It’s the time of year that sets you wondering. Wondering whether you’ve been good enough to expect a reward from the jolly fat man in the corner office.

Ah, there’s a catch to your expectation. The word ‘expectation’ has two meanings: likely-to-happen and ought-to-happen. As you know from bitter experience, likely-to-happen often outweighs ought-to-happen.

This happens because your boss knows how you ought to behave, but believes that you are likely to behave inappropriately.

This expectation of bad behavior determines how you are treated, which influences how you respond, which then reinforces your boss’s expectation.

Some weird bosses actually prefer inappropriate behavior. It’s an excuse not to reward you at all. However, that is not the bad news.

The bad news is that whatever reward you expect, don’t expect it to be based on your real performance.

But then, in your case, maybe that’s the good news.

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.