"Negative reviews, obviously, have a devastating effect on morale. In fact, giving somebody a review that is positive, but not as positive as that person expected, also has a negative effect on morale. ... Most software managers have no choice but to go along with performance review systems that are already in place. If you’re in this position, the only way to prevent teamicide is to simply give everyone on your team a gushing review."
As a manager for many years, I feel I did well in this arena. I was able to keep a team of highly intelligent, experienced engineers together for decades, under...interesting circumstances.
In the last fifteen years or so, our HR started to show a type of attitude that I think is prevalent in the modern American HR culture; that the corporation is always "on top," and that the employee/job applicant is always in a subservient position, in some way.
I was instructed to word and score my reviews to (in my opinion) enforce this mindset. The scores generally got lower (did I mention that my team was "high functioning"?). I was actually told to lower my scores a few times.
I made up for this by giving very "gushing" wording on the reviews. The employees knew the score. HR was applying their "alpha dog" mindset in all types of ways, so we all knew where this was coming from.
It really didn't make much difference on salary increases. The range was generally tiny, and the score barely made any difference (Salary was not a real motivator).
Don't even get me started on my own reviews. Several years, I got none at all, and that suited me fine, as the ones I did get were obviously quickly thrown together, using an SaaS "fill in the blanks" app.
>...a type of attitude that I think is prevalent in the modern American HR culture; that the corporation is always "on top," and that the employee/job applicant is always in a subservient position, in some way.
I note this attitude as well. Where do you think it comes from?
I can't speak for other companies, but our HR was run by the corporate Counsel (lawyer). I think that's increasingly common, these days, as the job of HR is generally to protect the corporation from its own employees.
Lawyers have a naturally adversarial mindset. They never pass up any opportunity for an edge, as that edge can give them some leverage.
That's not really a good or bad thing. That's their job, but it can be a bit jarring, when you encounter it.
I've only gotten gushing reviews for years, and at some point I started wondering how real they were.
I've come to the conclusion that I really am doing well, but the reviews are not a way to prove that. They just prove that the company still wants me around, not that I'm excelling at my job.
"Negative reviews, obviously, have a devastating effect on morale. In fact, giving somebody a review that is positive, but not as positive as that person expected, also has a negative effect on morale. ... Most software managers have no choice but to go along with performance review systems that are already in place. If you’re in this position, the only way to prevent teamicide is to simply give everyone on your team a gushing review."