Hello Bald Man,
At the beginning of this year, I received my annual review, and it was not good. In fact it was significantly worse than in prior years. My boss told me that if I did not turn my performance around there would be ‘disciplinary steps’ taken. I take this to mean that I would get written up, maybe fired.
I am distraught over this. I have always gotten decent reviews, and I thought I was good with my manager, even friendly. I am unsure what to do here.
Sincerely,
Scared of Unemployment
Dear Scared,
I have worked in numerous management-type jobs in the past. It is never a good sign when your manager is telling you, in so many words, to shape up or ship out. The silver lining here is that you have not been fired yet, but you need to take some action right away. Here are a few thoughts on how to proceed:
- Pay close attention to the specific items that your manager is telling you to fix. If you can demonstrate improvement in those areas it will help. Keep in mind that you also need to keep track of your progress. Your manager may miss improvements you are making, and you need backup for HR if they take next steps.
- Don’t be combative with the feedback you are getting. I have had a number of employees in the past who have had trouble with performance, but the biggest issue is when people are constantly complaining about expectations, especially when others are easily meeting those expectations.
- Ask for regular progress updates from your manager. This will force them to discuss your progress and acknowledge improvements, as well as let you know where you stand. It also demonstrates our willingness to improve.
- Update your resume, and start looking for other jobs. This may be an aggressive step to take right away, but you are definitely in better shape if you change jobs on your own vs getting fired.
- If you get to the point where you are being written up for performance, then it is definitely time to move to a new job. By this point management has come to terms with the fact that you need to be let go, and is on the lookout for any further issues.
- Remember – Management and HR are not really your friends, they are there to protect the company. Act accordingly.
This all might seem scary, but if you take a proactive approach to the situation it could end up as a net positive for you. Good Luck!
Sincerely,
Bald Man
Bald Advice 