亲爱的安妮：我的一位朋友把您的那篇专栏文章《业绩评估不满意，如何自救？》发给我看了。但我遇到的情况跟您讲的略有不同，我老板根本就没有对我的绩效做过评价。我们公司的管理人员通常在每年一月份进行绩效评估，员工们也能借此机会规划来年的目标。但现在已经到了三月份，老板还没着手做这件事。因为正式绩效评估会在一定程度上影响到我们的奖金，所以我很想知道老板到底是怎么想的。

    但另一方面，我不愿意总提这一点，也不愿意主动要求进行绩效评估。老板来这里仅有短短几个月的时间，我知道他工作忙得不可开交。除此之外，对于他所做的一些变革，我也与他有些意见冲突。我并不想对他施加压力，以免他对我做出一个不怎么有利的评价。我到底是否应该主动要求，还是不要自找麻烦呢？——I.D.（蒙在鼓里的人）

    亲爱的I.D.：你遇到的困境并不鲜见。在过去数十年中，有大量研究表明，相当多的经理人惧怕进行绩效考评，其中有些人（有报告称，这个比例高达40%）甚至想法设法无限期拖延这件棘手的事。鉴于很多公司都精简了人员，员工比以往工作更努力，但由此造成的时间紧迫让这些本来就不情愿做绩效评估的老板们又多了一个逃避责任的借口。

    卡利帕人力资源咨询公司（Caliper）总裁派特里克•斯维尼称：“你老板尚未跟你展开评估面谈的原因可能有很多。举例来说，鉴于他来的时间不长，也许上级对他的预期尚不明朗。或者他也可能只是单纯地不喜欢做评估而已。”

    不管导致拖延的原因是什么，斯维尼强烈建议你“主动与他对话。可以低调一些，顺道去老板的办公室坐坐或者给他发电子邮件，可以这么说：‘‘我们可否约个时间坐下来谈谈，或者一起吃个午饭也行。我希望您能了解我的工作现状，如果可能的话，我还想听听您的意见。’”

    鉴于你怀疑老板不喜欢做负面评价而回避业绩考核，斯维尼表示：“如果其他人都得到了评估而你没有，那可不是什么好兆头。即便真的如此，保持低调、默不作声也于事无补。不管是什么问题，越早听取批评意见对你越有利，因为你能够更快地应对问题，找出扭转局势的方法。再晚的话可能就太迟了。”

    斯维尼建议，一旦开始行动，就必须定期向老板汇报工作，比如每季度一次。他还说：“正式的年度评估不能出现任何出乎老板意料之外的东西。年度评估应该是从整整一年来你跟老板的多次讨论中自然发展而来。如果还有其他下属也要对他汇报工作，你就得时不时提醒老板你正在执行的任务，比如一些小项目和大型计划。要对工作成绩做好记录，便于向老板展示。”

    谈到工作得到认可和奖励，斯维尼表示：“老板对你的看法与事实同等重要。”不仅如此，定期征求建议也“有助于让你从一众同事中脱颖而出”。

    Dear Annie: A friend sent me your column on changing a bad performance review, but I have a somewhat different problem, which is that I haven't been evaluated at all. Managers at my company usually give performance appraisals in January, partly to give everybody a chance to set goals for the year, but it's now March and my boss hasn't gotten around to it yet. Formal reviews determine some of our incentive pay, so naturally I'm curious.

    On the other hand, I hesitate to press the point and ask to be evaluated. My boss has only been here a few months, and I know he's overloaded with work. But beyond that, he and I have had a couple of clashes over some changes he's made, and I'd hate to pressure him into giving me an evaluation that maybe won't be so great. Should I make the request anyway, or let sleeping dogs lie? — In the Dark

    Dear I.D.: For what it's worth, your predicament is far from unusual. Plenty of studies over the past couple of decades have shown that many managers dread giving performance reviews so much that some of them (almost 40%, one report said) find ways to put off the chore indefinitely. And now that leaner staffs in many companies mean people are working harder than ever, the resulting time crunch gives reluctant bosses one more reason to duck this task.

    "There could be any number of reasons why your boss hasn't sat down with you," notes Patrick Sweeney, president of human resources consulting firm Caliper. "For example, since he is relatively new, maybe the expectations from his own higher-ups aren't clear yet. Or maybe he just doesn't like doing evaluations."

    Whatever the holdup is, Sweeney urges you to "start the conversation. You can keep your request very low-key," he says. "Drop by the boss's office or email him and say something like, 'I was just wondering if we could set a time to talk, or maybe grab lunch. I'd like to keep you up-to-date on what I'm doing, and hear any advice you might have.'"

    As for your suspicion that your boss is dodging you because he dislikes giving negative feedback, Sweeney muses, "If everyone else is getting evaluated and you're not, that may be a bad sign. But even if that's the case, keeping your head down and saying nothing won't help. You're better off hearing criticism sooner rather than later, because the sooner you hear it, the faster you can address whatever the problem is and figure out how to turn the situation around. Later may be too late." Gulp.

    Once you've gotten the ball rolling, Sweeney recommends keeping your boss informed about what you're doing on a regular basis, maybe quarterly. "A formal annual review shouldn't contain any surprises. It should be an outgrowth of discussions you've had during the whole year," he says, adding: "If your boss has a number of other people reporting to him, he may need an occasional reminder of what you're doing -- small items as well as big projects. Keep a running list of your achievements that you can share."

    When it comes to being recognized (and rewarded) for your work, Sweeney notes, "the perception is as important as the reality." Not only that, but regularly asking for suggestions "will help you stand out from the crowd."