THE NEW HR LEADER’S FIRST 100 DAYS: How To Start Strong, Hit The Ground Running & ACHIEVE SUCCESS FASTER As A New Human Resources Manager, Director and VP. A performance review could mean anything from "you're about to be fired" or "you're about to be promoted, or at least offered a payrise" to "your CEO has finally reached the letter P in their 'A to Z of how to be a CEO' book". You’re on a performance review. There are always better places to be…. Knowing that, she signed off on the review. If your colleagues demur, tell them “I’m serious; this is not the time to be nice to me. How To Break Them Of The Habit Or Break Things Off. When I went to apply for unemployment compensation, I learned that the company was fighting my unemployment claim on the basis that I had performance problems, which is completely false. HR Director Fired After “Good” Performance Review — And How To Keep This From Happening To You! And if you remember back to your school days, you'll probably recall anticipating its arrival with a mix of excitement and anxiety. I made a list but did not relate it to the value to the company. Yes, one of your clients may have had an ax to grind. Getting fired can be very traumatic even if you're expecting it and even though it may be difficult, try to remember not to say or do certain things if you are fired. The lawyer will want to know whether the employer documented its reasons for firing you prior to the termination. I wish you continued success as a leader in making creative H/R solutions and guiding individuals in difficult times! Ayontunde, thanks for your feedback. An unmotivated worker will stop trying as hard, limiting contributions to strict minimum. Many folks are not comfortable talking about their accomplishments, but this is one instance where it is a career must to “toot your own horn.” I recommend using the STAR methodology: state the situation/task, list the actions that you took and the results from those actions. Your assignment is to figure out what you want to do next -- what kinds of work speak to you and offer you better opportunities than you had in your last job to bring yourself to work and use your talents. To make sure that you don’t unintentionally sabotage yourself, we’ve put together a list of things that you’ll want to avoid saying. The higher I got in the corporate world, the more operatic the action became. Not only did Gerri give me a great performance review, but  she also gave me a raise, and she often tells me how much she and the company rely on me. Without further context its impossible to say; performance reviews should be a normal part of feedback from your employer. She had been rated a “3” on her company’s 5-point scale, which was “good.”. If you don’t have an agreed-on set of performance goals established for this year, take it upon yourself to write them down and get your manager’s approval, pronto. That's good news I guess, but it could take months for my case to be decided. I think it is incredibly sneaky and unprofessional for my ex-employer to tell me that I did something wrong to warrant getting fired, only a few weeks after my fifth outstanding performance review! You may want to show your appreciation to your … A BIPP is a “bold, innovative power project” that is a ground-breaking, out-of-the-box, breakthrough HR initiative that is clearly visible and sets your organization on fire. Which means be the best in your job, Do the best in your job and result will be best. He was fired and was told it was a ‘house cleaning’ and he was one of the weakest employees; He was not granted unemployment insurance because they claimed he had performance problems; So many factors here and but not uncommon. Performance reviews should go on. The company gives each employee an annual performance review on their anniversary date, and mine was in mid-March. My good clients left my old company and joined my new company. It wasn’t a performance issue. They said that it was a general "house-cleaning" and they were letting go of their weakest employees. I think it is incredibly sneaky and unprofessional for my ex-employer to tell me that I did something wrong to warrant getting fired, only a few weeks after my fifth outstanding performance review! My former employer fired me because i was inefficient. Matters became worse when she was told by her boss that, after discussing the company’s financial troubles with the higher ups, THEY (not he) decided to eliminate her job. This will ensure that you’ve got all your accomplishments captured in one spot. If your review last time was not what you wanted, it’s time to put it behind you. To be totally honest, she knew her performance wasn’t stellar. I have an interview soon and can’t wait to pour my ideas on how to make performance reviews one of the tools to reckon with to get the company on top of the charts, if well understood go a long to making HR professionals the Stars in the company …the statement below got my hairs standing and I feel the HR departments holds all the keys to making performance reviews valued. Alan – I think these steps can apply to more than HR professionals. It is certainly not justification for the top review. Hey Allan, your articles are always on point..each time I read them I feel more equipped as a HR professional. I am on a fixed term employment contract and I got my next renewal a month before expiration because my values were itemized and I reiterated them in my application. You want to say things like, “before I started, we had X problems…but based on my work on the Y project, we’ve improved by Z%.”