Are Annual Performance Reviews Bad? What the Evidence Says
On this page
- What an annual performance review is
- What the research says about annual performance reviews
- Why bad reviews push people to look for other jobs
- What actually works, according to the evidence
- How reviews work on UK graduate schemes
- How to prepare for your review
- In the room: what to say and ask
- If the review goes badly
- What to ask employers before you join
- FAQ
Few workplace rituals cause as much dread as the annual review. You sit down with your manager, a year of work gets summarised in an hour, and a rating may decide your bonus, your pay rise or your next rotation. For many employees it is the first time they hear criticism that has been building for months. This guide looks at what the research says about annual performance reviews, why they so often go wrong, and what you can do as a graduate to make yours useful rather than painful.
What an annual performance review is
An annual performance review, also called an appraisal, is a formal meeting, usually once a year, where your manager assesses your work against objectives, often gives a rating, and agrees goals for the next year. The CIPD’s performance management factsheet lists the main tools organisations use: objective setting, performance ratings, appraisals or reviews, feedback, learning and development, and performance-related pay.
Gallup notes that a single review is often expected to do several jobs at once: offer advice on how to improve, set a bonus or pay rise, decide on a promotion, and sometimes build a record for a future dismissal. That mix is part of the problem.
What the research says about annual performance reviews
Three sources are widely cited. Each has limits, so we label what each one covers.
| Source | Who was studied | Key finding | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe, Performance Reviews Get a Failing Grade (January 2017) | 1,500 US office workers, online survey, Nov to Dec 2016 | 59% said reviews have no impact on how they do their job; 64% called them outdated | Official (Adobe press release); US data |
| Gallup, More Harm Than Good (2019) | Gallup workplace research | Only 14% strongly agree reviews inspire them to improve | Reported by Gallup; sample not stated in the article |
| CIPD, Could do better? (2016) | Evidence review of academic studies and meta-studies | Appraisals do not automatically improve performance, but abolishing them is also misguided | Official (CIPD); UK |
The Adobe survey in detail
Adobe, which abolished its own annual review in 2012 in favour of regular “Check-ins”, commissioned a survey of 1,500 US office workers who had been through at least one review. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.5%.
| Finding | Figure |
|---|---|
| Office workers who go through structured performance reviews | 88% |
| Average hours a manager spends preparing one review | 17 |
| Workers who say reviews have no impact on how they do their job | 59% |
| Workers who see reviews as a needless HR requirement | 58% |
| Workers who say reviews put them in competition with each other | 57% |
| Millennials who have cried after a review | 34% |
| Millennials who have looked for another job after a review | 47% |
| Millennials who say they quit outright after a review | 30% |
| Men vs women who have looked for another job after a review | 43% vs 31% |
| Workers who want feedback in the moment rather than months later | 80% |
The original 2017 version of this article said a third of employees look for other jobs after a review. The Adobe release does not give one overall figure for all workers: it gives 47% for millennials, 43% for men and 31% for women. We have updated the article to show those figures as published.
Why bad reviews push people to look for other jobs
Gallup gives several reasons reviews backfire. First, feedback is rare: Gallup says nearly half of employees receive feedback from their manager a few times a year or less, so the review is the first time problems are raised. By then they feel like old news or an ambush. Second, many managers have never been trained to evaluate performance or give feedback. Third, mixing development and pay in one conversation turns a learning discussion into a negotiation.
Gallup also cites research suggesting traditional feedback can actually make performance worse about one-third of the time. Combine surprise, perceived unfairness and money, and it is not hard to see why Adobe’s respondents reported crying, job hunting and quitting.
What actually works, according to the evidence
The CIPD’s 2016 review, written by Jonny Gifford, is the most useful UK source because it weighs academic evidence rather than headlines. Its main conclusions:
| Evidence says | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Perceived fairness decides whether appraisal improves performance | Ask how ratings are decided and calibrated |
| Development and pay conversations should be kept separate | Ask for a separate career conversation if the review is mainly about pay |
| The medium of feedback does not matter; convincing information does | Track evidence of your work all year, in any format |
| Goal setting must fit the job: specific goals for predictable tasks, learning goals for complex work | On complex rotations, agree learning goals, not only output targets |
| Employers should “appraise the appraisal” and check in afterwards | Give honest feedback on the process when asked |
Gallup’s data point the same way: when managers give weekly rather than annual feedback, team members are 5.2 times more likely to strongly agree they receive meaningful feedback and 3.2 times more likely to strongly agree they are motivated to do outstanding work.
