Performance Anxiety

孫佳慧

Get through the ordeal of work evaluations with this handy guide

寫好年終總結是對工作最起碼的尊重

With the final quarter of the Year of the Dog approaching， many white-collar workers are looking forward to their annual bonuses. But before the red envelopes are handed out， something needs to be handed in： the dreaded annual performance evaluation.

In Chinese companies， the annual evaluation is like a report card that the employees make for themselves. Writing one involves careful curating： You need to make all your contributions clear， but must not brag; acknowledge problems， without complaining too much; you may appraise the rest of the team， but not simply criticize your co-workers.

Theres a subtle art to writing these professional summaries. Certain cultural and literary techniques should be deployed if one is to receive the coveted bonus that hopefully makes up for all the late nights and long commutes—and interminable written reports.

Purple prose

Tough talk may work wonders on the factory floor， but when it comes to sucking up to ones superiors， a soft， slightly sentimental opening goes over better with Chinese employers than a forthright introduction. A focus on tempus fugit?is a classic way to go：

Time flies like an arrow; 2018 draws to a frenetic close. Looking back on the year， I am full of emotion.

Gu`ngy～n s# ji3n， -r l！ng y～ b` ni1n ji& zh-y3ng z3i m1ngl& zh4ng ji8j#n w0ish8ng. Hu！g& gu7q& de y# ni1n， w6 g2nk2i li1ngdu4.

光陰似箭，2018年就這樣在忙碌中接近尾聲。回顧過去的一年，我感慨良多。

Positive thinking

Its probably best to begin by listing ones achievements—and be sure to leave nothing out， no matter how small！ Wise employees must assume their manager or employer will never remember anything they have accomplished （but will certainly remember every screw-up）. With this in mind， its never redundant to remind people of your contributions in a performance evaluation. However， outright boasting and credit-hogging are frowned upon in a Confucian culture of modesty， so its always safe to begin by sharing the praise around：

In this past year， due to all my colleagues touching concern and selfless assistance， I successfully completed my work.

Y# ni1n l1i， z3i t5ngsh#men de x～x～n gu`nhu1i h9 w%s～ b`ngzh& xi3， w6 sh&nl# w1nch9ng le z#j@ de g4ngzu7.

一年來，在同事們的悉心關懷和

無私幫助下，我順利完成了自己的工作。

This year， owing to the sincere cooperation of all our team members， every project has gone smoothly.

Gu7q& y# ni1n zh4ng， w6men tu1ndu# de su6y6u ch9ngyu1n j～ngch9ng h9zu7， g- xi3ng g4ngzu7 j#nzh2n sh&nl#.

過去一年中，我們團隊的所有成員精誠合作，各項工作進展順利。

Now， its safe to transition to your own achievements. If you have done a terrific job over the past year， feel free to use some particularly bold words—and make sure that when you show off， you are only casting yourself in your companys reflected glory：

This year， we made historic breakthroughs in technological research.

J～nni1n， w6men z3i j#sh& y1nf` shang q^de le l#sh@x#ng t$p7.

今年，我們在技術研發上取得了

歷史性突破。

The release of this new product was a milestone in the development of our company.

Zh- y# x～n ch2np@n de f`b& sh# w6men g4ngs～ f`zh2n d3ol& shang y！ zu7 x～n de l@ch9ngb8i.

這一新產品的發布是我們公司發展道路上一座新的里程碑。

Statistically speaking

When bragging about results， numbers are always helpful. One trick to make yours seem impressive is to compare them to previous years （especially if they were before your time）：

Our turnover increased by 30 percent compared with the previous year.

W6men j～nni1n de y！ngy-9 b@ q&ni1n

z8ngzh2ng le b2i f8nzh～ s`nsh！.

我們今年的營業額比去年增長了

百分之三十。

As of this year， we have opened 24 stores across the country， four times as many as last year.

W6men z3i qu1ngu5 k`ish- de m9ndi3n ?y@j～ng d1d3o -rsh！s# ji`， sh# q&ni1n de s# b-i.

我們在全國開設的門店已經達到二十四家，是去年的四倍。

What if you didnt do anything of particular note？ Dont worry， simply position your lackluster achievements in vague terms：

This year， the overseas sales of our products saw a sharp increase compared with last year， and performance in the domestic market met our expectations.

Zh- y# ni1n， w6men ch2np@n de h2iw3i xi`oli3ng xi2nzh& z8ngzh2ng， gu5n-i sh#ch2ng bi2oxi3n f%h9 y&q～.

這一年，我們產品的海外銷量顯著增長，國內市場表現符合預期。

Or emphasize something that cant be measured：

This year， our advertising strategy was effective， and built a positive brand image for the company.

B0n ni1nd&， w6men de gu2ngg3o zh3nlv- zhu5y6u ch9ngxi3o， w-i g4ngs～ sh&l# le li1ngh2o de p@np1i x！ngxi3ng.

