Annual Reviews - The good, The bad and the damn right Ugly

As the majority of the world gets excited about Christmas, the main thing on my mind at the moment in my annual review. I find it such an awkward time of year. I've never had a bad one *scrambles for the nearest wooden object*, but I hate discussing money. That goes beyond a work context too, whether it be a mate, a partner, parents.. whoever! I can't abide it.

However, it's something I'm slowly learning to discuss; primarily because more often that not, my dislike of talking about the green, has later lead to a feeling of being undervalued in the workplace!

This year has been pretty epic for me. I've been in PR since May 2007 and this year have had the opportunity to further my knowledge and skills beyond my wildest dreams. In return I'd like to think Octopus Communications has now got itself a pretty damn effective consultant! Despite the great year I've had, I believe come review time, its worth being humble. Its easy to list out your achievements and things you did well, but its also worth reflecting upon those things that didn't go well. Recall the times you feel, "if only I'd done X, we could have got coverage here" or perhaps "if I'd spent more time doing Y, this could've gone better". This is a great example of how to do this.Haha!

A quick look on You Tube reveals some mind numbing stuff - This woman looks insane... would you take advice from her?

It sounds obvious, but its easy to get carried away and demand the world from your employer. I've never experienced a recession or downturn in PR, but I have been in full-time employment for eight (long) years. As such I've seen people demand the world (and then some) in their appraisals. Some got what they wanted, others left for pastures new, only to regret their decision a few months later.

I find it reassuring that so many of our clients at Octopus have remained with the agency and can see the true value of a creative and dynamic PR agency when the chips are down. As such, I feel that same loyalty should be shown by PROs to their agency. I could walk into my review and demand a pay rise, promotion, bonus etc. Surely to some degree, that blatant ignorance of the agency position, begins to undo all of the hard work through the year? Am I right, or am I perhaps being a little naive?

Unless you have been living on the moon, you will know PR has had something of a purple patch in recent years, but I feel PROs need to acknowledge for the next twelve months or so things are going to be tight. The industry as a whole is going to become even more unstable and PROs need to reign in their wild ideas for reward, consider their workplace environment and the clients they work with, before jumping ship into the unknown for a phat pay cheque and a whole lot of trouble.