{"id":2764,"date":"2025-11-03T15:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T18:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/?p=2764"},"modified":"2025-10-31T13:25:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T16:25:55","slug":"performance-evaluation-sets-unattainable-goals-for-bank-workers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/2025\/11\/03\/performance-evaluation-sets-unattainable-goals-for-bank-workers\/","title":{"rendered":"Performance Evaluation Sets Unattainable Goals for Bank Workers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cristiane Oliveira Reimberg, Analyst in Science and Technology, Journalist at Fundacentro, S\u00e3o Paulo, SP, Brazil.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Brazilian<\/a>In the neoliberal phase of capitalism, domination over workers operates through the control of subjectivity, and performance evaluation instruments assist in this process. The Mental Health and Subjectivity dossier of the Brazilian Journal of Occupational Health<\/em>\/Revista Brasileira de Sa\u00fade Ocupacional<\/em> (RBSO) presents studies that help elucidate these forms of domination. This is the case of the article Capturing bank employees\u2019 subjectivity as a management technology: study of an performance evaluation instrument<\/a> (vol. 49, 2024).<\/p>\n

The research examines a performance evaluation system used by a private Brazilian bank, aiming to uncover the managerial rationality underlying such technologies. It demonstrates how these systems, under the guise of neutrality, undermine collegial solidarity and establish competition, dividing employees into winners and losers.<\/p>\n

The performance evaluation tool, used until recently in a private Brazilian bank, assessed quantitative goals (objective dimension), named as X ,and conformity \u00a0with prescribedbehaviors, Y, that are valued by the organization (subjective dimension).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Photograph<\/a>

Image: Drazen Zigic via Freepik<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

The analysis revealed that its structure prevents everyone from succeeding and no one from failing. Even under the most favorable conditions allowed by the system, at least 5% of employees must be classified within \u201clow performance in X,\u201d \u201clow performance in Y,\u201d and \u201ccritical performance.\u201d Furthermore, the tool excludes at least 50% of workers from attaining the highest rating.<\/p>\n

Within this framework, employees experience \u201cconstant and unceasing self- and peer-surveillance.\u201d The supposed neutrality of such instruments, as if governed exclusively by mathematical parameters, renders the \u201cactive subject of domination internalized within the dominated individual,\u201d rather than \u201cattached to an external figure (the employer\/ the capital).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis situation leads the worker to not realize that their failure in the performance evaluation does not arise from subjective insufficiencies, but is caused by an objectively exclusionary structure\u201d, explains Andr\u00e9 Guerra, from the Faculty of the Center for Family and Individual Studies, Porto Alegre (RS).<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, more than ever, power manifests itself through the control of subjectivity. In line with this mode of domination, the sophistication of management techniques produces serious psychosocial effects. While it compels workers to constantly monitor themselves and others, it also fosters an environment of generalized competition\u201d, he concludes.<\/p>\n

To access the article<\/h3>\n

GUERRA, A. Capturing bank employees\u2019 subjectivity as a management technology: study of an performance evaluation instrument. Rev Bras Sa\u00fade Ocup<\/em>, Thematic Dossier: Mental Health and Subjectivity [online]. 2024, vol. 49, edsmsubj2 [Viewed 3 November 2025]. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1590\/2317-6369\/18422pt2024v49edsmsubj2<\/a> Available from: https:\/\/www.scielo.br\/j\/rbso\/a\/R6z9tYMXq5SCHmMtmL8C7dq\/<\/a><\/p>\n

External links<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Revista Brasileira de Sa\u00fade Ocupacional \u2013 RBSO<\/a><\/p>\n

Revista Brasileira de Sa\u00fade Ocupacional (Fundacentro)<\/a><\/p>\n

Revista Brasileira de Sa\u00fade Ocupacional \u2013 X<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the context of neoliberal expansion, domination over workers shifts from subjection of their bodies to control of their subjectivity. An analysis of a performance evaluation tool used by a private Brazilian bank reveals the prescription of unattainable goals. …<\/span> Read More →<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":971,"featured_media":2765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12,236,235,164],"tags":[237,76],"class_list":["post-2764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","category-rbso","category-rbso-week","category-special-weeks","tag-brazilian-journal-of-occupational-health","tag-education"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/971"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2764"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2764\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2766,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2764\/revisions\/2766"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressreleases.scielo.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}