It’s no secret that Black women are undervalued, overworked and underpaid in Corporate America. We endure incessant microaggressions in the office. Our skills are used to bolster the careers of others while we’re overlooked for promotions. Our voices and ideas are often ignored, silenced or completely stolen. And most importantly, the work we do is belittled as a way to rationalize disparate compensation. Typically, evaluations are the documentation some employers use to keep Black women from making what they owe. And they are often unfair.
If you receive an unfair evaluation from your manager, here’s how you can handle it.
Ask for Clarity
Whether you receive your evaluation on paper or have a conversation with your manager, you should ask for clarification if you feel the assessment of your work was unfair. If you need time to gather your thoughts, prepare your talking points and calm your emotions. Take a day or two to think about how you will address the evaluation. When you’re ready ask for your boss to set some time aside to explain why they rated you a certain way in various categories. Often times, when asked to explain themselves, your boss may reveal that their evaluation of your skills isn’t entirely accurate. They may or may not admit this outright, but it can begin the dialogue to let them know that you’re onto them. During this conversation, feel free to pushback, express what you disagree with and advocate for yourself.
Document Everything
When you sit down with your boss to go over the evaluation, take note of the explanations they give for the ranking they’ve given you. Write down their explanations and any responses they give to the questions you ask for clarification. You may have to share these notes with others later. Be thorough. Your manager witnessing you taking notes will make them aware of the fact that this could be shared later.
Get a Copy of Your Job Description
One of the slickest ways managers attempt to dock points from your review is by evaluating you on skills that are not a part of your job description. They may suggest that you’re not taking on extra work or not doing it with enthusiasm. Having your job description on hand during your meeting and afterward, will allow you to compare and contrast what your evaluation says with what you were actually hired to do. It can also be a point where you denote the extra work you’ve willingly taken on, if it applies.
Ask for Prove of Communication
If you’re being evaluated on skills and tasks that were not included in your job description, be sure to make that clear to your boss. But if they are dinging you for random or arbitrary tasks, ask them to tell you or show you when these directives were communicated. If they cannot, document that as well.
Notify HR If Necessary
When it comes time for bonuses, promotions and raises, evaluations typically play a role in those decisions. You don’t want to wait until that time has come to be disappointed. If you have the documentation that your evaluation was unfair, set up a meeting with HR to discuss. Bring the notes you took the conversation, your job description and any other pertinent information. You’ll want all of this on file so that when it’s time to talk money, people will have to prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that you don’t deserve the recognition and, most importantly, the money.