As a brand new first-officer in his 1st airline job I was taught by my Training Captain, when the load sheet arrives,to ask yourself "what is V1 and is it logical"? Whilst this was a turbo-prop operation and didn't have the complications of rated thrust or assummed temperature methods or whatever it is called on the Airbus,I asked this question of myself throughout my career.
We know the empty weight of our aircraft,we know the approximate passenger load,(multiply by 100 KGS)we know how much fuel we want.So we know our approximate TOW before we even see a load sheet.The only large variable will be freight.If the difference between my estimated TOW and the load sheet is not the freight or extra passengers THERE IS AN ERROR.
While this method isn't fool proof and V1 can vary greatly with large TOW weight spreads and power settings and runway conditions,it eliminated the weight error possibility and made me think about the logic of my V1 speed.It worked for me throughout my time.
Of course none of this accounts for the added problems of duty time,time zone changes,accumulated fatigue,flight deck preparation interruptions,commercial pressure,company morale,flight operations department integrity,company operating procedures,flight planning,maintenance,MEL's and all the other distractions which the modern airline pilot has to deal with as part of his so called "normal operation".
It was a much safer flight deck preparation when we didn't tolerate interruption to this preparation.
Shooting the messenger will not fix the problem.