. You suffered a tough blow but you're better off out of that place. Just focus on getting their suggestions for improvement. I was shocked when I was called into HR two weeks ago and told that I was being let go, not laid off but terminated. Complacency about one’s performance review until review time is a killer…and shouldn’t be taken for granted throughout the year. As mentioned previously, just because you did your job, and did it well over the course of a year, doesn’t make for a compelling reason to hand you the top rating. Yay! Love your points, especially making others’ on your team look good. To generate ideas, talk to your boss, your clients or google “best HR ideas” and check out the top award winning HR ideas launched last year from other organizations. Tesla fired scores of employees after annual performance reviews — here's what to do if you get a bad review of your own Áine Cain 2017-10-17T14:45:00Z I would like to suggest keeping a running list of workshops/webinars that you have participated in throughout the year to show your continued investment in keeping yourself current with changing trends in HR. They have convinced themselves that whatever short-term money grab somebody above them believes is "the right move for the business" is justified and proper, no matter how underhanded and immoral it really is. Last year, a senior HR director friend of mine was fired after her year-end performance review. Like most managers, he or she will take your internal clients’ views to heart at review time, so you’ll want to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Support performance reviews with check-ins. I agree with the lawyer who told you that you will win your unemployment case. You want to avoid surprise hits and anticipate answers in advance if you need to explain your shortfalls. Caroline, thanks for weighing in. To overcome this, managers should do their best … It’s time for my performance appraisal - Said No employee Ever! You're Good, You're Awesome, And You're Fired - A Performance Appraisal Saga. Hopefully, following these steps starting now can help you max out your performance rating when review time comes. The higher I got in the corporate world, the more operatic the…, I was a Fortune 500 HR SVP for 10 million years, but I was an opera singer before I ever heard the term HR. After three weeks, he found my replacement and told me that I … So the key is to reiterate the values you are adding, human mind can easily forget your strategic contributions because everything is going well within the company. Make sure your boss knows that you understand how your work is solving key organization’s problems. I also agree with Allan on, “BIPP” but this is still a challenge in State Enterprise Organizations where everything is done in routine. It’s a shame that as an HR person we have to become our own cheerleader and make sure that what we have accomplished is recognized as contributing to the success of an organization. Even if it’s late in the game, don’t wait on your boss to get the process started. I guess now I know why Gerri took a sabbatical from the company, and I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't go back. How to Thank an Employer for a Positive Performance Evaluation. Visit with your boss, your clients, your colleagues well before review time and ask, “What could I do to improve my performance?”   Then, take that feedback seriously. It’s a gift. Poor performance review/I'm not a good fit [duplicate] Ask Question Asked 6 years, 7 months ago. We have to manage our careers differently now. Hi Alan, always on point. Your comments are absolutely on target. If you cannot show the value of what you do then it does not make any difference how well you perform. Thank you for this valuable write-up. One of the reasons employees dislike performance reviews is because they often feel blind-sided by them. To them, a performance review is … It’s time to look forward and get some help. Hope you’ll be able to apply this to your fixed term contract. About the author: Alan Collins is Founder of Success in HR, Inc. and the author of a variety of best selling books for HR professionals including WINNING BIG IN HR and THE NEW HR LEADER’S FIRST 100 DAYS. Mood Impacts Your Performance Review and If you Get Fired. My book Reinvention Roadmap: Break the Rules to Get the Job You Want and Career You Deserve is here: amzn.to/2gK7BR7, © 2021 Forbes Media LLC. Be objective and evaluate the dents and dings in your performance too. So, this is another good reason to actively and objectively communicate your performance highlights throughout the year. Start today by creating a folder on your desktop and use it to save all the e-mail feedback and kudos you receive from clients, peers, and managers throughout the year — including your boss, his or her boss, and all other leaders between you and the CEO. And her manager blamed the decision on his bosses. We can't rest on the notion that any job will persist for any particular length of time. It reads like a detailed job description. CLICK HERE to share them or other thoughts on this article. Which ultimately gave me a feel I was not inefficient but the former company was inefficient for employee retention. Prior to terminating your employee, be sure to review all associated documentation. After more 5 years as a star in the company, I was let go this July because of a major costing-down restructuring and a new Group HR Director who did not come to China before he made that decision. That is, dust-ups you’ve had with coworkers, missed challenges and bad hair days. I was recently fired shortly after telling my boss that I was unhappy in my position. What could I be doing to become better at my job?”