
On Reviews - bootload
http://www.dadhacker.com/blog/?p=2380
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maxxxxx
It took me a while to realize how broken the process at my company is. You
have to write your own review, review your coworkers, write your own goals.
There is never any feedback from management if the goals are realistic or what
their expectations are. At the end it's always "Keep doing what you are
doing".

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Mithaldu
It's a little funny that in most sane situations (gaming, hardware
manufacturing, book-writing, movies, etc. etc.) self reviews are a scandal, an
abhorrence; while some types of company managers actually think it's a good
idea.

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yuhong
I think a bigger problem for MS is this:
[http://www.crn.com/news/cloud/300072551/microsofts-
enterpris...](http://www.crn.com/news/cloud/300072551/microsofts-enterprise-
software-price-hikes-paying-off-as-sql-server-business-hits-5-billion-
mark.htm) (and don't think it is limited to SQL Server, I think it probably is
affecting Windows too)

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pacaro
I feel this. Also a couple of years out of MS and finally calming down about
the review system...

My 2¢ is that in principle the review system was never too bad, self review +
manager review + calibration -> pay + stock. The biggest problem IMHO was no
protection from bad actors, there was an implicit assumption that all parties
were being honest at all times

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hashkb
This implicit assumption is what the bad actors notice and capitalize upon.
Before you realize it, they are consolidating power and it's too late to oust
them because they are writing your review.

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jason_s
Microchip Technology decouples yearly reviews and pay raises. (And pay raises
aren't necessarily once a year, it ebbs and flows with company earnings.) I
like this a lot; it removes a lot of the stress from the review process.

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hashkb
The problem is that your only options, as an on-the-ground
engineer/dataperson/designer/etc are to play ball or quit. There is no panel
in front of which to make your case, mistakes are not corrected. Authority is
absolute and reviews are a charade.

