Performance Reviews

How many of you have to go through a performance review process at work either as the person being reviewed, and/or as the person doing the reviewing?



I Do Both
And I have to say, I find the process to be somewhat less than useful. Although, I think it accomplishes three important things:

1. It communicates the general direction of the company that executive management wants to get across to employees. By setting specific "core values" as goals for employees, employees get to see what is important in terms of the folks determining what the values of the company are.

2. It forces managers and employees to have a discussion at least once or twice a year.

3. It provides a mechanism for documenting degrading or bad performance, so that if an employee isn't worth keeping on, it's easy to point to a document or documents that have communicated this to the employee.

Other than that, the process for me seems to have turned into a paper-pushing process that holds little value. I have also found significantly better, less formal ways of working with an employee to have them experience success and growth in their job. I have also found for myself, that accomplishing growth and satisfaction in my own job, often requires that I work outside the standard performance review process.

Current Knitting
The last two days, I've have this infected/inflamed/swollen gum around the molars in my mouth, and along with it, I haven't felt very well. So mostly, I've been sleeping.

During the times when I wasn't sleeping, I have been able to finish off the collar of the stranded knitting sweater, and start the first sleeve.

Current Spinning
I've been able to finish spinning the second bobbin-full of singles with the blue merino from Carol (Black Bunny Fibers).



Actually, now, even without weights (and despite the fact that the left bobbin looks less full), the newest bobbin-full of singles is slightly heavier than the first one. Plying will be done this weekend.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Ron (now in Mexico, the lucky bastard) writes, "That sweater is gorgeous. A true work of art. Are you going to pick up stitches and knit the sleeves down?"

Yes, whenever I steek arm holes, I always pick up stitches. In this case, I've also picked up the stitches along the bottom/inset section of the arm hole, and I'm doing decreases that will replicate an armpit gusset.

Regarding Brendan Fraser, Janice in GA writes, "Have you ever heard any of his audiobook narration?"

No...I'm not big into audio books, but like you, I like Brendan a lot. The only audio book I could find on Amazon with Brendan's name was Halloween Howls. Do you know of any others?