I remember my first performance review.
Never once did I hear anything other than praise, all through the year.
Then I got "meets expectations" and when asked what I could have done to secure the required "exceeds" for a raise, I was told I did everything perfectly.
So I decided fuck it, if trying isn't even enough to get a cost of living raise, why bother putting in anything but the bare minimum.
Same for me but I also got the info that there is only enough budget for a few “exceeds” bonuses. So the official reviews needed to match the bonuses. So if you had a great team only the bosses darlings would get the bonus.
In addition they had a peer performance bonus factor. This means if you outperform your peers you get a bonus. I actually had a reviewer ask me to rat on my peers so I can elevate my chances getting the bonus while lowering theirs. I gladly left that place shortly after.
The European mind cannot comprehend this.
I'd get in trouble if I didn't use at the very least 20 days of vacation per year, and no one bats an eye at me staying home sick. These factors are completely disconnected from any performance reviews.
