ESL Podcast 484 - Getting a Performance Evaluation

performance evaluation - a written or spoken report of how well one has done one's job over a certain period of time, usually done every six months or once a year

Employees who do well on their performance evaluation can receive a 5% raise.

shortcoming - something that is not as good as it should be; something that is less than perfect

Tom is a wonderful guy and I'd like to keep dating him, but he has a major shortcoming: he doesn't like children.

reflected - seen; apparent; a sign of something

Her dislike of country music is reflected in the way that she changes the radio station every time she hears a country song.

below par - less than expected; less than average; not as good as something should be

Tomo didn't get enough sleep last night, so his performance on the tennis court has been below par all day.

productivity - one's ability to do a certain amount of work in a certain period of time

Shaina's productivity increased when she learned how to type more quickly.

to excel - to do something very well, better than anyone had expected

Liliana excels in math and science, but she doesn't do very well in her history classes.

to pull (one's) weight - to do the work that one is expected to do as part of a group; to contribute to a group's effort or project

Chuong never pulls his weight and always waits for the other team members to do his work for him. It's very frustrating.

to fault (someone) on (something) - to criticize someone or say negative things about something that he or she has done or not done

We agreed to buy that old house together, so you can't fault me if everything is falling apart.

to slack off - to be lazy; to not work hard; to not do what one should be doing

Makiko has really been slacking off, watching TV instead of studying.

to give 100 percent - to do one's best; to do something as well as one can possibly do it

She's giving 100 percent in her new business, but it still isn't making very much money yet.

to bring down - to decrease; to reduce; to make something less or smaller

The poor economy has brought down sales of new cars.

probation - a trial period; a period when something is being tested to decide whether or not it should continue to be done or used

All new employees are put on a six-month probation before they become regular, full-time employees.

up to par - meeting expectations; doing something well

We went to eat at an expensive restaurant last night, but the food wasn't up to par with all the good things we had heard about it.

to let (someone) go - to fire someone; to lay someone off; to take away one's job, often because the company does not have enough money or because one hasn't done his or her job well

The school had to let its librarian go because there wasn't enough money to pay for him and all the regular teachers.

to pull out all the stops - to do everything as well or as quickly as possible, without any delay or hesitation

Gerome pulled out all the stops at his last concert. I've never heard him play the drums so well before!

to prove (oneself) - to show that one can do something well; to show that one has worth; to show that one should be considered for something

Camilo has been working 12-hour days to prove himself to his new employer.