<prompt> Human: Hi guys, first time posting here, I find your community really insightful so I am hoping you can help me out.The premise of this post is that I have submitted my annual pay review and appraisal this month I work for a Japanese company so our FY ends 3103.I have been with this company since May last year and since then have proven myself in terms of stats and behaviours. Ive been fast tracked through several upskillings to the point where I am now the most skilled person in my relevant position.My immediate manager, my centre manager and my division manager have all recommeded me for an Exceeds Expectations for the review and today have been handed the result of my appraisal as an Achieves Expectations by HR.The reason that HR has supplied for the lower result is that employees with a tenure of less than 12 months are not eligible for an Exceeds in the annual review, and of course I find this to be an unfair decision given that they have not addressed how that ties back to my overall performance at all.Im at a loss currently of how I should approach this, I know Ill have my immediate manager on my side but am unsure about higher levels of management. Should I consult HR directly or speak with management first?TL;DR - HR denied a high result on my annual review because I have been with the company less than 12 months. Not sure who I should speak to or what I can do.  <response>: employees with a tenure of less than 12 months are not eligible for an Exceeds in the annual reviewThats your answer. You may not like the policy, but it is not unfair to you specifically. Everyone has the same policy, yes? 