Is your performance evaluated at work subjectively or objectively?

Question

I recently got my first performance appraisal of the year. I have been working there for one year and the company gives evaluations to employees on their one year evaluation.

The entire evaluation was totally subjective instead of objective. It was all opinion and did not include any facts. There was both praise and complaints but it was all opinion.

Is this common?

Answer 1

yes...

In my current case... the performance review is ... non existent.

Subjective reviews can be good for "appearance" or impression type of businesses, that's not to it isn't used elsewhere...

Answer 2

It depends.

I face several reviews from different jobs - which have different standards.

My career job, as a flight instructor & charter pilot, has a fairly objective review. It's based on my adherence to procedure, safety standards and general flight standards - whether I had basically done the job well - on time to schedules, done the paperwork properly.

Then - some of it was subjective and objective jointly - my student's results, for a start...which can be a good guide to how well I'm teaching them, but if I have difficult students or some who genuinely lack aptitude to fly, that becomes more subjective...I mean, if I land the "slower" student (to be blunt), compared to Steve who gets the one with a knack for flying, of course I'm going to look like a poorer instructor because it simply takes longer!

In my other paid job on a mine site, it's a balance, too. A lot of it is team appraisal - as I'm part of a shift, its based on whether I'm seen as a good team member - so if someone doesn't like me, that would weigh it down...then the more objective is simply am I doing the job properly.

My final one is in the Fire Service as a volunteer...and that is a mixture. It's much harder to judge - but as I'm a team leader, a lot of it is on THAT - how well DO I lead and take the initiative or charge? Then on the standards - do I follow set standards, use safety rules, drive carefully to emergencies, etc. A lot is on public perception, too - how do I as a member reflect on the service for the public...

So I think that is fairly subjective. For instance, to use one example the old lady who gets in a huff because I ask her to keep clear of a fire scene is going to think I'm some rude young person, while a person more like my age will respect my request.

I think subjective reviews occur more often than is ideal...and I believe that although many groups would like to see themselves as running objective reviews, it inevitably becomes a lot more subjective...