As area secretary, I have access to everyone's calendar. Naturally. Part of my job is to coordinate people's schedules and set up meetings. One of those people is my boss.
I was setting up meetings for him yesterday, and I saw that he had two meetings "to discuss Jennifer's performance." I have had no feedback or contact of any kind from him or from my personnel supervisor, yet I know that they met. This is very stressful for me.
Did he FORGET that I can see his calendar? Wouldn't it been more productive to, oh, I don't know...meet with ME if he has concerns?
At first I thought about emailing my psup and telling her (politely, not in a confrontational way--she is a fairly nice peson) that I know about the meetings, and that I am feeling very stressed out and concerned, but I decided against it.
Why are people so stupid and/or insensitive?
Jen M.
I strongly suggest packing up your personal belongings. This is definitely not good. While I do openly admit I'm a pessimist when it comes to work, the phrase "discuss Jen's performance" does not sound good.
Well, especially since no one has discussed it with me, other than the boss sending me a nasty-gram on Thursday.
I'm really pissed. I would have quit a long time ago, if I had had any kind of safety net.
I don't keep much there that is sentimental to me.
Jen
I hate to say this, but it could be possible you were intended to see that message in the hopes that you quit. Employers love it when people quit because then they don't have to deal with unemployment compensation. If you get fired there is always the chance of that plus a lawsuit for unfair termination and they hate that.
Yeah, no. That's not his MO. He either doesn't feel he has anything to hide from me--business as usual--or did not remember that I can see his calendar.
I may hate my job, but I can say with some certainty that my boss is not a game-player.
Jen
This is why I hate working so very much. It's always a goddamn game only you don't know the rules and yet you get to be the loser when you break one. Update your resume and start looking yesterday for another place. Maybe your boss is clueless but to be honest, you'd be amazed at the crap they'll pull to get around the rules.
I have been looking since 2007, Eddy. I never stopped.
The best result I had was one day-long interview back before I switched groups. They called to say they liked me, but that they wanted to hire me on a temporary/trial basis for 3 months. I wanted it, but since I was employed full time (and looking at a transfer,) I did not think it would be a wise move.
I was transferred to my current group to avoid a layoff. That's what I've been dealing with. I thought this new group was fine, but they saved up all of their negative assessments for me, and I did not know anyone had any problem with me, until my 6-month review (standard for a new employee in any group at my company,) and they laid it all out. Nice, huh? The don't bother TELLING you WHEN they have a problem. They save it up for review time and then wonder why morale is low.
I'm constantly working to hone my own, better opportunities and to gain skills and knowledge to put on my resume. My non-working life is VERY impressive compared to my workaday life. Sad but true! That's why everything I do goes on my resume, regardless of whether I'm paid for the work.
Thanks for understanding. I know that being unemployed sucks, because I've been there, too, but being employed at a BAD JOB is really awful, too. It's like the average worker can't win.
Jen
What gets me is in some places I've worked at, the boss says he has an open door policy. If you have a problem on the job, just go to the boss and air your concerns. He's there to help you do a better job.
Ha! The boss is the last person I would complain to about a job related problem. Anything you say goes on your record and can be used against you if the going gets tough. You could br labelled a trouble maker if you point out something that's not right.
Sometimes your boss is actually worth talking to if they are a decent person. Sadly this is all too rare. What I hate is when HR acts like they are your friend. HR is absolutely the last place I would ever go to if I had a problem at work.
Well, we had a regular weekly meeting this morning, and not a word was said, and he acted normal. That really pisses me off.
Oh, well. Onward...
If you think you are doing a good job at work, I would not jump to conclusions that it's a bad thing at all. "Discussing your performance" could just mean that they want to see about maybe adding some things to your plate because you are efficient or particuarly good at what you do. I would never read that and presume the worst. Never. Unless I knew I was doing a bad job and worried that they were catching on to my incompetence.
He sent me an email in which he TOLD me what a terrible job he thinks I'm doing. He outright SAID he is "dissatisfied with my performance," and he also said some things that were completely untrue.
He had meetings with others about my performance. The meetings were on his calendar, and I was not included in those meetings.
Jen
Jo, you're being way too optimistic and sorry to say, pollyanna. I've been down this path and not getting included on meetings is a very bad sign. Even popular publications with articles about "top signs you might be fired" will point this out. If you're doing a good job, a boss is going to make a point to mention it, not sneak behind your back.
I still wonder if this is a deliberate way to get you to leave instead of having to deal with the possibility of unemployment claims or wrongful termination. It's pretty suspicious that your boss would use the calendar system that he should know full well that you have access to instead of using email or a phone call.
I would really ramp up the job search and hope that I'm being paranoid.
Boy, that sucks big time. It would be bad enough if he verbally told you, but to send you an e-mail is down right vicious. Did he ever have a conversation with you concerning your weak areas and ways to improve it? If not, then why not? He doesn't sound like manager-of-the-year material. All I can say is good luck and hope things blow over and work out for you.
The email is for a paper trail.
Yikes. Okay I was wrong. I just know once I came back to the table where my boss and colleagues were sitting and they were laughing. Said something about talking about me while I was in the bathroom. I snorted "yeah right, I'm not that interesting as to assume people talk about me when I leave the table" and my boss replied that no, seriously, they were. Said it was all good, though, and they were marvelling at how I was the first woman who ever worked there who had a clue technically.
Technically I should have been insulted by their idiotic sexism, but anyhow. I now just presume that people are saying good things about me when I'm not there. I would go crazy if I thought it was the other way. Oh, I know what's-her-name on what's-her-board isn't...but on the whole, I don't presume the worst. ROFL
I'm sorry about that situation though. That sucks.
(06-10-2010 05:53 PM)Dog Holliday Wrote: [ -> ]Boy, that sucks big time. It would be bad enough if he verbally told you, but to send you an e-mail is down right vicious. Did he ever have a conversation with you concerning your weak areas and ways to improve it? If not, then why not? He doesn't sound like manager-of-the-year material. All I can say is good luck and hope things blow over and work out for you.
No. He never did, not even after that email. I could see it if he'd sent me the email and then set up a meeting with me to talk about solutions, but he didn't.
The way my group works is they save up all of the negative for review time. Nice, huh?
Jen
No worries, Jo. I may not have been clear initially. I'm pretty pissed about it.
Jen
If I see a meeting going on with my peers and I'm not there, I assume they are talking about me - not in a good way.
At my last place there was a closed door meeting with all the big wigs. I emailed DH and said something bad is going to happen - I can feel it. Sure enough, CM was laid off that week. A couple of weeks later, it was my turn.
Well, here's an update. It has not gotten better.
In July, I was pulled into a meeting where I was told what a bad job I'm doing. I was told if I do not improve by mid-October, I will be out of a job. I was put on a "performance improvement plan" and given a "job coach." (The coach has actually been pretty helpful, and I think she's sympathetic to my situation. She has all but outright SAID that she agrees my boss is "difficult" and not a good communicator.)
As of now,he is still not happy with me, and I just don't give a shit. I really don't. I'm just continuing to look elsewhere (I applied for another job last night) and to do my best while I am still here.
We have another Big Meeting with a Bunch of People next week. Hoo-fucking-ray. I'm VERY bitter. I would have already quit, if I had any alternatives. I have set an intention to have a better job within a year's time.
Jen
I can relate. At my last job this happened and it was like there was nothing left I could do to please the boss. I had had enough and gave them a month's notice.