KB: I'm calling bullshit. "complex business circumstances blah blah blah" is just another way of saying "douchey corporate crap"... Let's face it: companies lose tons of money every day because they refuse to deal with the people in their organizations who are hurting them. They do that for all kinds of reasons: managers who should never be managers; managers who are potentially great but who aren't trained well; corporate policies that effectively neuter managers' ability to do what they otherwise would in order to further their organization's goals. Whatever.

If Joe Employee has been there forever, isn't performing, hasn't been performing, and is quietly regarded as one of those "yeah, Joe, well....", then he's hurting everyone. And he's hurting your review, my review, and everyone else in the department. Are his circumstances complex? I don't know. I don't care.

I work with managers (not mine, Thankfully) who spend all day in their offices with their doors closed and locked. Are they engaged? Are they doing their jobs? They might be writing code, but they sure as hell aren't doing what they *should* be doing. What Rands is pointing out is that these are precisely the people you're up against in your reviews. I don't care if these managers face all kinds of pressures about which I know not.

Unlock the fucking door. It's your job.