Software Solutions

It's not just me. Performance reviews are widely despised by employees and managers alike. At one point, General Electric — yes, the inventors of the modern performance review — decided to scrap their annual system altogether because it was killing morale.

GE wasn't alone. Adobe made headlines when they replaced their annual reviews with something they called the "Check-In" system. Instead of formal reviews, managers and employees had regular, informal conversations about progress and goals. The result? Employees felt heard, turnover dropped by 30%, and managers saved an incredible 80,000 hours a year.

But why did it take so long for companies to figure this out?

For years, companies clung to outdated methods. Reviews happened once a year, often at the worst possible time — when everyone was scrambling to meet end-of-year deadlines. Managers rushed to write evaluations based on hazy memories and gut feelings, which meant feedback was often generic or outright unhelpful.

At one company, I sat through a review where I was told, "You're doing great, but you need to work faster." What did that mean? Why was I working too "slow"? Were there issues beyond my control that prevented me from working "faster"? None of this was explored so the feedback was of no help. Meanwhile, my manager was as uncomfortable as I was. I could tell they didn't enjoy giving feedback any more than I enjoyed receiving it.

This wasn't feedback; it was theater.

That wasn't the worst experience, though. At different jobs over the years, I discovered something even more disheartening: my review scores weren't really based on my performance at all! Pay raises were tied to review grades, but the grades were constrained by the budget. I was literally told, "The best you can get is a 3 out of 5 because that's the raise we can afford. I'm sorry, you deserve more but my hands are tied." Imagine being told that no matter how hard you work, the system is rigged. That's when I realized: performance reviews weren't about helping me grow. They were about numbers on a spreadsheet.

What You Can Do

If you're stuck in a system that feels broken, here's my advice:

• Start small. If your company won't overhaul reviews overnight, try having informal check-ins with your team.
• Be specific. Don't say "work faster." Say, "Your work is thorough, which I value, but improving your speed while maintaining quality would help us meet our deadlines more effectively — let's discuss how I can support you in that."
• Separate pay from performance conversations. Transparency around raises builds trust, and it keeps feedback focused on growth.

It's not just about happier employees — it's about better results. Gallup found that companies using regular feedback systems are 21% more profitable. And honestly, who doesn't want to be 21% better?

Final Thoughts

Performance reviews don't have to be painful. They can be meaningful, productive, and even enjoyable — if we're willing to let go of the old ways.

Let's stop ticking boxes and start having real conversations. Because when we fix performance reviews, we don't just fix feedback — we fix trust, motivation, and growth.

Together, we can do better.