How to Recover from a Negative Performance Review

Since we are more than one month into the New Year, we think it is a good time to talk about the annual reviews employees go through each year at work. Most annual reviews come at the end of the calendar year or on the anniversary date the employee began working at the company. Performance reviews can be a stepping stone to a raise, a promotion, or being trusted with more projects in your field. What employees need to know and understand is that not all negative reviews mean the end of the world. So how does one recover from a negative performance review? We provide answers to this question in this post.

Do Not Tune Out Your Supervisor

If your review begins on a poor note because your supervisor opens up by telling you that you dropped the ball this year, do not tune him or her out and ignore the rest of the meeting. Your supervisor will be hand feeding you the reasons why you dropped the ball and possibly how you can turn it around. You will miss vital information if you stop listening and it could send a bad message to your supervisor, which could lead to termination if they pick up on your emotions. A supervisor is only as successful as their department, so this is why he or she will tell you how to improve your work.

Take Plenty of Notes

Make sure you take notes during a performance review, whether or not it is a positive review. You should take excellent notes during a negative review because your emotions might cause you to miss a couple of important points. The more notes you take, the more likely it is that you will be able to improve your performance because you have a document to reference when needed.

Ask for Examples

Not all negative performance reviews will be handled properly. Some supervisors might just say that you did a bad job while others will provide you with examples. If you want examples, do not hesitate to ask for them. Performance reviews should be an open conversation for employees and supervisors so the company can get the most out of everyone as possible. If examples are given, write them down so you know not to make those mistakes again in the future.

Set Goals for This Year

The next step in getting past a negative performance review is to set goals for this year. Put together a game plan that moves past the mistakes made during the year so you can move forward and become as successful as possible.