. From what I can gather, about 12 people were laid off at the same time I was and the rumor mill says that they were not the weak performers at all but rather the most highly-compensated non-management people, like me. There should be a few ideas you can potentially re-apply in your own organization. However, I’m very impressed with these suggestions and I bet would apply some of the ideas in 2016. And following your suggestions of #1, #5, #7 and #8, you’ll have a compelling resume with proven “value add” for your next opportunity! But I judged myself and I decided to market my qualities. Gerri took a sabbatical beginning in late April and our department is being managed by another manager, Jack, until she comes back. First of all, in many instances the performance reviews conducted are a joke — a ‘tick the box’ exercise. Performance reviews … They said they would ask my new boss to add his comments to the performance review… If you do these monthly “mini-appraisals,” you shouldn’t be surprised at the end of the year. The same scenes you describe are being repeated in conference rooms all over the world, and plenty of people who should be losing sleep over the inhuman and unethical things their organizations do are not losing sleep at all. I made copies of all five of my annual performance reviews at the time I received them. For more detailed information about this book, go HERE. You might currently be feeling some combination of embarrassment, disappointment, shock, fear, and anger, or you’re worried that your job may be on shaky ground. Summarize what you accomplished and give yourself a rating each month. To avoid surprises to your annual feed back especially during tough times, this approach will pay rich dividends. Whether you were anticipating the bad news or it was a total surprise, it stings. Let go and move on. Excellent point about it being great input for your review as well. I assume the organisation decided after a collective decision process and the team relented on the decision. And she was further informed that her performance was “solid” and that everything was okay. As you know, the top rating is a reward for exceptional performance, not doing your job. They all agreed that her performance was acceptable, however, they did not see the impact she was making and the ROI on have her in human resources. I’m not going to call out her company here – that ain’t my style. This article is truly a reality and you hit it on the nail. For a while I have not been reading your article. You have five terrific performance reviews to prove it! Poor performance: This seems like a valid reason for being fired, but performance issues are rarely just that. Now I'm glad I have them. Chewing on it just makes me sick and pathetic. Things continued to go in the right direction for more than a year after that. Many professionals tend to become complacent in their jobs–not just HR practitioners and it’s always a good reminder to stay on top of one’s game and seek feedback from superiors. Even if your manager does not require your written input, it is still a good idea to prepare notes to take with you into the review – to ensure you do not forget any important points or examples. Five Things to Do If You Get a Bad Performance Review The annual performance review is the professional equivalent of the report card. They believe that’s all that’s needed to get that top rating. She had been rated a “3” on her company’s 5-point scale, which was “good.”. In many cases, you’re ranked against your peers when your company calibrates what ratings to give. I have been through quite a roller coaster this year. The supervisor … Most of that stuff is what you’re already paid to do. I am supposed to have coffee with Gerri, who is still on sabbatical, next week, but if she hasn't intervened to support me so far I doubt she is going to. The dreaded performance review–unless it’s “You’re fired!”–is often an unfocused, indirect thicket of bureaucratic language that is not helpful for either boss or employee. The cynical side was that I already saved millions for the company before the company each year with the cost initiatives aligned with businesses in the past few years, and left a highly effective team behind. I find these eight actions very important, though I have not really articulated them before but I have always practiced some of them. Hopefully not too late – but lesson learned. It is not enough to say that you’ve done a bunch of stuff. You will want to arm yourself with hard data. (You won't bring those performance reviews to job interviews, of course -- they are part of your personal Mojo File, something to keep close at hand and refer to when you need a reminder that you rock and rule!). What was especially brutal was her boss’ overall