All performance review processes are inherently flawed. There are no great ones, there are very few "okay" ones, and the vast majority are not just ineffective, they are counterproductive.
By changing definitions and expectations every year - sometimes relating to performance itself, and sometimes to categorization, Enbridge invalidated the ability of people to compare year over year assessments. "This year a 4.0 will be harder to achieve." Well, that's fine, but people will still compare it year over year, no matter what your messaging is. It's demotivating.
Yes, some people leaders are parasites. And some front line staff are also parasites. I'll wager that across the board and at all levels, the percentage of parasites is probably about the same. And the same holds true for talent levels. A few great, a few terrible, most people jammed up in the middle. The bell curve is real.
"Everything Will Be OK in the End. If It’s Not OK It’s Not the End."
Well, it's dangerously close to being a tautology. But I appreciate the point. I propose to phrase it as:
No matter what happens in the next two weeks, it's not a catastrophe. If you have been around long enough to receive a decent severance package, consider it a gift from the universe to enable you to pursue an exit from oil and gas - an industry that will have this uncertainty for it for the rest of its existence. If you haven't been here that long, consider that you're stepping back into a job market that is, by historical standards, not terrible.
The days of remaining at one company for your whole life are basically gone. Adjust your thinking around this fact. Rethink your spending, modernize your skillset, and prepare for a future that doesn't revolve around a safe permanent haven of a workplace.
And yes, to the original post:
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Just rethink the vitriol, and maybe don't write it down
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If you must experience schadenfreude, keep it to yourself
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Don't use propaganda techniques to paint other groups as black/white, good/evil
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Don't personalize what is an inherently impersonal process
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Don't post desperate pleas for reinforcement. That person X is such a Y, am I right? Tell me how right I am!" That doesn't help anybody.
Finally, understand that not everybody views this whole situation is evil and negative as you might. Don't get upset at them for it.