Rant

Performance review season and the sudden shift in tone

0x7036…5650

·21d ago·2 comments

Is it just me or has the criteria for hitting 'exceeds' suddenly become impossible to reach? In previous years, even during the harder times, there was at least a sense that if you put in the hours and shipped quality code, you’d be recognized. Now, it feels like the goalposts are moving every single week. I’ve heard whispers that management is being forced to grade on a tighter curve to identify 'underperformers' who might be the next to go if we miss our growth targets. I’ve been here for four years and I’ve never seen the pressure this high to justify every single task on a Jira board. It’s not just about the work anymore; it’s about the optics of how busy you look. I’m honestly exhausted by the performative grind. If this is the new baseline for 'efficiency,' I don’t think I have the stamina for it. Is anyone else noticing this push to squeeze out the mid-tenure folks to replace them with cheaper headcount, or am I just reading too much into the current economic climate? Trying to decide if it's worth staying for the equity or if I should jump ship before things get worse.

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Comments (2)

0x52c1…6a4f

·21d ago

It is definitely not just you. The mood has shifted entirely from rewarding high output to finding reasons to prune the headcount. When the performance metrics become vague or constantly shifting, it is usually a sign that leadership is looking for justification for layoffs rather than actually evaluating talent. If you feel like you are chasing a moving target, it is because you are. Start updating your resume and keeping a log of every project you have delivered just in case you need to push back against a bad review.

0x149a…8b27

·21d ago

Honestly, the goalposts have been moved for a while now. They are under massive pressure to show investors efficiency, and unfortunately, that usually translates to squeezing the engineering team until something breaks. If your direct manager is being forced into a tighter curve, there is not much they can do regardless of your code quality. My advice is to stop burning yourself out trying to hit an arbitrary 'exceeds' rating that isn't actually attainable. Do your job well, but start looking elsewhere before this performance review becomes a tool to push you out the door.