Once, Hemingway made a bet that he could write the shortest story capable of scaring anyone…
He won the bet: Performance Review.
Let’s break down what this is, why it always seems to sneak up on you, and whether there’s anything you can do about it.
In short, it’s the process of summarizing your work over a specific period. You can find more details here.
The existence of such a process indicates a certain level of maturity in a company, but it needs to work correctly to avoid causing you headaches (after all, you came to write code, not reports for managers).
I always try to learn how this works at industry leaders. But this time, the task turned out to be tricky. MAANG companies don’t like to openly share what works, but I managed to dig up a few things.
Previously, according to sources (Google’s old process), the process at Google looked almost identical to Avito’s, with minor differences.
Let’s break down the main stages.
Google Performance Review
There are two reviews per year: a mid-year preview and a full review between October and November. The full review includes a 360-degree feedback process (360-degree feedback), where colleagues give each other feedback and evaluate the quality of collaboration.
Let’s dive into the full review process.
1. Self-Evaluation Period
This is essentially a report on your achievements over the past period. Metrics and ties to OKRs are mandatory—otherwise, what’s the point if it doesn’t bring business results?
The juiciest part? All your achievements must fit into a text field of 512 characters :)
Shoutout to my colleagues who, like me, suffer while trying to cram everything into a slightly more generous limit of 800 characters.
2. 360-Degree Feedback Period (absent in the mid-year preview)
At this stage, colleagues (whom you invite to the review) evaluate the quality of their interactions with you: what they liked about working with you and what could be improved. In turn, you also evaluate your colleagues and provide feedback.
3. Calibration Period
Once all reports are submitted, managers assign draft ratings to their subordinates. Then, during a managers’ meeting, these draft ratings are calibrated (=adjusted) to ensure employees receive fair feedback on their performance.
4. Results Discussion
At this stage, you discuss the outcomes of the process with your manager, create a development plan, and exchange feedback.
At Avito, the process is similar, except we don’t have a mid-year preview—instead, we have two full performance reviews.
You can check out a brief overview of how the process works at other Big Tech companies (Meta, Apple, Amazon, Netflix) here.
From the same (article), we learn that Google replaced its old process in 2022 with Googler Reviews and Development (GRAD). The biggest change? A focus on managing expectations and career development within the company.
Performance reviews have one very unpleasant trait: they always seem to sneak up on you. It’s like summer—one moment it’s the first day, and the next, you’re already halfway through, heading toward the end…
This week, my latest performance review period is coming to an end. And as much as many people dislike it, I see more advantages than disadvantages.
How to approach this process comfortably, extract maximum value, and avoid spending too much time on it? I’ll write more about that in the next post.
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