It’s that time of year again when employees are brought into their direct supervisor’s office and given their yearly review. If they’re lucky, they would have been receiving feedback throughout the year and the review will be a series of good bad, good bad scenarios.
If you’re unlucky, you may be sideswiped by how much you suck during your review. It’s my opinion that reviews are a necessary and important process of employee development. However, the way reviews are done makes a huge difference in how successful employees will be in the work place. Touching base twice a year is not effective and quite frankly it’s pretty ineffective. If you tell me that there was a negative incident with a customer that was observed 3 months ago and I don’t remember it the incident-I’m going to be a little pissed off. Why? Well, there are a couple of issues that I have with this scenario. One, why didn’t the supervisor touch base with the employee at the time of the incident? Was the employee sick? Were there mitigating circumstances? Have there been problems with the same customer before? Or, is the employee unhappy?
I read a tweet the other day by a woman who runs a small business. Melinda Emerson? The tweet basically said that if there is a problem with customer service then it’s important to look at how the employees are being treated. Is the office culture one where the employee is uncomfortable? Do the employees feel empowered and valued?
Look at the United States Postal Service. I’ve written about it before and we all know about the problems the U.S.P.S is having. We have all joked about Post Office employees going “postal.” Well is it surprising? What about the Department of Motor Vehicles? Both places have people working with the public in high stress situations all day long. The people are standing on their feet, most buildings are built were built in the 70s (or so it seems) with few windows, fresh air, or natural lighting.
I wonder how employees in these business are encouraged or given positive/negative feedback. in regards to their job performance?
I dread my annual review because unfortunately we are reviewed on a yearly basis. I feel like all the proverbial crap is about to be purged that I didn’t know was clogging up the system. Just bend over and take it.
I work with the public, specifically with an almost exclusively international clientele. One of the issues that constantly comes up is the need to negotiate to get what the client wants. One person may come up to me several times throughout the day to try and negotiate what they want or to confuse me to the point where I give the answer that they are looking for.
I am the “no” person at my job due to the nature of my work. I am the only person who consistently says “no” at my job. Not because I want to, but, because I have to because of the nature of my job. Add to that various levels of English language ability and your create a stew of frustration, exhaustion, and extreme irritation. I must say, most of my clients are very fun and wonderful to work with but the ones who aren’t have begun to drive me crazy because by nature I don’t negotiate. I would if I could because it would make my life easier. But, I can’t and so that’s how it is. I always advocate on behalf of my clients, but they also have to meet me half-way.
Unfortunately, because I have to say “no” I get a lot of client comments around why I said “no” and they are upset. It’s a lose lose situation and frankly it has begun to wear me out. When I get my review I know that I will never really exceed expectations because there is a belief that I am not serving the customers well. It has become quite frustrating especially since I used to be known in other jobs for my excellent customer service. Part of the reason I blog is to help me visualize and move towards a new work situation that is a lot more encouraging and empowering.
I have begun to realize that I would like to work for myself…soon
I wrote about how Michelle’s extra money posts are addictive to me. They’re addictive because I see a way out of my situation. I have figured out what I want to do and will be working aggressively towards that end goal. I understand that I will probably work my current job for another two years and that’s ok. It is a wonderful organization and I really like my colleagues and I even really like our clients!
In the meantime I am trying to figure out how to change client interactions so that I can say “no” 5 times, 5 different ways without escalating a situation or being perceived as being unhelpful or rude. Did I mention that my clients are in the same building that I work in?
The other thing is compensation. Since 2007 or 2008 we haven’t had a raise like most people. I was finally granted a change to my level last year and was given a raise to reflect that change. This year we might receive a 2% cost of living adjustment. I really appreciate that upper management is working to start giving employees raises again and are working to figure out ways to retain good employees and remain competitive. I also appreciate the concern for work-life balance in the culture of the organization that I work for.
In terms of employee compensation, I have a suggestion. I think that bonuses should be instituted (we don’t get bonuses), and no, people shouldn’t be given automatic bonuses. We should have to earn them on a quarterly basis. There should be a maximum bonus amount for each pay grade. The great thing about a system structured like this is that you would have to have constant feedback from your direct supervisor(s). Any issues that come up would be dealt with much more quickly and the employee buy-in would be greater because they would be motivated by the bonus possibility.
I would like to recapture the level of success that I previously had at my job when I first started. I’m not sure how to change this situation and I’m getting tired. I would like this situation to improve and want to do my best for the clients I work with. I would like to at least eliminate the perception that I am not helpful…while saying “no.”
Do you guys have suggestions? Because, honestly, I’m at a loss, and I’m really tired of being seen as the bad guy.
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[…] @ The Shop My Closet Project writes Yearly reviews are like getting a colonic. They suck. – It’s that time of year again when employees are brought into their direct […]