Yesterday the managers at my day job did the mid year reviews-- we call it a calibration. We try to compare all the employees at a level with each other to see who is the strongest, the weakest, who deserves a promotion, and who diserves the boot.

It's very stressfull. I can't help but feeling that I am also beeing judged.

"Why isn't so-and-so shining? They have so many opportunities and a green field. Yet they are just doing a bit above average." That's a hard question to respond to.

It is competative. We all can't be above average. There are only so many dollars to go around and everytime you give one employee a bonus, you are taking away from another.

Should we give a few employees big bonuses and everyone else one nothing? This would show the star performers that we really value their work. It would also send out the message that we only value star performers and that if you want a little more, you should leave our team.

Should we give a little bit to everyone? Then what's the point of working hard? The stars are less interested, but on a team of sixty people, we all can't be stars.

Of course the answer is a balance between the two, a balance achieved through hours of debate.