All articles tagged with #performance reviews
Employees should prepare thoroughly for performance reviews by reflecting on their achievements and areas for improvement, manage their emotions to avoid defensiveness, and stay focused on relevant topics to make a positive impression and foster growth. Avoiding unpreparedness, negative reactions to feedback, and off-topic discussions can help improve the review process and relationships with managers.
Meta employees are facing anxiety as the company concludes its annual performance reviews, with some fearing potential job losses amid ongoing reorganizations and a focus on "efficiency." CEO Mark Zuckerberg's emphasis on smaller, more productive teams has led to concerns about layoffs, with some departments already experiencing incremental job cuts. Employees receiving lower performance ratings may be offered severance packages, and compliance with the return-to-office mandate has become a significant factor in reviews. The company's stock price has reached a record high, but the atmosphere of uncertainty and fear of layoffs persists among workers.
Jack Dorsey, founder of Block, has announced that the company will be ending performance reviews and performance improvement plans (PIPs) in favor of constantly evaluating employees and parting ways immediately if necessary. Dorsey also named Dhanji Prasanna as the new CTO. These changes come as part of Dorsey's efforts to build a culture of excellence at Block.
Biglaw firms are implementing tougher performance reviews as a means of rightsizing their ranks without resorting to layoffs. The surge in demand in 2021 led to a rush in hiring, resulting in the employment of lawyers who may not have found positions in a different market. As a result, associates are now facing more stringent performance evaluations than they would have in a stronger environment.
Google's updated hybrid three-day-a-week office policy, which includes badge tracking and attendance being included in performance reviews, has faced backlash from some employees who feel management is overreaching in its oversight of physical attendance. There is also increased uncertainty about the future for those who moved to different cities and states after being cleared to work remotely. The discontent represents the latest challenge for Google as it tries to get people back into its offices and campuses across the country.
Google's parent company, Alphabet, is facing pushback from its workers' union after announcing that office attendance will be a part of performance reviews for those who work from home more than they should. The Alphabet Workers Union argues that the company's teams are distributed across multiple locations, and there may not be anyone to collaborate with in physical office locations. Google is the latest company to tighten its policies on working from home, following similar moves by companies like Disney, Starbucks, and News Corporation.
The Alphabet Workers Union, which represents some contract and direct employees at Google, is pushing back against the company's mandate that employees spend at least three days a week in the office. Google's Chief People Officer, Fiona Cicconi, sent an email to employees saying that attendance will now be a factor in performance reviews, and teams will send reminders to workers who are consistently absent from the office. The Alphabet Workers Union says it has over 1,400 members, while Google employed more than 190,000 people at year-end, along with contract staffers.
Google is formalizing its in-office policies and may include compliance with return-to-office policies in performance-review conversations for consistently absent workers. The company already required most employees to come to the office three days a week, but Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi said in a note to staffers that Google was going to be "clearer" about that requirement. While some Google employees are approved to be remote, the company is hoping some will change their stance. The Alphabet Workers Union criticized the company's latest moves.
Google is making its hybrid work policy stricter by including attendance rates in performance reviews and limiting full-time remote work to exceptions only. The company will track turnout through badge data and managers will send reminders to employees who are consistently absent from the office. Google's Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi said that there is no substitute for coming together in person and that the company hopes remote workers will consider switching to a remote schedule. The changes reflect a changing attitude to remote work among big tech companies.
Google plans to crack down on employees who haven't been coming into its offices consistently, including tracking office badge attendance, confronting workers who aren't coming in when they're supposed to, and including attendance in employees' performance reviews. Most employees are expected in physical offices at least three days a week. Google's chief people officer Fiona Cicconi even asked already-approved remote workers to reconsider. Going forward, new fully remote work will only be granted "by exception only." These policy updates represent the company's most stringent attempt to bring employees back into physical offices.
The Age of the Worker, where employees had the upper hand, is coming to an end as the economy slows down and costs rise. Companies are cutting jobs to maintain profits and please shareholders. Robotics, AI, and other automation technologies are replacing workers at a breakneck pace. Employers are implementing surveillance software to document how hard their employees are working from home. The workplace has become less friendly, with tougher performance reviews and the elimination of perks. Employees have lost their leverage, and those who provide a good ROI for their employer have nothing to worry about.
Kirkland & Ellis has laid off an unknown number of associates across its US offices following mid-year performance reviews. The law firm claims that these were performance-based decisions resulting from its attorney review process. The cuts come after a hiring craze for associate talent in 2021, which was driven by a boom in transactional work. Laid off associates will receive full salary and benefits until July 31st.
Large employers like Google, Salesforce, and Meta are overhauling their performance review processes to weed out underperformers and cut down on rising labor costs. However, organizations should set realistic standards and connect organizational development goals with individual goals. Employers should also keep messaging in mind when announcing performance review changes and reward those with a growth mentality. Companies like Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Google, Meta, Salesforce, and Shopify are taking a new approach to performance reviews by focusing on tangible contributions to organizational growth.
Meta Platforms Inc. is expected to reduce bonus payments for some employees and increase the frequency of staff performance reviews. The company will give a smaller percentage of bonus and restricted stock award to employees who receive a rating of "met most expectations" in their year-end reviews in 2023. The bonus multiplier for that rating has been lowered from 85% to 65%. Meta announced earlier this month that it would cut 10,000 jobs this year in a second round of layoffs.