Appraised in Peanuts?

You've planned a family vacation! Down payment for a new car is on the cards, and a lot more hopes are riding from the annual performance review. Then suddenly you get a shock and receive nothing close to the generous hike that you had expected.

This happens in companies both big and small! For every one person who's thrilled about his or her review, there are many who feel shortchanged, unhappy or just livid at the way the review turns out. This situation is common across most companies, but no matter what, here are a few pointers on how to go about handling such a situation:

Take Some Time-out
Instead of reacting negatively in the heat of the moment, try and do an honest self-evaluation. Was your review really unfair or was it just a case of the truth hurting? Sort out things thoroughly and fix up a meeting with the person who assessed you to discuss the issue.

Facts First
Go through the review and ask your boss to explain each criticism. Make sure your boss gives you concrete instances of poor performance. This way, not only can you understand just where you've gone wrong, but it can also make things more difficult for your boss. If by chance, he's made unjust allegations, he has little to back up his stand.

Keep Defenses Ready
Collect evidence of your performance, including letters of appreciation, statistics relating to successful completion of projects, and value-addition on your part to the organization. A strongly-presented denial will only strengthen your argument. However, under no circumstances, should you discuss this report and seek help from your other colleagues.

Be Proactive
If the poor appraisal has been for some shortcomings on your part, discuss a plan with the boss to improve your performance. Keep a record of everything you do from then as evidence of the effort you've made to improve your work. Have regular meetings to keep your boss updated about your progress.