Tres meses — Three Months

The review, and the culture of owning mistakes

Formal performance reviews are less ritualized in small Spanish firms than in large companies, and in a consultancy of nine people they often look like this: a closed door, a boss who asks you to speak first, and a conversation rather than a form. Larger companies have formal evaluación del desempeño systems with ratings and objectives; small ones rely on the relationship. The probation period gives the three-month point its weight. During the periodo de prueba either side can end the contract without notice or cause, so a review halfway through is partly reassurance and partly a chance to correct course. Marta's request, run a small project alone by the summer, is a concrete condition dressed as encouragement. The conversation about mistakes reflects a real tension. Spanish workplace culture has a reputation for hierarchy, and in many organizations admitting an error to a superior can feel risky; Alex's description of his last job, where the person who owned up was marked, would be recognized by many Spaniards. Smaller, younger firms often work hard to build the opposite habit, and the phrase that sums it up is dar la cara: to show your face, to answer for what happened in person. It is praise. Its opposite, escurrir el bulto, to slip out from under the load, is one of the worst things you can say about a colleague. The last exchange is very Spanish in its rhythm. Marta does not announce the new project; she hints, te va a sonar mucho, and lets Alex guess. And Alex's closing, con más ilusión que cuando entré, uses the word that best captures what a good review should leave behind. La ilusión is not illusion but eager hope, the feeling of looking forward to the next thing.