Common Performance Review Biases: How to Spot and Counter Them - The Pragmatic Engineer

Recognizing and countering performance review biases is essential for fair evaluations and professional growth. Managers often exhibit biases such as recency bias, where recent events disproportionately influence reviews, or similarity bias, favoring those who resemble them. For example, a manager may overlook previous solid performance due to a singular recent mistake, demonstrating the importance of maintaining a record of achievements to provide context during reviews. ### Breakdown of Contents: - Core Claim: Identifying and addressing biases in performance reviews enhances fairness and professional development. - Common Biases: - Recency Bias: Overemphasis on recent performance. - Strictness Bias: Unfairly high standards applied inconsistently. - Leniency Bias: Overly favorable evaluations that lack critical feedback. - Horns Bias: One negative trait unfairly tainting the overall review. - Halo Bias: A single positive event inflating overall performance. - Similarity Bias: Favoring those with similar backgrounds or traits. - Central Tendency Bias: Avoiding significant differentiation among team members. - Contrasting Bias: Comparing individuals against each other rather than objective standards. - Strategies to Counter Biases: - Request specific feedback instead of vague or speculative comments. - Maintain a log of your work to provide context during evaluations. - Engage in regular discussions with your manager to clarify expectations and feedback.