Thought it would be a unique idea to create a thread for people wanting advice regarding various work situations.
I’ve been at the same company for over 10 years and have been through multiple leadership changes. During my tenure I’ve received several promotions and positive feedback from peers, managers, directors and VP’s. Recently my team changed leadership and the direction of the team has switched to a highly technical business unit. This is not my area of expertise and was hired to do work with a strong business focus as opposed to technical programming etc.
My direct boss is extremely technical…with multiple credentials in the field of programming. She is great at building technical solutions and using automation to move the organization forward. From a personal standpoint we are cordial and get along fine with our interactions. However, as of late my performance reviews have been quite critical and I’ve received feedback that I’m performing at a lower standard.
I feel like I am being held to an unfair standard and strictly being judged based on my technical skills (which is not what my job profile is setup for). This particular manager is extremely poor with her communication skills. Her verbal and especially written communications are not up to manager standards in my opinion. Sentence structure is poor and managerial duties often ignored. As mentioned she makes a great programmer but is devoid when it comes to leading and communicating.
Regardless, this is my current situation. As a result I want to avoid any further negative reviews. One step I’ve taken recently is to setup 1:1 meetings with her weekly to ensure that expectations are being met on both ends. In a way I feel like this shouldn’t be coming from me but rather as a good manager she should have been doing this already (at this point it doesn’t matter though…I’m just glad they are setup).
Anyways after my long winded rant I’m curious as to what people do to cover their ass at work. What steps can I take to ensure I don’t get any further negative reviews. I’m building a portfolio to track all my accomplishments and create weekly reports outlining goals, accomplishments and barriers. I’m going to share this and ensure that she gives feedback on each of the items I have outlined - no more surprises.
I guess you'll have to see how the 1:1s go. But do you know why the team suddenly became technical? Obviously her boss hired her as a more technical person to push the team in this direction. If her boss has been around as long as you have, and i suspect he/she is your manager too, maybe get some clarification from them.
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Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire
I know you've mentioned that it isn't your area of work, but how do you feel about getting a bit more technical? Solid business communications skills will always be needed but if you're in the IT world, being trained up technically is a good thing, as that world is moving in that direction. Automation, DevSecOps or Cloud - it would be very good for your career to take courses in one of these disciplines and get certified.
I’m quitting my job on Monday to accept a promotion with better everything from a different company. Loved my old boss but he got transferred to a new dept and it was never the same after that. Gave it a year, didn’t live up to my expectations.
My advice, don’t be afraid to look for a new opportunity. I’m not saying don’t try and fix where you’re at, just don’t hang on too long.
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Or maybe it's time to move on? I've had that once where my team was changed to a different part of the org and I got merged in with a different group doing something I didn't really enjoy doing 100% of the time anymore.. I started looking for a new job within a month.
__________________ Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
I’m quitting my job on Monday to accept a promotion with better everything from a different company. Loved my old boss but he got transferred to a new dept and it was never the same after that.
I've straight up told my manager that if they leave so do I.
__________________ Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
OP, I'm actually in the opposite situation and find it somewhat frustrating, been at the same job for almost 15 years. No leadership changes at all, we have ~200 people in Alberta, and basically the same group of 10 people in the top 10 positions for the entire 15 years, pretty much only 2 retirements and 2 replacements by other long term employees in jobs I wasn't really on the path towards.
Really happy at the place, had lots of minor advancement over the years, but wondering when I get the to take the big step. I think they could see me stepping into 1 or 2 of the jobs seamlessly, but those jobs are occupied and their is a big status quo bias. Further I haven't looked too hard, but I don't know how easy it would be for me to find a different job I actually want, because my job title has lagged behind me responsibilities, and I guess I'm a little fearful that I leave for something equivalent only to find out the job I have basically been sitting on deck for the past 5-10 years will become available.
Man I loathe my job. It’s right at that intersection of too good to leave and not fulfilling enough to want to stay. With a baby on the way I can’t walk away but every day I feel like I’m slowly dying. I go way over and above my main responsibility, but the core duties take enough time that I don’t have the resources to do what’s needed to really excel anywhere else. The more important, advanced stuff gets done on the side but without the ability to dedicate time to it, I’m stuck in a role that hasn’t developed or advanced in years.
