[gridlockd]

I think the "starting from a frame of reference" is good, I wouldn't necessarily ask HR for what they expect. That's pushing them to commit to something, which they don't want to do either. Instead, look online.

Self-evaluation is just another piece of bullshit process where people's expectations are formed around the bullshit everyone is handing in. Chances are that what these people are handing in is highly informed by whatever the top Google results are.

Ordinary people don't necessarily have qualms about working this way, people with anxiety issues often have this misguided desire to be "original". Being unoriginal is fine though, it hooks into familiarity and it doesn't cause extra work. Nobody is excited about reading the performance reviews, it's just something to get done.