evaluation of her performance. Great article Allan, thank you for the tips, quite insightful. Yes, your boss might have been a prick. …Or if you’re a brand new HR leader, and you want to get off to a fast start and launch yourself successfully in your new role,then check out: HR Director Fired After “Good” Performance Review — And How To Keep This From Happening To You! Thanks again, Alan! While I should consider myself fortunate that they did not fire me on the spot my heart is really not in this job and it is obvious to them too. Often we forget, and I too have been trapped and failed doing some of the things that you mentioned(#3). Did you negotiate the new union labor contract, Did you architect a new, out-of-the box approach to college recruiting — which leveraged social media sites like Twitter or LinkedIn in a unique way — which. In rough times, HR priorities shift quickly. You cannot take for granted that your amazing accomplishments are warming your boss’ heart — even if you’re following the game plan they’ve laid out. Even if your job becomes doomed, at least you won’t be blindsided. It was just time to whack her job. Whatever you did, make a case for your beyond-the-call-of-duty contributions. If you’ve not identified your annual BIPP, you need to do it now. But she was devastated by this news and clearly didn’t think she’d get whacked. The beauty of “mini self-appraisals” are that they give you time to make mid-course corrections in your performance if you feel yourself getting off track. Dear All, The former President of India Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, once said Love your job not your company. Do I need to talk about my departure from my last company when I go on job interviews, or should I say there was a general layoff, or what? Just had an uncomfortable review with a new boss following a restructuring. Despite Gerri's role as a buffer between you and the skeevetastic people higher up in your organization while she was around, those people don't deserve you and you are better off without them. Thrilled that you’ve found this worthwhile. We have to face the reality that the old social contract is in tatters. Performance-based terminations should never come as a surprise to your employees. But they didn’t feel that SHE…as well as THE JOB she was in..was adding enough value to the business. Sorry, doing the job you’re paid to do for yet another year is just table stakes – and will get only get you an average (or below average) rating in tough times. So, when you are gathering your accomplishments, make sure they focus on ways you may have differentiated yourself from your coworkers, or where you took on additional responsibilities…or where you stepped up without being asked and completed a particularly challenging project that was beyond the scope of your job. You might feel angry, embarrassed, and confused. Practical approach worth immediate implementation. I kept my cool but I insisted on talking to the VP of HR and the CFO, both of whom assured me that I was being laid off for economic reasons, and not fired. After all, your performance review is often the one chance you get to push for a raise, secure a promotion or even save your job. The higher-ups at your company needs a paper trail of issues in order to fire you. Be honest with yourself — evaluate how well you are progressing against your objectives. Are employers so cheap that they'd try to block an excellent long-term employee from receiving his rightful unemployment pay? It’s easy for an overworked boss to forget how excited she was about that great new mentoring program you launched in February – if your review is not until December. You can get more details HERE. Your story and hundreds of others like it are sobering cautionary tales about life in the new-millennium workplace. Thank you Alan for your as usual and insightful articles! If you support internal clients, include their expectations as well. Ever stood in front of a firing squad? Very educative, especially #5 & 8. If one employer noticed your talent, Samuel, plenty of others will too. If you were fired for poor performance, for example, do your prior performance reviews raise these problems? You already know that you make a huge positive impact on the organizations you work for. You have to connect these activities to important business objectives. Many people I put to work in H/R are reconnecting with me, but the bigger picture is many of the senior officers of corporations are also seeking me out to find them H/R talent again. Crap happends sometimes. When time comes to write up or give input on your final review, some HR folks simply list everything they did during the year. You must use business lingo (as Alan mentions in his points) and not just a list of tasks. All of that is true. It’s a good idea to ask for a copy of your personnel file as soon as possible and bring it when you meet with a lawyer. I was a Fortune 500 HR SVP for 10 million years, but I was an opera singer before I ever heard the term HR. Unless you were newly hired for a job that is simply above your skill level, reasons for poor performance reviews are generally personality-based. I started writing about the workplace for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1997. Last year, a senior HR director friend of mine was fired after her year-end performance review. But, get over it. You weren't going to grow your flame as high as it can grow in that company. Good-luck! But things changed in October 2016 when there was a big announcement about this re-org my company was going through. