Employees walking up podium of stars
Forced, or stack, ranking is a system in which managers score their employees' individual performances relative to that of their coworkers.
  • In stack, or forced ranking, managers rate workers on a forced curve.
  • A certain portion are deemed top talent; and a certain percentage are designated as low performers. 
  • It's not easy to fight it if your company uses this system, but you can take a few actions.

I recently found out through the office grapevine that my company rates employees on a "forced curve" — yet they don't tell us, so most people are unaware of this system. With annual reviews coming up next month, I'm concerned about being unfairly targeted by my boss.

Apparently, managers are required to give at least one negative review on their team. They're also discouraged from giving too many good reviews.