Recovering from a bad performance review

Top tips to help you get through a bad performance review and become a top employee again.

Having a bad performance review is one of the most unnerving experiences you’ll probably have at work, especially if you had no idea you were doing as badly as your manager said you were. Whatever you do, don’t panic; there are plenty of things you could do to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Take a look at what you could do to improve your work and regain your manager’s trust.

Understand your manager’s criticism 
If you don’t understand why your manager’s feedback was so negative, ask for one or two examples of when you did something wrong and also how you could do it better next time. It’s all good and well getting your manager’s feedback, but if you don’t fully understand what they meant, you’ll never be able to become better at your job.

Don’t panic
It’s unprofessional to be angry at your manager for giving you feedback that’s less than favourable. Stay calm and try not to react suddenly; you’ll only end up saying something you’ll later regret. If you do lash out at your manager they’ll think you can’t handle feedback or criticism at work. If you’re naturally quite emotional ask your manager if you could take a couple of days to process the information and their feedback. Ensure him or her that you’ll then get back to them with a plan of action to improve. It’s okay not to respond to your manager immediately.

Regular feedback could make a world of difference
If what your manager said was a complete surprise to you then consider asking for regular feedback sessions. Instead of having a quarterly catch-up session, consider having a catch-up once a month, for example. This way you’ll know exactly where you stand on a regular basis, so if you’re not meeting one of your key performance areas you’ll know immediately and will have time to improve on it before your next big performance review. Tell your manager that regular feedback would be more helpful to ensure that you’re both on the same page.

Plan your way forward

If your manager doesn’t propose a performance plan for you, take the initiative to develop one for yourself. Perhaps set out to develop a new skill or find a mentor in a senior position that could help you improve the areas that you’re lacking in. After about a month, think about meeting with your manager again to discuss your performance and if you’ve progressed. This will show your manager that you’re serious about improving your performance, and in return you’ll find that he or she will appreciate everything you’re doing to improve your performance at work

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