Odd work situation - advice needed please

[DailyMailGoAway]

Weird situation at work - I’d be grateful for any guidance on this please.

I’m a member of a union, and contacted my work union rep earlier today to ask for their advice. I emailed them but haven’t yet had a reply. I’m aware that they might take a while to reply.

I have a six-month probation in my job and had my three-month probation meeting today with my line manager.

In the meeting today, my line manager explained that I would be placed on an informal performance plan.

They said that this plan will last for five weeks and repeated several times in the meeting that the plan was informal. I asked what would happen if I didn’t pass the plan, and the manager explained that I would be graded as ‘under-performing’ if I didn’t pass.

I’m unsure about the reasoning behind the line manager’s decision to put me on a performance plan. I asked him why I was put on the plan and the manager couldn’t explain why.

In my last monthly meeting, I was graded as working at the expected standard. I am due to have another monthly meeting (for July) at the start of next week.

Before this meeting today, I had not been given any warning, either in writing or verbally, that I would be placed on the performance plan.

In today’s meeting, the manager listed areas for improvement that we had discussed before. They didn’t give me any specific targets for how I could improve in these areas though.

My colleagues and I all have weekly meetings with our managers, so my plan now is to bring in clear evidence and examples into each weekly meeting of how I meet each area for development discussed in the meeting today. This way, my manager can then see exactly what I’m doing to improve in each area and can also advise me about how I can improve further.

Does anyone have any other advice please of how I can approach this situation?

I think you've hit on the best way to deal with it - document instances where you are on standard. The manager had no instances or cases where you were not?

Document, document, document. I think I would be starting to look for another job. Sounds as if you're going to be managed out. Is there a formal training program?

I've been a victim of this myself. There's not much you can do. Someone has decided they don't like you. Sorry.

Very little you can do as you’ve not been there long.

The first thing I would do would be to start looking for another job. I wouldn’t want to work for a company that couldn’t adequately explain why my performance isn’t up to scratch.

You can try to fight it if you want, but it sounds like someone is trying to get rid of you.

Sorry OP.

IT sounds like they want to say, at the end of six months, that you've failed probation

Obvs wait to see what union rep says, but I might consider going to them and asking to be paid off quietly with three months notice instead of all this.

It's odd because legally they can let you go without a reason in this timeframe.

Thanks for your messages, everyone.

I’ve emailed the union rep and will send a follow-up email in a couple of days if I don’t have an answer.

I’ve got a monthly management meeting coming up in a few days where I write down what I’ve achieved in the last month as well as objectives to work on. I’ll make sure that I link all of my achievements and objectives for this meeting as closely as possible to the performance plan.

If anyone has any suggestions or further comments, please do post them here.

I really don’t want to out myself, but would like to give some context. The organisation that I work for is a very large public sector organisation. They pride themselves on fairness and integrity, so I’m very surprised that they’ve acted in the way that I’ve described in my OP.

Is there anywhere else I should go to for help apart from my union? I’ve already approached friends and family members for advice, which has been helpful.

Bumping.

I have worked for several not for profit organizations (I assume that's what you mean by public sector). The office politics can be quite as bad as anywhere else. It might be as simple as someone high up wants to open up your spot for a friend or relative and really have nothing to do with you specifically.

If you really document your performance and your union is behind you they might decide it's not worth the tussle to ease you out and find a plan B.

Good luck and do let us know how it goes.

Is it civil service? I’ve read a few threads about similar instances. Echoing previous posters I would say document everything and try to get reasoning behind performance management.

You are taking the right approach with written examples. I'd also put in writing to your Manager a request for specific goals & targets. As otherwise, a) you are being set up to fail & b) they may use that you didn't checj/ask for clarity against you. That happened to a colleague: they weren't given clear targets at Review & didn't ask/query it, but then were told this was another instance of 'their failure' & the onus to clarify was on them. They left & I don't blame them

Thanks again, everyone. Your ideas and guidance is really helpful. Yes, Barbie, it is the CS.

This is the sort of bollox my company does, and I've been there over thirty years and always had good to excellent reviews. I must spend 10% of every working day gathering evidence to my next performance review.

It is a total waste of labour, they think I'm ok, they would find it hard to get rid of me, so why do I have to do this crap.

Everything needs to be in writing from now on.

Ask for specific help with anything you are unsure about, by email. NOte down any conversations from manager regarding your work that are outside of actual meetings.

@DailyMailGoAway Absolutely document and have paper trails. I had almost the exact scenario (also CS). However mine was being told my probation was being extended by the maximum 3months for reasons they couldn't justify really. I was floored as had been getting great feedback and, actually, a huge amount of work following poor training. I also got handed a written warning at the same time as "it's part of the procedure"

I gathered all docs supporting me, built my case, appealed and won. Probation passed and warning scrapped.