本年度， 我們的廣告戰略卓有成效，為公司樹立了良好的品牌形象。

Empty talk

If there were， in fact， no real quantifiable successes to report， focus less on the outcome， and instead， stress that it is the thought that counts：

This year， we set forth into the realm of e-commerce for the first time. This was a new experiment for our sales models.

J～nni1n， w6men sh6uc# sh-z% di3nsh`ng l@ngy&， zh- sh# w6men z3i xi`osh7u m5sh# shang y！ c# x～n de ch1ngsh#.

今年，我們首次涉足電商領域， 這是我們在銷售模式上一次新的嘗試。

And even if the groundbreaking experiment hasnt panned out so far， its surely just a matter of time. Everyone is very busy， and focused on the future：

We are currently in negotiation with the vendors. A new cooperative strategy will be agreed upon shortly and will help reduce our overhead.

W6men y^ g4ngy#ngsh`ng de t1np3n zh-ngz3i j#nx！ng zh4ng， h0nku3i hu# x！ngch9ng x～n de h9zu7 f`ng3n， k0y@ b`ngzh& w6men ji3ngd～ ch9ngb0n.

我們與供應商的談判正在進行中，很快會形成新的合作方案， 可以幫助我們降低成本。

The team works

If you are a team leader， its also your responsibility to report on the condition of your whole team. You can focus on the collective contributions：

Though our R&D team was established less than six months ago， they have already overcome the chief technical difficulties of this project.

W6men de y1nf` xi2oz^ ch9ngl# h1i b%d3o b3nni1n， ji& y@j～ng g4ngk- le zh-ge xi3ngm& de zh^y3o j#sh& n1ndi2n.

我們的研發小組成立還不到半年，就已經攻克了這個項目的主要技術難點。

Or the achievements of individual workers：

Our team member， Zhang， became the No.1 sales representative of the entire company.

W6men tu1ndu# de Xi2o Zh`ng ch9ngw9i qu1n g4ngs～ de xi`osh7u gu3nj$n.

我們團隊的小張成為全公司的銷售冠軍。

But if youre a new employee， it may not be appropriate for you to report on others work. So， just discuss personal growth：

Though it was my first year with the company， I was lucky enough to be involved in three projects. From these experiences， I have become capable of completing new projects independently.

Su～r1n w6 j～nni1n c1i ji`r& g4ngs～， d3n qu- y6ux#ng c`ny& le s`n g- xi3ngm&. T4nggu7 j～ngy3n de l0ij～， w6 xi3nz3i y@j～ng k0y@ d%l# y&ny！ng x～n xi3ngm& le.

雖然我今年才加入公司，但卻有幸參與了三個項目。通過經驗的累積，我現在已經可以獨立運營新項目了。

Acknowledge errors

（but not too much）

Work is not just about progress and achievements. Frustrations are inevitable， and， while its never easy to face failures， you need to at least acknowledge them. But an evaluation is not an apology， and problems should be analyzed for root causes. This will make you look more responsible：

Influenced by the China-US trade war， the price of our raw material imports has increased dramatically， meaning that this years profits failed to meet expectations.

Sh7u Zh4ng-M0i m3oy#zh3n de y@ngxi2ng， w6men de j#nk6u yu1nc1ili3o ji3g9 d3f% sh3ngzh2ng， d2ozh# b0n ni1nd& y！ngl# m9iy6u d1d3o y&q～ m&bi`o.

受中美貿易戰的影響，我們的進口原料價格大幅上漲，導致本年度盈利沒有達到預期目標。

Then， to show youre still in control， offer solutions：

In the future， we will look for new suppliers domestically and control the cost of production.

W-il1i， w6men hu# z3i gu5n-i x%nzh2o x～n de g4ngy#ngsh`ng， k7ngzh# sh8ngch2n ch9ngb0n.

未來，我們會在國內尋找新的供應商，控制生產成本。

Like all good writing， you should always finish up before things drag on too long. The conclusion should cover three bases： looking forward to the future， setting new goals， and expressing resolve.

The upcoming year will bring us many more opportunities， as well as more challenges. The team will work harder to produce more high-quality results.

X～n de y# ni1n， w6men ji`ng hu# y！ngl1i g-ngdu4 j～y&， t5ngsh！ y0 ji`ng z`oy& g-ngdu4 ti2ozh3n. W6men tu1ndu# ji`nghu# g-ngji` n^l#， l#qi% q^d9 g-ngh2o de ch9ngj#.

新的一年，我們將會迎來更多機遇，同時也將遭遇更多挑戰。我們團隊將會更加努力，力求取得更好的成績。

And， of course， here is an all-purpose sentence that can never go wrong， whether this was a year when you made a breakthrough or your entire team quit in protest：

We gained valuable experience in the process of completing this task.

W6men z3i zh-ge gu7ch9ng zh4ng sh4uhu7 le b2ogu# de j～ngy3n.

我們在這個過程中收獲了寶貴的經驗。