Management says employee’s rating has dropped due to “anonymous peer evaluation”: ‘I asked if I could at least see the comments, redacted. She said no, that would "compromise the integrity of the process"’

Author image for Olivia Arocena
Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Sep 26, 2026 1:45 PM EDT

Are the anonymous commentators in the room with us?

It's totally understandable that management doesn't want to give you the names of the people who roasted you anonymously, but at least they can tell you what they said, right?

What happened to the employee in this story can drive anyone crazy or make anyone paranoid, but no doubt some elements of the story just don't add up. If someone says you've got feedback and they can't tell you who it's from, at least they should tell you what it says.

How can you improve at something that nobody tells you what it is? It could very well be a plot by the boss or management to excuse the fact that they intend to lay off this employee, but doing it like this would honestly be macabre. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised, though. Corporate is a sea of hypocrisy.

On the one hand, it's fine that management doesn't disclose who gave the anonymous feedback, if we trust there was any anonymous feedback to begin with. We should expect management to respect our anonymity if the feedback we gave was going to be received as such.

What makes me suspicious is that they won't tell him what he needs to improve either. It all sounds like management is trying to excuse what they're about to do. If I were him, I would definitely take it to HR, but I would not have much hope for a future at the company.

Really, how far can you go if HR protects you but everybody else wants you out? Anyway, I think I got carried away, and he might not even get fired in the first place, but that's still my theory, What's yours? Do you think he should start looking for a new job?

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  • 8000
    via Vitaly Gariev

    The employee getting the mysterious feedback

    Picture does not depict real parties

     

  • HR told me my performance review was "based on peer feedback," but wouldn't tell me which peers. I found out why.

    I work at a mid-sized marketing agency. Been here about three years. Not a star performer, not a problem either. I show up, I hit my deadlines, I go home.
    via Proof_Side1845
  • Last week was review season. My manager sat me down, handed me a sheet, and said my rating had dropped from "meets expectations" to "needs improvement." No. warning. No previous conversation. Just a
    via Proof_Side1845
  • downgrade. I asked what specifically I needed to improve. She said the review was "based on peer feedback." Okay, fine. I asked which peers. She said the feedback was anonymous.
    via Proof_Side1845
  • I asked if I could at least see the comments, redacted. She said no, that would "compromise the integrity of the process." So let me get this straight. My rating dropped based
    via Proof_Side1845
  • on what anonymous people said about me. I can't see who said it. I can't see what they said. I can't respond to it. I just have to... accept it and do better? Better at what? |
    via Proof_Side1845
  • don't know what I did wrong. Nobody will tell me. I started asking around. Casually. Not accusing anyone, just "hey, did you get asked for feedback on me?" Three people said
    via Proof_Side1845
  • yes. Two of them showed me what they wrote. Both were positive. One said I was "reliable and easy to work with." The other said I "always deliver on time." Neither of them wrote anything negative.
    via Proof_Side1845
  • So where did "needs improvement" come from? Either someone I haven't talked to wrote something brutal, or the peer feedback thing is a cover for something else. Maybe
    via Proof_Side1845
  • Cheezburger Image 10666130432
    via Mohammad Hoseini Rad

    The 'anonymous peers'

    Scene shown is a visual representation



     

  • budget cuts. Maybe they're trying to push people out without severance. Maybe my manager just doesn't like me and needed a paper trail.
    via Proof_Side1845
  • The worst part is I can't do anything about it. Can't appeal. Can't request a copy. Can't even ask a direct question without getting the same HR script read back to me.
    via Proof_Side1845
  • I'm not looking for legal advice. I'm just genuinely wondering if this is normal now. Is "anonymous peer feedback" just the new way to fire people without saying you're firing them?
    via Proof_Side1845
  • Punkaudad Congratulations, your boss wants to fire you for some reason. You could use HR to get answers on the "what you need to improve" question.
    via Punkaudad
  • Large Commission 5631 I'd go straight to HR. If the feedback was a consideration on your overall performance, you have every right to know what that feedback was. If they won't show you, I'd start looking for another job asap
    via Large_Commission5631
  • ChipChippersonFan Maybe you have a habit of saying, "I found out why" when you actually did not.
    via ChipChippersonFan
  • Cheezburger Image 10666130944
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Is there anything he can do?

    Representative only



     

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workplace-stories toxic-workplace work workplace toxic-work-environment
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