Meta Gears Up for More Rigorous Performance Reviews

Meta is reportedly poised to intensify its employee performance evaluation process, potentially leading to a higher percentage of workers receiving “below expectations” ratings. This shift comes after recent layoffs and signals a continued focus on boosting efficiency, according to an internal memo.

The memo, revealed on Meta’s internal forum and reviewed by Business Insider, indicates that managers are being instructed to categorize a larger proportion of their teams in the lowest performance tier during the midyear reviews. Specifically, for teams of 150 or more, the target range for the “below expectations” rating has increased from 12-15% to 15-20%.

This adjustment includes consideration of “nonregrettable attrition,” encompassing employees who have already left the company through resignation or dismissal due to underperformance. The memo emphasizes that the midyear review process is an “opportunity to make exit decisions,” though it clarifies that there won’t be company-wide performance-based terminations like those seen earlier this year.

Managers will assess employees based on several criteria, including a “below expectations” rating in the midyear review, formal disciplinary actions within the past six months, or involvement in an “employee relations” case during the first quarter. These cases typically involve employees on performance improvement plans.

The performance review process is slated to begin on June 16, with performance discussions between managers and employees scheduled for July and August.

This move follows Meta’s earlier decision to lay off approximately 4,000 employees, about 5% of its workforce, citing performance concerns. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously expressed his intent to “raise the bar on performance management” and accelerate the departure of underperforming employees, suggesting that these types of performance-based cuts may become a recurring strategy.

Meta declined to comment on the internal memo.

This strategic adjustment mirrors a similar action taken by Meta at the end of 2022, when the company doubled the proportion of employees placed in the lowest performance categories during annual reviews. At that time, managers were directed to classify up to 16.5% of staff as underperformers, a significant increase from the previous range of 7-12%.