Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 484, Getting a Performance Evaluation.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 484.
© transcript Emily Beynon This episode is called Getting a Performance Evaluation.
This is related to your job or work where your boss sits down with you and talks to you about how you have been doing, how your work has been, how your performance has been.
Let's get started.
Have a seat.
As you know, we need to talk about your annual performance evaluation.
Is there anything you'd like to say before we get started?
Yes, there is.
I've tried really hard this year to improve on some of the shortcomings identified in my evaluation last year.
Hmm.
I'm afraid that's not reflected in this year's evaluation.
Your supervisor noted on the report that you've been performing below par for several months now and your productivity is down too.
I don't think she can fault me on that.
On the contrary, she thinks that you've been slacking off and not giving 100%.
This was a hard decision, but we're putting you on probation for the next three months.
You'll have another evaluation at the end of that time.
That won't happen.
I'm going to pull out all the stops to prove myself.
Good.
That's what I wanted to hear.
Our dialogue begins with Emil saying, saying, have a seat, meaning please sit down.
He's talking to Sandra, who is one of his employees, someone who works for him.
Emil says, as you know, we need to talk about your annual performance evaluation.
The performance evaluation is a written or spoken report about how well you have done on your job, usually done every six months or one year.
Annual would be every year.
Emil says, is there anything you'd like to say before we get started?
Sandra says, yes, there is.
I've tried really hard this year to improve on some of the shortcomings identified in my evaluation last year.
Shortcomings are things that you don't do very well, things that you should be able to do better, something that is less than perfect, and Not always are shortcomings things that you can change.
But here I think Sandra is talking about things that she can do better, things that are less than perfect.
Emil says, hmm, I'm afraid that's not reflected in this year's evaluation.
To be reflected here means to, in this case, to be seen, something that is obvious, something that he is able to see and look at that.
Her changes, in other words, have not really been seen in the evaluation.
The evaluation says she hasn't changed.
The verb reflect has a number of different meanings.
Take a look at our learning guide for some additional explanations.
Emil says, your supervisor, your immediate boss, noted on the report that you've been performing below par for several months now and your productivity is down too.
The expression below par, P-A-R, comes from the sport of golfing.
In general usage, it means less than expected, less than average, not as good as it should be.
There's a similar expression on par, which means that it is as good as it should be.
It's right where it ought to be.
But below par means that it is less than what it should be.
Emil says that Sandra's productivity is down.
Productivity is, in general, the ability to do a certain amount of work in a certain period of time.
If we say that someone's productivity is down, we mean they are not doing as much work.
They are not as productive.
Sandra says, I can't imagine why she, her supervisor, would say that.
She's surprised, in other words.
Sandra says, if I haven't excelled on the new project, I've at least pulled my weight.
To excel means to do something very well. better than anyone expected.
She's saying that even if she did not excel on the project she's working on, she at least pulled her weight.
To pull your weight means to do the work that you are expected to do as part of a group, as part of a team.
Everyone has their job to do in the group.
To pull your weight means to do what you are supposed to do.
Sandra is saying that well yes, I haven't done a great job, but I've done what I was supposed to do.
She says, I don't think she can fault me on that.
To fault someone on something means to criticize or say negative things about something that someone has done.
To fault someone means to blame someone.
She's saying here that she did her work so that her supervisor can't criticize her for that.
Can't fault her on that.
Emile says, on the contrary, she thinks that you've been slacking off and not giving 100%.
So Sandra's supervisor, who is not at the meeting?
Sandra is meeting with her higher boss.
Emile says that Sandra has been slacking off.
To slack S-L-A-C-K off is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to be lazy, not to work very hard, not to do what you are supposed to do.
A phrasal verb is a verb that has more than one word.
So, slack off is a two-word verb that's a phrasal verb, in case you were wondering.
In this case, Sandra has been slacking off, according to her supervisor, being lazy and not giving 100.
To give 100% means to work as hard as you can, to do your very best.
Sandra now tries to provide an excuse, a reason perhaps why her supervisor might have said what she did.
She says I have had some personal issues, things that are not related to work, such as family or friends.
She's had some personal issues, some personal problems, but she didn't think they had been affecting her work.
She says.
To bring down is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to reduce, to decrease, to make something less or perhaps smaller.
To bring down your productivity means to lower it, to make it less than it was before.
To bring down can also mean to depress another person, to make another person feel sad.
There was a song in the late 70s, Don't bring me down.
Don't depress me.
Emil says, This was a hard decision, but we're putting you on probation for the next three months.
Probation is a period when you are being tested to decide whether or not they are going to keep you or let you go fire you in this case.
A probationary period is a trial period.
It's when you are testing someone.
In this case, she is going to be on probation for three months.
Then, Emil says, you'll have another evaluation at the end of that time, at the end of three months.
If your performance isn't up to par by that time, we'll have to think about letting you go.
Up to par is another one of those expressions coming from golf, meaning to be at the level we expect.
It's the same as on par.
So she must improve her performance.
If not, they may have to let her go.
To let someone go is a nice way of saying to fire someone.
Another way to say that would be to lay someone off, causing someone to lose their job.
Sandra says that won't happen, meaning she will improve her performance.
It will not be below par.
I'm going to pull out all the stops to prove myself.
To pull out all the stops or all of the stops, means to do something as hard as possible, as much as possible, as quickly as possible, to put all your effort into something.
The term, I believe, originally comes from the plane of the organ, which is a...
To pull out all the stops means to make the organ as loud as possible.
Here it means that Sandra is going to work as hard as she can to prove herself.
To prove yourself means to show that you can do something well, to show that you are worth something, that you should be considered for something.
Sandra needs to prove herself.
She needs to demonstrate, to show her boss that they should keep her and not let her go.
Emil says, good, that's what I wanted to hear.
I want to hear that you're going to try to improve.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Have a seat.
As you know, we need to talk about your annual performance evaluation.
Is there anything you'd like to say before we get started?
Yes, there is.
I've tried really hard this year to improve on some of the shortcomings identified in my evaluation last year.
Hmm, I'm afraid that's not reflected in this year's evaluation.
Your supervisor noted on the report that you've been performing below par for several months now and your productivity is down too.
I can't imagine why she would say that.
If I haven't excelled on the new project, I've at least pulled my weight.
I don't think she can fault me on that.
On the contrary, she thinks that you've been slacking off and not giving 100%.
I have had some personal issues, but I didn't think they had been affecting my work.
I guess I've let them bring down my performance.
This was a hard decision, but we're putting you on probation for the next three months.
You'll have another evaluation at the end of that time.
If your performance isn't up to par by that time, we'll have to think about letting you go.
That won't happen.
I'm going to pull out all the stops to prove myself.
Good.
That's what I wanted to hear.
The script for this episode was written by someone who excels at writing good scripts, Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2009 by the Center for Educational Development.
