IT'S that time of the year again.

The workplaces are buzzing with anticipation.

The closed-door meetings have begun. The long conference calls are penciled in the schedules.

It will all conclude by the end of the month, in a white envelope - announcing the performance review!

For those, who get a part of their salary as a 'variable' performance bonus, a review can make or mar an entire year's prospects, in a stroke.

Hit or miss?

Take the case of Sudhakar Pandya, an IT manager in an MNC.

"I worked hard through the year. The only problem was my most recent project - it didn't take off as expected, what with the falling dollar and other external factors. Poof! There goes my performance bonus!" says irate Sudhakar, "Is it really my fault? Why should my work not be appreciated?"

Human Resource (HR) consultant Kalpana Malpani understands Sudhakar's irritation.

She asks a question perhaps all in the workforce should ask themselves: Did you sell your mangoes as carrots, and yet expected to get a price for mangoes? In short, are your assumptions and way of communication, the reasons why you are feeling short-changed in a performance review?

When asked, Sudhakar admits, "I was under a lot of pressure, when I went for the performance review meeting.

Now I feel that I should have talked more about my other, more successful projects, than playing a blame game about the recent one."

How to crack the performance review and make the most of it?

Photographs: Stock Xchange

Photographs are for representative purpose only.