It's performance review time right around now for millions of workers and employees in America.
If you receive a poor job performance review or are called on the carpet for missing an important deadline — or if you experience a negative incident at work, such as getting caught bad-mouthing your boss — you may lose your confidence at work.
You may also wonder if you can ever shake off the criticism or worry the incident may have engendered.
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Some human resources experts weighed in on how to work through these feelings — and on how to turn the corner toward more positive work and career achievements.
Here's what to know.
No employee ever wants to receive a poor job review.
However, nearly all professionals will receive constructive feedback at some point in their career, noted Niki Jorgensen, director of service operations at Insperity in Denver, Colorado.
A few considerations can help employees move forward, she said.
1. Keep a good perspective. "A job review trending toward the negative does not necessarily mean an employee’s job is at risk or even that the person is underperforming," Jorgensen told Fox Business.
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Unless the person is put on a performance improvement plan or is given an ultimatum by the manager or department head, the individual's performance may meet expectations even if there's room for growth, she said.
2. Remember that performance reviews are to help you grow. It is a manager’s job to help employees grow — so a job review may point out an employee’s strengths but also focus mostly on areas of needed improvement.
"If a job review only addresses an employee’s successes, then that employee might never know about their weaknesses," said Jorgensen.
3. Be sure not to exaggerate the negative. Every employee will define a "poor" job review differently, noted Jorgensen.
"For perfectionists, a single instance of criticism may make a review feel like a disaster," she said.
"In reality, it is normal for job reviews to include a mixture of both negative and positive feedback."
Some mistakes are more consequential than others.
Some errors on the job may be truly unintentional — such as misunderstanding an assignment or a deadline.
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Others, however, may reflect poor discipline or a lack of skills, such as failing to check for errors in an important report, said Jorgensen.
"When an employee’s mistakes involve poor character, such as gossiping or lying, that is often more concerning for an employer than a mistake in the work product," Jorgensen told Fox Business.
With that in mind, if a mistake does not result in an employee’s termination, the best choice is to take accountability and move on, she said.
"Employers who offer a second chance after a mistake do so because they want to believe in an employee’s success," Jorgensen said.
Building confidence after a work-related mistake may seem challenging.
There are strategies that you can incorporate, however, to feel better about your abilities and self-image at work.
Gather the details. When given a project, always communicate with your manager about the task at hand, said Randi Weitzman, an executive director at Robert Half in Sacramento, California.
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Showcase your accomplishments. Use the feedback from your less-than-favorable job review as a way to improve and learn from it.
"Don’t be afraid to showcase how you were able to work around a mistake or overcome a bad review," said Weitzman.
Boost your communications. Always ask questions and prepare for additional feedback, said Weitzman.
"It will help you grow as a professional," she said.
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Update your goals. Be open about your goals and what you hope to achieve.
This will give you a clearer path and discussion points for your manager during a future performance review, Weitzman advised.
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"Also, follow through and regularly review the goals you’ve established and keep your supervisor posted on your progress," Weitzman told Fox Business.
