to “increase communication, establish clear expectations, reinforce good performance, improve unsatisfactory performance, and foster a spirit of cooperation and teamwork.”With that said, it would stand to reason that all one would need to do to insure a good review would be to do a good job. However, that isn't always the case. Of course there exists an interpersonal relationship between boss and employee. Where there's a relationship there are undercurrents, both good and bad and these undercurrents can get in the way of an accurate review. On the brighter side of things, the relationship can be a good one, which inspires a good review. While this may sound positive, it isn't helpful to employee or employer. Without accurate feedback improvement cannot take place. On a darker note, the relationship may be a bad one. The person doing the review may act out of negative feelings rather than out of fairness. Again, this benefits no one.What should you do if you get a poor review? If you feel you have received an unfair review, you should consider responding to it. You should first try to discuss the review with the person who did it. Heed this warning, however. Wait until you can look at the review objectively. Was the criticism you received really that off the mark or are you just offended that you were criticized in the first place? If you eventually reach the conclusion that the review was truly unjust, and then set an appointment to meet with your reviewer. If there are any points that were correct, acknowledge those. Use clear examples that counteract the criticisms made. A paper trail is always helpful. Present anything you have in writing that can back you up. If you didn't leave a paper trail, remember this for the future.Ultimately, you should regard your review as a learning opportunity. You should be able to take away valuable information, whether it is about yourself or your reviewer.