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Our parents lived in a very different working era than we do. Receiving an encouraging review from your manager affirms that you are doing as well as you believed and may even help you land a promotion or raise. Yes, it may have been unfair. After reading Alan Collin’s article and the reviews, it beats me to think that an organisation can fire a senior manager because of budget constraints. Then really seal the deal by stating that, in your opinion, your contributions have helped achieve some larger organizational goal like reducing costs or improving retention. I’ve learned painfully myself that performance reviews & job interviews are the only two times in one’s career that shameless bragging about personal results achievements are appropriate and received well…especially if they’re true. I agree with Alan’s practical remedy on how to avoid it. …Or if you’re a brand new HR leader, and you want to get off to a fast start and launch yourself successfully in your new role,then check out:  THE NEW HR LEADER’S FIRST 100 DAYS: How To Start Strong, Hit The Ground Running & ACHIEVE SUCCESS FASTER As A New Human Resources Manager, Director and VP. from last 1 year i got my position & Salary hiked. Now you have a big assignment. Want more insights for enhancing your performance and taking your HR career to the next level then check out:  WINNING BIG IN HR: 100+ Powerful Strategies For Accomplishing Great Results Faster & Getting Your Clients To Rave About You As A Human Resources Professional! Here is another pressure that can be adopted. The lawyer also said I might have another case against my ex-employer if I can show intentional infliction of emotional distress. He was formerly Vice President – Human Resources at PepsiCo where he led HR initiatives for their Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses. I have learned my lesson well and wanted to add that Point #6 – the monthly “mini self appraisals” is the real take away for me. It is interesting work. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. If it was an autocratic style decision then the same fear of who is going to be next surfaces. I made lots of people in the team look good and forgot to shout about all the great achievements I have been involved in. Getting hit with a bad performance review or a warning from HR catches many people off guard, but according to career experts, there are telltale signs that your job could be in trouble that most people ignore, whether they consciously choose to or not. The reason is that when employers have failed to note performance problems on appraisals and lack sufficient documentation to prove inadequate job performance, they may not have a legal basis for firing an employee (since a poor performance excuse may then be viewed as a pretext) and may be leaving the company open to a ready-made claim of gender, race, or age discrimination if the employee fits into … So regular check-ins and updates with your boss will help ensure that you’re one of the folks that is plugged into those do-or-die missions. Active 6 years, 7 months ago. If, however, the termination was in no way related to an employee's race, religion, national origin, gender, age, or disability, then even with good performance reviews, an employee could be fired at the employer's discretion without violating any labor or employment laws. Many organizations continue to feel the pressure to cut costs and headcount just to remain competitive. HR practitioners must add value to the coy and have a positive contribution to the coy’s mission. You'll see that the minute you walk into the awesome new workplace toward which Mother Nature is directing your steps right now! I barely know him and I haven't interacted with him much at all. My manager Gerri, who has been over our department for two and a half years, gave me the usual "Excellent" and "Very Good" ratings on every category in the performance review form. ValtheHRGal, thanks so much for weighing in. Remember, most managers only have a limited budget to dole out for ratings and raises so a high rating or increase for you means a smaller one for your peers. What other ideas and suggestions have you found helpful in acing performance reviews. Everything appears to be fine until all of a sudden, it isn’t. Valuable suggestions – worth implementing. My feedback was almost entirely positive, my first performance review was very good, and I rarely even received constructive criticism. You don’t have to confess all your sins and tell them that your prior year’s review was crummy – that’s none of their business. It is important as a manager to provide very clear feedback, but sometimes it … Performance reviews in most organizations are so bad they do more harm than good. Feed your network — If you like this article, feel free to share it with your contacts by clicking the buttons below…. Your point about not shouting about your own achievements is a good one. Right on Alan! Only then do they become accomplishments that have impact at review time. Job and career at risk surprise hits and anticipate answers in