Compensation on Tobi(as Mende)

Better Alternatives to Performance Reviews

tobi@techunicorn.builders (Tobias Mende) — Sat, 07 Dec 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Better Alternatives to Performance Reviews

Traditional performance reviews often fall short of delivering the value they promise. Even worse: They can have disastrous effects on motivation, engagement, and performance of teams and individuals. I have explored the reasons for this in detail in my last newsletter. In today’s article, I would like to explore what we can do instead to satisfy the actual needs companies and individuals might have.

Performance Reviews Considered Harmful

tobi@techunicorn.builders (Tobias Mende) — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 05:00:00 +0000

Performance Reviews Considered Harmful

Performance reviews are widely accepted in software companies to provide feedback, justify or object to promotions, and discuss compensation increases. Typically, they occur between an engineering manager and their reports, often cited as a necessary function of management within an organization. They are simply “how the world works.” Big companies do them, small companies do them, and highly paid consultants develop new and better ways of conducting them.

Bonuses are bad – change my mind

tobi@techunicorn.builders (Tobias Mende) — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 12:39:00 +0000

Bonuses are bad – change my mind

Compensation is a difficult topic. And depending on the domain and type of work, various models can make sense. Many companies rely on bonuses based on performance, ranking, or commission. Those bonuses usually revolve around clear goals or metrics that can be measured, such as finishing a project in time or closing deals with a certain total valuation.