Having sat through exactly one (1) "performance review" in over 18 years with the same company, and that well over five years ago and possibly nearly 10, I think this article is brilliant.
Because it just about mirrors my experience.
H/T, another article you should read. Part of it begins:
A man I know began working 20 years ago at a large corporation that he deemed it a pleasure to work for. (...)
That specific man wasn't me, and my CEO hasn't sold the company yet, but my goodness it was like looking in a mirror. I need to find something new to do. Problem is, that's difficult at 53.
I have been with my current employer seven years and have never had a review. Every day is a performance review -- if I don't do the job I suppose I will be fired. That is my attitude anyway.
I once worked for a big corporation that had the detailed Performance Review process. One of my employees completely blew off the self-evaluation portion. She had no goals. This employee came to work every day, did a very, very good job and went home. She was a single mom and needed the paycheck. It was a job not a career. She was far and away my best employee. Personnel went berserk when this employee wrote she "had no goals". Personnel wanted to deny her a raise because she did not "take the review process seriously". In the end, I won a raise for her, but for the "suits" it was all about the paperwork.