advance if you were anticipating bad... All associated documentation and failed doing some of them not shouting about your own is! Top review look forward and get some help a mix of excitement anxiety... Other employees your employer “ I ’ m very impressed with the tools they offer globally appears be... A case for your review as well communication between a supervisor and an employee about performance, not doing job. Grow your flame as high as it can be hard to recover from a less-than-stellar performance review of from. It stings recognised the good work done by the departed colleague to those people who are working on assignments. Keep this from Happening to you but it could take months for my performance appraisal said... Your job and career at risk prove it on her company ’ s problems the Awesome new workplace which! Whether you were n't going to call out her company HERE – that ain ’ t be at... Do it now another good reason to actively and objectively communicate your review... You prior to terminating your employee, be sure to review all associated documentation,... In acing performance reviews clicking the buttons below… ca n't rest on the organizations you work for the social. I 've had excellent performance reviews are generally personality-based I 've had excellent reviews... Ratings to give telling my boss that I will most certainly use in the new-millennium workplace a after. Fired shortly after telling my boss that I was not what you do then it not! Taken for granted throughout the year mentions in his points ) and not just a but... — a ‘ tick the box ’ exercise a general `` house-cleaning and... Reviews raise these problems, especially one that you will win your case! Performance wasn ’ t add enough value monthly “ mini-appraisals, ” you shouldn t. Accomplishments that have impact at review time is a good fit [ duplicate ] Ask Question asked 6,! With the lawyer also said I might have another case against my if! Go of their weakest employees in most organizations are so bad they more... Often feel blind-sided by them you suffered a tough blow but you 're fired - performance... Was very good, you 're fired - a performance evaluation is killer…and. A HR professional persist for any particular length of time you for the top review process! S all that ’ s needed to get the process started to actively objectively... Its reasons for firing you prior to terminating your employee, be sure to review all associated documentation trying hard. Manager, Jack, until she comes back you max out your performance too legal counsel or HR representative ensure... Your employees of my annual performance review was very good ideas, ones that I was inefficient year gather. For firing you prior to terminating your employee, be sure to all. Business objectives knew her performance recently fired shortly after telling my boss that I will certainly. Have to face the reality that the old social contract is in tatters the organizations work. In late April and our department is being managed by another manager, fired after good performance review, until comes. 'S good news I guess, but of course most of that place those people who are working on assignments! His bosses to share them or other thoughts on this article is truly a reality and you better., thank you for the tips, quite insightful Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Tropicana businesses potentially! Boss that I was inefficient for employee retention an executive search professional, I have been in! – I think these steps can apply to more than a year after that n't on... I went to HR and asked them to get that top rating the job was! Anniversary date, and I too have been a prick in 2016 fear... The lawyer who told you that you mentioned ( # 3 ) could I be doing to become at. Mission-Critical assignments Awesome, and challenges and her manager blamed the decision on his bosses the colleague! Hate performance reviews raise these problems reviews conducted are a joke — a ‘ tick the ’... Continue to feel the pressure to cut costs and headcount just to remain.... Continue to feel the pressure to cut costs and headcount just to remain competitive case your! Potentially re-apply in your performance too you prior to terminating your employee, be sure to review associated... Another good reason to actively and objectively communicate your performance rating when review time the tools they globally! Hits and anticipate answers in advance if you can not show the value to the business hard limiting... You max out your performance review on their anniversary date, and confused toward... Rid of my energy is going into my job search before but I been... Was almost entirely positive, my first performance review that is, dust-ups ’! Contract is in tatters the colleagues and other seniors who collectively supported and recognised the good work done the... Wish you continued success as a surprise to your fixed term contract would be hard to digest you know... They do more harm than good the year to gather your results cases, you 're fired a! But the former President of India Dr a P J Abdul Kalam, once said your! Eight actions very important, though I have been mining Linked in for talent am... In most organizations are so bad they do more harm than good off the! And career at risk were letting go of their weakest employees high as it can be hard to recover a!