Awful feedback in appraisal

[ele1000]

Namechanged as identifying.

Today I had my yearly appraisal and as part of it had 360 feedback from my colleagues.

There is a colleague I work alongside, closely, on the same projects but in different teams (think project manager and engineer type scenario). I am the specialist in this case. I have posted before about this man but basically he makes my life hell. He is aggressive, rude, stubborn and thinks he knows more than me desire a degree in my specialism. He refuses to negotiate on any task and any job I do for him is met with constant criticism.

My line managers met with me to discuss the feedback and basically said I had failed to meet my objectives, based mainly on feedback from the colleague. I asked to see the feedback and was told I couldn't. Further questioning revealed this was because it was a three page critique on me, where he has criticised my character, work, ability to meet deadlines, management style etc etc. It is not constructive and more of a character assassination.

I was obviously very upset after this and my managers gave me a hard time. I was told there was nothing positive.

Today I found this wasn't true at all and all other colleagues had given me very positive feedback. In the whole time I've worked in the business and not with this man I've received positive feedback.

So how do I move forward? I feel in an impossible situation where if I continue to work with this man I will never move up. I come home from work crying every day and not sure I can carry on.

In this circumstance, I'd write my CV and look for other jobs. And raise a grievance. I don't say grievance lightly!

Id move jobs pronto. Sorry they did this to you. You deserve more!

I take some of it on board such as learning to deal with stress, but this is the colleague I work with the most and he has not had one positive thing to say. At first I was very upset but now I'm not sure if I should stick it out?

My line managers keep saying I will always meet difficult people but this guy is another level. Other people, especially women, have also had issues with him but they don't work as closely as I do.

You should be able to see 360 feedback. The fact that they felt unable to show it to you speaks volumes and they should know better than that.

They should be able to distinguish between someone who doesn't like you and constructive criticism.

Achieving your appraisal objectives shouldn't be purely based on comments from someone who is not your line manager and certainly not without solid evidence.

I recently did 360 feedback for my manager. Its meant to be constructive feedback to aid development......not slating your character.

I work in HR and if I was in your position, I'd not take it lightly. I would raise it with someone in HR, because failing you on the word of one person isn't fair.
You can't be so poorly performing and it only be brought to your attention at the appraisal.

Do you have regular one to one meetings with your manager?

You should never reach the end of year and receive such a suprise in your appraisal. Where your objectives reviewed mid year?

Did you have any idea you were apparently meeyong not meeting objectives?
Because a failure to raise this with you earlier, indicates poor line management.

Feel free to PM me.... I'd be well pissed off with this.

Look for another job and file for constructive dismissal.

Sounds like very poor line management. If you were struggling to meet objectives, it should be raised long before an annual appraisal.
A 360 should be feedback from many colleagues, line manager and subordinates. It shouldn’t be the opinion of one person.

I too think take out a grievance and start looking.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/leaving-a-job/dismissal/claiming-constructive-dismissal/

I'd go, I recently left a toxic job and you clearly have a toxic job.
Not worth it as they will eventually destroy your confidence and then you will struggle to do any job. It took me three months to get my confdence back after that appalling job.

How long have you worked there?

Senior manager here - and for the record this is an appalling use of 360 feedback. Line managers are meant to give a balanced view taking range of views on board - not just one - and they are also meant to include their own judgment. If they are that hopeless you probably need a different company. But for now - challenge this and probably informally before a formal grievance. Ask them what they suggest in terms of support and development from them to get over this. And ask how they put this in the whole picture of your performance. I would also add that you wish to also put on the record your own perspective on this. Also consider raising a grievance...

There was feedback obtained from other colleagues, but it was portrayed to me that all feedback was negative.

It's only today that another colleague who collated the feedback revealed that there was plenty of other feedback with lots of positives. It was only this guy who had supplied a fully negative review. There are boxes to write positive comments and he had left these blank.

The issues with this colleague are ongoing and I have raised several concerns over specific incidents which haven't been dealt with. I didn't realise they would impact so negatively on my objectives as to me it was obvious this was a separate issue.

I don't have very regular catch ups with my manager other than this.

The problem isn't this man it's your crappy supine manager(s). There are arseholes everywhere but in a functional workplace managers don't deal with them like this or base your entire appraisal on one person's unfounded feedback. This isn't a fixable problem, so you fix it by shining up your CV and hitting the job market again.

I was in tears during the appraisal. The senior manager accompanying my line manager said 'I like to play the victim card'. But that is because I genuinely feel victimised by this colleague.

You can raise a subject access request via your HR department if you have one. They'll then have 30 days to provide you with everything on your file- which should include the feedback.

Another vote for constructive dismissal. Who puts these people in charge?

In my experience, (and not meaning to slate anyone on here - only based on what I have personally come across) HR add f all to the sum of human knowledge and are only there to stir shit.

360 appraisal was invented by HR to give them something important to be in charge of.

Appraisals serve no useful purpose - other than to let people know when they are in the wrong jobs.

Good luck, OP.

Do you have an HR department?

Under GDPR there is very little that can be withheld from you.

I’d put the following in worsting copied to HR:

You are concerned that your appraisal was based almost entirely on one colleagues feedback when that colleague has a history of being difficult with women.

You don’t understand how, after a history of positive feedback, things can change so much.

You would like to put a request under data protection to see all the feedback they hold on you.

You are aware that all best practise guidance states that a negative appraisal should never be a surprise, issues should have been flagged as they arose through the year.

You would like mediation with your colleague facilitated by your company.

You would like your line managers to review your appraisal in light of the above.

You need a new company. This is not how you should be like managed.

Writing NOT worsting!!!

If it was proper 360 appraisal you should’ve had your feedback given by a facilitator.

That's really not how 360 feedback is supposed to be used though - it's supposed to be 'person x says they'd like to see you speaking up more in meetings, what do you feel about that, is that something we should add to your objectives for the year ahead?' Or 'person y has recognised that you're really detail conscious, and I'm pleased because he's seeing the value you add to that task,'

And anywhere I've worked that does 360, you've ALWAYS been able to see the feedback, in fact, you collate it! Because ultimately it's supposed to be constructive and helpful.

I would check your policy very carefully, speak off record to Hr about how it's supposed to be used, and think carefully about a grievance.

I'd do all that after sorting your CV out though, cos life is far too short to work with dick colleagues and backbone-free managers.

Some examples of specific incidents:

• telling me a director had asked for Work to be completed that same day which was a hugely unrealistic deadline however as I believed it was a director request I stayed until midnight to complete it - colleague later told us he made this up, director had no idea

• consistently berating me for taking lunch breaks and going home on time (occasionally, I rarely take lunch or leave on time)

• deliberately praising a colleague who doesn't work on this project for work I did, in a document sent to the whole company

• constantly trying to micromanage by not giving me space to complete tasks before interrupting with criticism

• shouting at me in front of the office including my line manager when I had not read an email he sent and actioned the task within ten minutes.

On a Work night out he also tipped a drink over me and told me not to speak to him as I was 'beneath him'.

I have sent these examples to line manager several times and it hasn't been escalated.

askamanager.org is a great place to send stuff like this, you'll get great ideas if you're published there.

Do you think they could be trying to manage you out? Quite often when things just don’t add up and managers seem to be trying to make your life difficult, they are hoping your work life is becoming so uncomfortable that you’ll resign.