It’s getting close to the end of the year and many of you are getting ready to write your self-assessment for the year.

Most of us dread this task.

· Do I write a little or a lot? What are my peers writing about? How much are they writing?

· If I don’t document everything, will my manager remember what I contributed?

· What about the work that wasn’t included in my goals at the beginning of the year? I’d better mention it, so it is considered.

· What does “exceeds expectations” really mean?

· I want more than the average merit increase of 3% and a 100% bonus payout. How do I make that happen with what I document in my self-assessment?

· I don’t even remember what I did the first half of this year. It is all a blur at this point.

· Geez. I hate this time of year. The holidays are coming. I need to find a Halloween costume for the youngest kid because he changed his mind AGAIN. And I’m hosting Thanksgiving again.

· I know I received a “good job” email from my VP but where is that email again?

· I don’t have time for all of this. I wish my manager would just write my performance review and give me feedback without me having to do this self-assessment step.

· Do I give myself a 4 instead of a 3 rating? Or do I go big and give myself a 5? What if my manager disagrees? That’s going to be an uncomfortable conversation.

· I can’t read minds. I don’t really know how my work compares to the rest of the team. And I know that is considered by my manager and their peers when they decide what rating to give me.

Performance impacts your pay, so the documentation of your performance is important.

You would think that we would have a better way of doing this by now.

Are you working for an employer who has eliminated the self-assessment? Tell me about it in the comments below.

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