Performance Review

[Le Chat]

I work for a large Social Housing firm and every year we have to fill in a performance review.
It is a lengthy process and requires a lot of thought.
Instead of the manager reviewing the employee, the employee is reviewing his and her self!
Apparently, this is so those at the top can see what we do! To my mind, if they don't know now, they never will.
As far as I'm concerned, it's a lot of time wasting and box ticking and I really don't want to do it.
I work hard and am good at my job. If there was any problem with what I do, it would be noticed.
My question is:- Could my firm sack me for refusing to fill out my performance review?

[Prudie]

Why bother making a stand, for what purpose? Most people know performance reviews are a tick box exercise but they are part and parcel of all big corporation and public sector employment. You may well find it was also written into your contract or T&Cs, almost certainly policy.

[Buenchico]

Please see my post here:
https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Law/Question1639450.html

It explains (I hope) the difference between what an employer can do and what they might actually be entitled to do. (They're not the same!). It all comes down to what your employer (and, ultimately, an employment tribunal) might, or might not, regard as 'gross misconduct'.

However an employer is normally entitled to expect an employee to carry out any 'reasonable' instruction in relation to their work. Obviously an instruction to do something that's unsafe, or that's got no connection whatsoever with your actual job isn't 'reasonable' but it's likely that an employment tribunal wold regard it as perfectly reasonable for an employer to expect an employee to fill in a form relating to their work (however distasteful or pointless the employee might find that task).

So, if your employer decided to sack you on the grounds of 'gross misconduct' (for deliberately and persistently refusing to carry out a 'reasonable' instruction in relation to your work), my opinion is that you wouldn't have a leg to stand on if you took the matter before an employment tribunal.

All that is my long-winded answer. I hope that it explains the reasoning behind my far shorter one: "Yes!"

[rockyracoon]

We have to do this every year, except we have to say something about what we’re going to improve upon, or what we can learn, so that we can jump up the pay ladder if we complete it by the following year. Seeing as I’m at the top of my pay scale, and have zero minutes of time to find these things out, I have absolutely no intention of fulfilling it. I just go through the charade year in year out.

[johnk]

I f it's a condition on your contract yes but there could be lots of other ways if you don't comply. Just tell them how wonderful you are it's the bull****ers that get on at work.
I was like you once but if you want a promotion you have to blow your own trumpet as loud as you can or you'll be ignored!

[Le Chat]

Thank you all for your replies.
It's not in my contract and has nothing to do with pay rises or promotion.
I will no doubt suck it up but I am so busy and this damn thing takes hours, as it's not even straightforward. Too long winded to explain why but it's a load of old bull.

[THECORBYLOON]

Appraisals are a normal part of work. If a line manager has a lot of folk to manage, they may not be fully aware of what all an individual has or has not done in the reporting period.

Completing an appraisal or who completes it may not be specified in a contract but if would not be unreasonable for one to be completed once or twice a year. If you fill it in saying you've done x, y and z and have the evidence to support it, what's the big issue?

[Peter Pedant]

agree Prood
these reviews are all the rage and have been and not shown to do any good BUT if your employer wants you to do it - then you sort of you must do.

[fiction-factory]

>It's not in my contract.
Performance management has never been in any of my written contracts but for the last thirty years it's been a requirement setby my employer.
Whilst it has some good points it is indeed to a large extent a load of old bull but after a while you learn to smile and play along. Twenty years ago I used to take it very seriously though and played the system well to earn some excellent reviews and bonuses, but the interest has waned

[Canary42]

This is yet another useless exercise devised by the MBA wallies. It's why good management is on the decline in this country as wet-behind-the-ears students straight from Uni with their MBAs are appointed to jobs well above their experience. All it leads to is an ever-increasing level of bureaucracy - too many chiefs and not enough indians (just look at the NHS, or the TOCS for example).