Dear Bob ... I would submit that it is most difficult to give someone a performance review of "meets requirements". This is of course not a bad review, but everyone like to think of themselves as better than average. How do you rate a guy that's a .250 hitter, but plays where you tell him to, 2nd base, 3rd base, left field or bench, but never complains. His performance is not outstanding, but very Dear Bob …I would submit that it is most difficult to give someone a performance review of “meets requirements”. This is of course not a bad review, but everyone like to think of themselves as better than average. How do you rate a guy that’s a .250 hitter, but plays where you tell him to, 2nd base, 3rd base, left field or bench, but never complains. His performance is not outstanding, but very dependable. And let’s face it, most people are by definition average. One would think that in most departments, there will be under performers, overachievers, and mostly average Joes. This is how I would rate a manger, is he fair and honest to all of his charges.– Calculating manager Dear Calculating …It depends how you define terms, I think. Overall, everyone averages out to average – no question about it. If “average” is defined based on the population of employees, and “meets requirements” is defined based on the performance of an average employee, then you’re right.If, on the other hand, you define average as the average performance of everyone in the profession, and “meets requirements” as achieving no more than the industry’s overall professional average, then the situation changes. Some companies are better than others at recruiting and retaining strong performers. They ought to have mostly employees who exceed requirements. And if they define “meets requirements” based on a higher standard, they’d better make that clear when explaining the performance review process with employees. And they’d better set their compensation midpoint well above industry averages. Otherwise, it won’t be long before they no longer retain strong performers.– Bob ——– Technology Industry