Breaking Job News: Are Performance Reviews Being Used to Push People Out?

Episode notes

Performance review season is here, and the data suggests workers aren’t happy about it. In today’s episode of Cornering the Job Market, host Pete Newsome breaks down new findings from Glassdoor showing that 88% of performance review mentions in 2026 are negative, up from 83% just a few years ago. Mentions of performance improvement plans (PIPs) have surged eightfold since 2021, and employees increasingly describe them not as development tools, but as signals they’re being pushed out. Pete explains why that perception may not always match reality, how forced ranking systems are resurfacing, and why understanding your company’s review process before review season starts could be the most important move you make this year. The episode also covers new data from Gallup showing that staffing shortages and budget cuts are limiting companies’ ability to deliver on customer promises. Employees report taking on more responsibility while resources shrink, creating a tension between engagement, performance expectations, and organizational capacity. The big takeaway: in a tighter labor market, standards are rising, headcounts are shrinking, and communication matters more than ever.

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