Performance review season…the time of year that most employees, managers, and HR leaders have a love hate relationship with.

Whether your employer conducts a robust performance review cycle or something light, hopefully it gives you have the opportunity as an employee or a manager to be thoughtful, honest, and productive.

That said, not all performance reviews go well. Hence this week’s question.

‘I disagree with my performance review. What should I do?’

To start, let’s set context to this question. I’ve never in my career seen someone disagree with an overly positive performance review so, most likely, if you’re in this situation it’s because your manager has given you constructive feedback that isn’t sitting right.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before spiraling:

• Is the feedback valid? If this is the first time you’re hearing constructive feedback about a certain topic, then it can feel surprising to have it suddenly pop up in your performance review. Try to move past the shock and consider if it’s fair feedback that you can apply to moving forward.

• Have you heard it before? Maybe you have a new manager and your first reaction is to push back on the feedback they’re providing. Take a second to think about if you’ve heard this feedback from others previously.

• If the feedback really negative? At many companies, performance ratings can be on a forced distribution scale. This means that getting a Meets Expectations may actually be a positive rating even though it doesn’t feel like it. Your performance is evaluated relative to others on your team, function, organization, etc. and may have objective criteria (e.g. you have to get XX% of your quota to receive an Exceeds Expectations).

• Does it matter? Is your entire performance review negative or is it one or two small things? If it’s the latter, then it most likely really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things and it’s probably best to take a deep breath and move on.

If you consider all of the above and still want to pursue further steps, then I’d recommend the below:

1. Speak with your manager. Have a discussion where you say something like, ‘I’ve been thinking a lot about your feedback and I’m struggling with the piece about XYZ. From my perspective, my behavior/actions resulted in ABC. Can you share your recommendation on how you would have approached it differently and what you suggest I do differently going forward?’ I strongly encourage keeping this conversation productive and trying to check any defensiveness at the (virtual) door. Seek to understand.

2. Follow up with an email. I always recommend a recap to say thank you and ‘here’s what I heard.’

3. If it still feels unresolved, reach out to your HR Business Partner. This is the perfect type of conversation to have with them. Chances are, if you’re having this much misalignment with your manager, this isn’t only related to your performance review and it most likely warrants a larger conversation. Don’t have HR? Reach out to your manager’s manager and request a skip level meeting.

Ultimately it’s important to consider the bigger picture. If this is a one-off situation, think about how much time, effort, and potential social capital you want to invest in disputing it.

If it’s a larger issue and/or will significantly impact your compensation or promotional opportunities, then I absolutely encourage you to make your case. Just remember to come from a place of assuming positive intent and keeping your eye on the end goal while remembering that you will still have to work with your manager after the review cycle is over.

What I’ll Answer Next Time:

I’m burnt out. Help!

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Disclaimer: This newsletter is purely opinion-based and nothing included should be interpreted or construed as legal or professional advice. If you want professional advice, I’d love to work with you. Please reach out.