It’s a great gig for what it is, but if I keep doing it another few years I’ll be so far underdeveloped for the market I’ll be even more stuck than I am.
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No, no…I’m not sloppy, or lazy. This is a sign of the boredom.
Ugh, this is all too familiar for me as well. I had been in the same role for about 6 years and was excelling and I was promoted and had the role expanded twice in that time. Re-org happens and I get settled on a brutal team with a brutal manager. The manager also had a technical background and just could not understand how my role worked, because he couldn’t see the bigger picture of how some aspects worked together. As I tried to move within the company it was easy to label me as a disgruntled worker and I was given a poor performance review, which essentially pushed me out of the organization. It was incredibly frustrating because we were having amazing results with what I was working on, but because my manager didn’t understand it he just dismissed it.
There is nothing worse than a bad boss. And we've all had them. So part of the key is to commit to NOT being a bad boss when you get the opportunity. Break the cycle because a lot of bad bosses create future bad bosses.
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There is nothing worse than a bad boss. And we've all had them. So part of the key is to commit to NOT being a bad boss when you get the opportunity. Break the cycle because a lot of bad bosses create future bad bosses.
I know. I hate my boss, I get into heated arguments with that jerkface all the time.
I know I'll get the last laugh though.
__________________ The Beatings Shall Continue Until Morale Improves!
This Post Has Been Distilled for the Eradication of Seemingly Incurable Sadness.
If you are flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a Fire Exit. - Mitch Hedberg
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Have you considered a 1:1 with your skip level to talk about the challenges you’re having and how to address them? I have a great manager but when I was new in-role, I scheduled a half-hour 1:1 with my skip-level to get his opinion on a few things and it was really helpful.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger
Slash his tires, spit in his coffee, have sex with his wife etc.
Brilliant idea, soon the guy’s children will be calling Locke “dad”. The boss will never know what hit him.
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-James
GO FLAMES GO.
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I suggest, if possible, on your way out of a job you're leaving because of a bad boss, be honest with HR. Don't sugarcoat the reason for leaving - tell directly that bad/poor management was the main reason for leaving and offer advice as to how that manager can improve.
One of my biggest regrets of my career was leaving a job from a ####ty boss, and then letting them know its because I found another more relevant position. It was absolutely clearly for having a crappy boss.
If you don't say something, there's no opportunity for said boss to get better or at least hear important criticism.
I suggest, if possible, on your way out of a job you're leaving because of a bad boss, be honest with HR. Don't sugarcoat the reason for leaving - tell directly that bad/poor management was the main reason for leaving and offer advice as to how that manager can improve.
One of my biggest regrets of my career was leaving a job from a ####ty boss, and then letting them know its because I found another more relevant position. It was absolutely clearly for having a crappy boss.
If you don't say something, there's no opportunity for said boss to get better or at least hear important criticism.
I don’t think you should regret not saying the real reason you’re leaving. The odds of the company making a significant change or that the boss will use what you told HR(assuming HR even tells them) to better their behaviour are probably pretty slim. In a lot of cases those types of comments get dismissed as sour grapes from a disgruntled ex-employee and could unnecessarily burn a bridge you may need in the future just for the sake of venting.
If you really want HR to take action, don’t quit. Instead tell them you heard a lot of the employees are talking about unionizing because one manager is too big of a jerk. That should take care of the bad manager problem, and the staff will probably end up getting an employee appreciation day free pizza lunch out of the whole deal too. Win/win
I don’t think you should regret not saying the real reason you’re leaving. The odds of the company making a significant change or that the boss will use what you told HR(assuming HR even tells them) to better their behaviour are probably pretty slim. In a lot of cases those types of comments get dismissed as sour grapes from a disgruntled ex-employee and could unnecessarily burn a bridge you may need in the future just for the sake of venting.
If you really want HR to take action, don’t quit. Instead tell them you heard a lot of the employees are talking about unionizing because one manager is too big of a jerk. That should take care of the bad manager problem, and the staff will probably end up getting an employee appreciation day free pizza lunch out of the whole deal too. Win/win
Meh. Some jobs just aren't worth the effort to Shawshank Redemption your way out. And if they are you probably mailed it in a long time ago and are stuck with golden handcuffs
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Employee Venting Thread
