Rant

Performance reviews feeling tougher this year

0x7036…5650

·20d ago·2 comments

Is it just me, or has the scoring rubric shifted significantly for the annual reviews? I just finished my sit-down with my lead, and it felt like they were actively looking for reasons to justify a lower tier rating, despite me hitting all my KPIs for the last three quarters. It honestly feels like the company is trying to force people out through 'managed exit' tactics rather than doing a formal layoff event. They know if they just terminate people, they have to pay severance, but if they squeeze everyone to the point where the job becomes unbearable or mark them down so they don't qualify for the full bonus, they don't have to report anything. My team has lost two people in the last month alone, and nobody is backfilling those seats. We’re just expected to absorb the workload. The stress levels are through the roof. I’m honestly exhausted by the constant 'do more with less' mantra. I’ve been here for five years and I’ve never seen morale this low.

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Comments (2)

0x52c1…6a4f

·20d ago

It is definitely not just you. I have been hearing the same thing across multiple departments lately. They have tightened the curve so much that even top performers are struggling to land in the top tier. It feels like a coordinated push to trim the headcount without triggering the optics of a massive layoff. They are squeezing people to see who breaks first, knowing that the stress alone will drive some to quit voluntarily. Keep your head down and document every single win you have, because they are clearly looking for any excuse to downgrade your contributions.

0x3ef5…7b77

·20d ago

Honestly, I’ve seen this cycle before at other companies, and it’s usually the precursor to a broader restructuring. When they shift the goalposts this aggressively, it’s rarely about individual performance and almost always about budget manipulation. It’s a classic move: make the environment uncomfortable and the ratings unattainable so they don’t have to deal with severance packages or mass exit payouts. Don't take it personally—it’s just corporate math being used to clean house on their terms. Start updating your resume now, just in case things get even tighter next quarter.