Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A rough time of year at work

It used to be there was one rough time of year at work where I had to do my performance write-up*. Then I would just have to update my resume to submit it with that for promotion consideration, and that wasn't too bad. Now the pain is twice a year.

First, I have to do my performance write-up in August. That is painful for me. I can boast and brag with friends to a degree, but I don't like to do it too much. When it comes to professionally, I have a REALLY hard time selling my own accomplishments. I think it is mostly because I don't see my accomplishments as major things. It is just a bunch of PHP code to improve some web applications and add features. Other people see programming as some black art, I see it as just another task.

So, if going through that once a year isn't bad enough, I have to do another performance write up soon that is the one that goes to management to try to convince them to promote me. It is a crappy exercise and made even crappier and more stressful by a freeze on annual pay increases and my next scheduled pay increase not happening till 2013.

Oh well, enough of a rant for today.

* When I say I have to do it - basically, the way it works with most managers is they give you your objectives, but you have to write what you did for those objectives and hand that to them so they can give you a score and pass it up the chain. Some bosses help you more than others, some won't lift a finger and expect you to do all of your self-selling.

1 comment:

Mike & Deb S said...

Mike, I would like to share some insight into the performance process. Can't find anyone who really likes it but we all have to deal with it. What might help is to write your own objectives in the beginning too. I know, I know, that sounds really dumb and shouldn't the manager actually 'DO' something? All true except if YOU write your own objectives then a couple of things happen.

1. You set your own goals and you work on what YOU want to work on. Most bosses will support you.
2. Because you now 'own' it, you can think of it as your own business. Think of the boss as your shareholder and then your performance report just becomes more of an annual stock report OR-- why the shareholder should continue to invest in your company OR buy more stock (in this case that means promotion)

I know, this doesn't make it any easier for those who don't like to toot their own horn but for some, the simple mind game of claiming ownership over it at least reduces some of the stress associated with the feeling of little or no control.

Just my two cents. I hope it helps! You bring a lot of talent to the fight! Hang in there!

Deb S.