We all know what a performance review is, or at least we know a good one from a bad one. It is that yearly (if you’re lucky) time when your manager is required by some obscure HR person to fill out a lengthy, often multi-page form that essentially says one of three things: You are great. You are ok. You stink (usually followed by “You’re fired” in 90 days or less). 

I am sure everyone has heard the story by now of Steven Slater, the Jet Blue attendant, who decided that his day was not going too well.  So lousy was his day that he grabbed the microphone, yelled obscenities, flung open the door of the plane, and escaped down the evacuation slide.  Now this employee is a cultural hero.  Facebook and MySpace pages have been erected singing his praises.  T-shirts extolling his name are for sale.

There is always at least one person (and often entire groups) who, when chaos strikes the workplace, can be heard proclaiming in a half joking manner, "Hey, its job security!" People laugh and agree.  I have even used the phrase myself when I’ve been told I have a Sexual Harassment investigation or an Employee Relations issue to deal with.

 “Why is everyone in this place a moron?” When that is the first sentence in a scheduled 90 minute productivity review with your boss, you know you have a long day ahead.

There has been a noticeable shift in the workplace. When times are good there are many companies who go out of their way to create ways to make work less stressful, more productive, and, for some companies, more fun. Books about reward and recognition thrive and we talk about companies who have discovered that carrots pull employees willingly forward, and sticks… well, no farmer ever got their produce to market by beating their horse one step at a time.