By Sarah Schafer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 7, 1998; Page F09

Employee reviews. Two words that strike fear and dread in managers and subordinates alike.

Bruce Tulgan, a career counselor and founder of the consulting company RainmakerThinking Inc. of New Haven, Conn., remembered this story from several years ago: "A woman who had worked like a dog all year [at an investment banking company] felt her review was unfair, and her friends sat up with her all night because she was threatening suicide."

Tulgan, whose firm deals with attitudes of workers in their 20s, said such overreactions – especially by those new to the workplace – "can have a huge impact." Managers, on the other hand, tend to view employee evaluations right up there with organizing file cabinets – a tedious task that they would like to postpone as long as possible.

Tulgan, author of the book "Work This Way," said the traditional review process – annual evaluations or six-month reviews – is woefully antiquated for today's fast-paced environment.

Many human-resource managers said there is a place for traditional reviews, but managers must update old methods and incorporate new ones in evaluating employee performance.

The Key to a Review: No Surprises

"What we're hoping is that [the review] is a non-event," Stavish said, adding that AOL encourages managers to take a "coaching" approach toward managing by keeping in close touch with subordinates. By the time the annual review comes around, there should be no surprises, he said.

"I think [formal reviews] are a good way to [give] a sense of completion," he said.

Just as taking steps during the six months between dental visits can make your time in the chair more comfortable, the same applies for making the review session a success.

Marci Taub, co-author of "Work Smart: 250 Smart Moves Your Boss Already Knows," said that for many formal reviews, employers will give you a self-evaluation form. Asking your manager for the form a week or so ahead is acceptable, she said. It also will keep workers from "freaking out" over a one-night deadline when they are asked to quantify the work done for the last six months or a year.

Whether or not a manager gives a formal sheet for self- evaluation, it's a good idea to have a record of any personal achievements. Managers might not remember all of the projects an employee has worked on, especially if the person giving the review is not a direct supervisor.

As Stavish said, if managers are doing their job – keeping in touch with employees on a regular basis – nothing in a review should come as a surprise. However, if the manager has been less than forthcoming, workers need to know how to respond to unexpected bad news.

Whatever you do, "shut off the emotional switch," Taub said.

To do this, focus on the practical by getting specifics, she said.

For example, if a manager says you're not writing strong enough reports, ask for specific instances. Are you leaving out critical numbers? Is important information buried in the report? Chances are the problems the boss mentions will turn out to be ones that often are easiest to solve.

Should your worst fears come true and your manager says you're just not cutting it on the job, "feel free to communicate to them that this is shocking and upsetting to you," Taub said. Then calmly ask for a clearer explanation of the complaint.

If you're asked to sign a statement, don't do so immediately. "It's a very dangerous thing to do," Taub said. The reason: Your signature could be an admission that you've been warned – making it easier to fire you later on.

Instead, tell the manager you're surprised and need some time to think over what has been said before any statement is signed. You might be able to attach an addendum to the review, explaining your side of things, Taub said.

Focus on Feedback

Judy Tinelli, vice president of human resources for Fairfax-based American Management Systems Inc. said her company is embracing a more informal approach to feedback, even though AMS will continue to give annual reviews. AMS has begun to encourage its managers to talk to employees on an ongoing basis – after every project, for example.

"Being a consulting company, we hire people to work on projects for clients, so responsibilities change and evolve," Tinelli said, adding that managers and employees should re-evaluate employee goals and job descriptions on an ongoing basis.

Some managers are good about keeping in touch. If you're not lucky enough to work for such a supervisor, you might need to solicit such feedback. Caution: You run the risk of becoming a nudge by doing this, so make sure to do it right.

For starters, communicate on your manager's terms, Taub said. For instance, a worker needs to know if a manager likes to keep in touch by e-mail or prefers to stop by the worker's desk every day at 2 o'clock?

Communicating in your manager's preferred style will not only make the manager more comfortable, but it will also get you faster responses, Taub said.

If your manager is one of those people who tends to forget about reviews by putting them off for months or never getting to them at all, don't bother with reminders, Tulgan said. Use this time for targeted discussions about specific projects you've done and how you handled them, Tulgan said.

Tulgan thinks this might eliminate the need for a formal review, although Tinelli and Stavish disagree. Either way, if you've gotten feedback from your manager, at least the delay in the review won't keep you in the dark about your performance.

Accentuate the Positive

Guignard, 27, said one of the hardest things about giving reviews is staying upbeat. She suggests several ways to combat this irritability. First, spread out the review dates. Rather than reviewing everyone in a department in December, for example, assign reviews based on employee anniversaries.

Another way to reduce the workload at review time is to keep a running list of projects each employee has worked on during the review period. While keeping a daily log on each employee is unrealistic, jotting down notes each quarter can make things easier, Guignard said.

Having a list of your employee's actions and projects is not only a great time saver but a good way to ensure fairness. "If you're mad at something that happened last week you can't let that affect your [evaluation] of a person's whole year," Guignard said.

For those managers who think looking back is a waste of time, the review process can be viewed as a planning session for next year, said Nancy Porte, director of professional services for CareerBuilders Inc., an online career service in Reston. This is a good time to help individuals set goals and to make sure those goals are in line with management's goals.

Finally, remember that employees tend to think that reviews in general are unfair and biased. Anything a manager does can be perceived by some employees as showing favoritism. "Don't have a longer discussion with someone you like on your staff versus someone you don't like," Guignard said. "Spend equal amounts of time and energy on each person."

Questions about getting ahead? E-mail Sarah Schafer at schafers@washpost.com