I swiped the title of this entry from this funny and from-the-gut piece by Larry McCoy (sprikled liberally with more F-bombs than a David Mamet screenplay – so you’ve been warned) on “performance reviews” and “career goals,” and other workplace creativity and productivity killers (I would add the phrases “schedule a meeting” and “resource metrics,” among others).
Annual review time can be stressful enough – hell, an entire work week can be stressful – because it’s when we find out someone’s opinion of how we’re doing. And that opinion is usually based on a form or questionnaire generated by some human resources compay that specializes in selling a package o’ crap that a team of organization management experts dreamed up in a hell that glows flourescent white. But it’s even more stressful if you get graded down on items that rarely have anything to do with your job.
A few years ago, an article in the New York Times asked if it’s time to end workplace reviews.
Read both pieces. Hell, no wonder it’s a 1099 economy. If your only “review” is having a satisfied client who pays you and recommends your work to others, why worry about what your performance goals are?
(h/t: The Anchoress)