Getting it right “makes the difference between a positive impact, no impact or a negative impact.”
Jonny Gifford, report author, CIPD, quoted in the CIPD news release on performance appraisal. One researcher’s view.
How reviews work on UK graduate schemes
Many graduate schemes rotate you between teams, and a rotation often ends with feedback from that team. Your probation period may also end with a formal review. The exact process differs by employer, so check it before you start. Check how your employer does it in our graduate employers directory and the scheme guides on our graduate scheme hub.
The good news is that frequent rotation reviews give you more chances to course-correct. The risk is that each review is written by a manager who only saw you for a few months, so evidence matters.
How to prepare for your review
- Keep a running evidence log. Each Friday, write two lines: what you delivered and any positive feedback. This is the “convincing information” the CIPD says matters.
- Ask for feedback before the review. A month ahead, ask your manager: “Is there anything you would like me to do differently before my review?” That removes surprises.
- Re-read your objectives. Note where you met them, where you did not, and why.
- Collect input from others. If your scheme uses upward or peer feedback, ask two colleagues who saw your work.
- Prepare two questions about your development, not only about rating or pay.
In the room: what to say and ask
| Situation | Useful thing to say |
|---|---|
| Feedback is vague | “Could you give me one specific example, so I know what to repeat or change?” |
| Feedback is new to you | “This is the first time I’ve heard this. Can we agree how I get feedback earlier next time?” |
| You disagree with a point | “I see it differently. Here is the evidence I have. Can we look at it together?” |
| Rating feels unfair | “Could you explain how ratings are decided and calibrated across the team?” |
| You want to grow | “What would I need to show by my next review to be rated higher?” |
Stay curious rather than defensive. If you feel upset, it is fine to say you would like time to think and follow up in writing the next day.
If the review goes badly
A poor review early in your career is common and recoverable. Give yourself a day before reacting, then write down the specific points, what you agree with and what you do not. Ask for a follow-up meeting to agree an improvement plan with clear, dated actions. If you believe the process was unfair, check your employer’s appraisal policy and speak to HR. Our guide to resilience in the workplace covers practical ways to recover from setbacks, and the NHS work-related stress pages explain where to get help if it affects your wellbeing.
Should you leave? Adobe’s survey shows many people consider it. Make that decision on a pattern, not on one meeting: if feedback is consistently rare, unfair or surprising, that says more about the employer than about you.
What to ask employers before you join
At interview or an assessment centre, it is reasonable to ask how performance is managed. Good questions include:
- How often will I get feedback, and from whom?
- Are pay and development discussed in the same meeting?
- How are ratings calibrated across graduates on different rotations?
- What support is there if a rotation review goes badly?
Answers that mention regular check-ins, trained managers and separate career conversations match what the evidence says works.
Annual performance reviews: FAQ
Are annual performance reviews bad?
Not automatically. The CIPD’s evidence review finds appraisals can improve performance when employees see them as fair and useful, but surveys by Adobe and Gallup show the traditional once-a-year format often fails to motivate people.
Do people really quit after a performance review?
In Adobe’s 2017 survey of 1,500 US office workers, 47% of millennials said they had looked for another job after a review and 30% said they had quit outright.
What percentage of employees find reviews useful?
Gallup reports that only 14% of employees strongly agree their performance reviews inspire them to improve.
What is replacing the annual review?
Many employers now use regular check-ins and ongoing feedback. Adobe replaced annual reviews with Check-ins in 2012. The CIPD cautions that popular articles on new practices often present little evidence of what works.
How often should I get feedback as a graduate?
Gallup found weekly feedback makes employees far more likely to say feedback is meaningful. Ask your manager for a short regular one-to-one if you do not have one.
Should I challenge a bad review?
Yes, calmly and with evidence. Ask for specific examples, share your own evidence, and if you believe the process was unfair, follow your employer’s appraisal policy and speak to HR.
Are pay and performance reviews always linked?
Often, but the CIPD recommends separating development conversations from those about pay and promotion because they involve different thinking.
Do graduate schemes have annual reviews?
Most use more frequent reviews, typically at the end of each rotation and probation, alongside a yearly rating.
Sources checked 15 November 2026: Adobe press release via Business Wire, 11 January 2017; Gallup, More Harm Than Good: The Truth About Performance Reviews, 2019 (updated 2025); CIPD news release on Could do better? Assessing what works in performance management, 2016; CIPD performance management factsheet; NHS Every Mind Matters. First published 2017, fully rewritten November 2026.