Hopefully it won't go so far for you but I definitely suggest you start preparing. Good luck

You have no protection during probation unless you are being discriminated against because of a protected characteristic - and then unless it’s really overt, it’s hard to prove.
Your union won’t be much help, I’m afraid. They’ll be moral support rt and advise on correct process but not much else.
Firstly consider whether you do need to improve. It might be better to say you’ve reflected on the previous meeting and can see that you needed to do x better. (It might be to use a less abrupt email style, to participate more actively in team meetings or to return from lunch breaks within set time). Then show having accepted criticism you have improved. (So, for examples, take emails that are warmer in tone, take examples where you’ve offered to do something in a team meeting or offered to take the minutes, take a record of lunchbreak times).
Check your probation learning or task list and make sure you can show progression. Do the easy wins like online training.
Check you job description and take examples to demonstrate you are making the grade.
Create a portfolio of evidence for your PDR - sections for each objective with current evidence to show you are meeting it whilst acknowledging and shortfalls and areas for growth.
In the meeting ask for specific targets and clear objectives that need to be reached for success. Don’t accept woolly ‘improve communications’ or ‘more professional dress’ type things. If like that ask nicely for more specific goals.’Daily should ensure that emails marked urgent are responded to within 24 hours’ ‘Daily should dress within the accepted drsss code for the office and avoid dark things showing through thin, pale coloured trousers’.
Consider whether it is the job for you.

Agree there is no point waiting for help from your Union. They really are of no help to individuals.

Cherry has given very good advice so try to follow that. I went through this at a large company and it was horrible so you have my sympathy.

Thanks so much for your help, everyone. If anyone has any further advice to add, please do post it here.

Definitely polish up your CV and start hunting for new jobs. Why would you want to stay somewhere you are treated so badly

OP "They pride themselves on fairness and integrity, so I’m very surprised that they’ve acted in the way that I’ve described in my OP. "

every company says that.

hope everything goes well for you

Thanks so much, everyone.

I’ve now had an email reply from my work union rep after I emailed them yesterday.

The rep has suggested the following things:

1. They say that my line manager needs to explain why I’ve been put on an informal action plan, especially as I’ve had no previous indication of under-performing in any way.

2. If my LM has not been able to confirm the reasons for the plan, then I should challenge the LM on wanting to put an informal plan in place, saying there was no indication given to me about a dip in performance.

Therefore, the rep says that I’ll need to understand the reasons behins the suggestion of an informal plan, especially when up to now I have met expected standards.

3. They've suggested I keep a log going forward recording the work requests I’m completing and what comments/feedback I get from my LM and other work colleagues.

4. The rep says I can challenge my LM on the basis of saying that the correct process for addressing dips in performance was not followed. They suggest that I could therefore say that at this stage I do not feel an action plan is appropriate.

The rep has suggested that I try and resolve this informally with my LM at this stage.

What are your thoughts on this?

I’m unsure about how to approach my LM about the info given in my post above. Would you suggest that I send the LM an email to ask for a quick meeting? I haven’t yet been sent yesterday’s meeting notes from the LM.

First of all, I don’t feel comfortable telling the LM that my union gave me the advice outlined in my post above.

Secondly, I already asked the LM in yesterday’s meeting why I’d been put on the plan considering I hadn’t under-performed in my performance meeting last month, and the LM couldn’t answer this. They didn’t give a clear answer at all. If they couldn’t answer this question yesterday, how will they answer it today?

My thoughts are

1. wait till you get the written account from LM

2. if they don't give you a proper reason, don't ask for one. Let their wooliness stand in writing. Don't give them a chance to make up something feasible

3. make a list if your achievements and how you've met objectives etc and just keep it for yourself at this point so you are not forced to produce it under pressure

4. are you in a unionised environment? If you are, and you are uncomfortable telling your boss that you talked to them, that's a worry

5. what do you think is the end game here?

6. would you want to carry on in a job in this situation?

I would email your LM with a sort of “further to our meeting” type thing.

You’ve had loads of good advice, I agree with your Union rep they need to document why they want to put you on a Plan and also how they, as management, will be supporting you. Poor performance can also be an indication of poor management - and this is likely here as they don’t seem to be able to articulate why they want you on it.

Great advice so far but I just wanted to add as you're in CS don't resign!

Its hard work getting into the cs and each grade is pretty much transferable within the multiple arms of the service.

Underhanded things certainly can and do go on within public sector working and plenty of office politics etc but HR should be fairly well structured and efficient. Remember HR are not there for you but there to keep the department out of the shit if they fail to follow procedures. That's where your written logs of everything is so important.

If you want a chat with your LM make sure you create the request using outlook and get it documented, take notes and send the minutes afterwards.

They are setting you up to fail if they don't tell you what you need to aim for and how you need to improve.