To think I've been given a verbal warning or even shown the door?

[chatenoire]

Hey ladies!

I've told you about this saga before, but I feel like if I read between the lines, I was either given a first verbal warning or kindly shown the door.

My boss told me that she's noticed a complete decline in my performance in the past two months. I however know that yes maybe in August? I noticed things were starting to go south, but looking at emails/calendars it was early September.

Anywho, it was multifactorial but overall my manager gave me a few options:

*That she'll support me to move to another company in case I'm unhappy (I assured her I'm not, but she mentioned it twice).

*That I can move to a different team (she told me to tell her by next week as she'll meet that manager)

*Work on my current role.

She however did ask (twice) to at least do my basic job correctly (help her to help me).

I do feel a bit stuck, but I think it's because they started pointing things at me and not necessarily because I was terrible to begin with. I also think that because my core workload is low, my output is also low, so it's easier to see mistakes.

So your current performance is at 50%?!

Previously you said there was no appraisal system , now you had a mid year one

Yeah it's so subpar that I forget it exists.

But yes that fateful day that put me on edge was the 15th of Sept.

All mistakes i.e. the documents are from that date.

I do know that from say the 1st of September I started doing my side project to almost 100% of my time.

Presumably your "side project" is not part of your core job role. How did that come about?

As a matter of interest are you working today?

I'm out.

Clearly, you're a fantastic employee and they've been deliriously happy with you the entire time and suddenly everyone in the senior team has done a 180 for no good reason.

*All mistakes i.e. the documents are from that date.

I do know that from say the 1st of September I started doing my side project to almost 100% of my time.*

So, the job you actually want to do was keeping you interested and busy, so you lost focus on your other (ETA: actual) job, and knowing that you struggle with A > B > C tasks, you let those just slide because (a) they’re not your dream job and (b) you couldn’t be bothered to write yourself an A > B > C flow chart.

I’m not trying to scare you, but the fact your company has a recruitment freeze may be temporarily protecting you.

Stop blathering on about not getting 1:1s when you can’t even remember an appraisal you had just weeks ago! Sounds like you’ve had plenty of 1:1 time given all the conversations you’ve reported here. My guess is that you don’t count 1:1 time unless it was in your email calendar and called “My 1:1 With…” But it’s still happening.

The thing is OP from your other posts all relating to work, which somebody else way upthread summarised, there have been issues with two colleagues and your manager. You actually have various threads all mentioning difficulties with work.
This is just the latest thread continuing on from all the previous ones.

Even in your other threads that I have glanced at, you yourself readily admit that your own performance is not at its best.

But you seem to be adamantly ignoring the fact that your manager clearly and concisely gave you 3 options. You then tried to incorporate a 4th but have admitted it's not viable.

You have received some valuable advice on this thread but are ignoring it, as indeed you are now ignoring what your Manager has recently said to you in presenting you with 3 clear options.

However much you may try to justify, pontificate and ignore the obvious, your Manager clearly stated two options of looking for another job outside the company or you moving to another team/department. She also stated that you need to do your current job better in the meantime.

If you were so marvellous at your job she just would not be recommending these options. Managers do not suggest their valued employees get another job with another company or move to another department. The writing is on the wall as your employment is under the two year duration. You can be released from your employment with the company with very little notice. That all changes after two years of continued employment.

I'm definitely bowing out as this thread is definitely not helping me at all. I know what to do, and thank you for the constructive feedback.

I've only just come to this thread - so I may have missed you OP, but fwiw, I wonder if you have considered why your boss hasn't passed the work back to you to correct? She is correcting it herself, at a cost to herself. This, combined with your colleague who seems overworked, not passing work to you, says to me they have lost faith that you can do the job you were given. They've seen you more engaged with the side gig and probably think you're not happy and will move on when you find something better in anycase, especially if you've been in a more senior role before. It's also possible the talk of promotion was to engage and motivate your enthusiasm to prove yourself in your current role - they hoped you would develop, improve and put 100% into your role, but are now having second thoughts due to your dip in performance and interest elsewhere. Pushing you out now will be easier than after 2 years. You have to decide whether you can up your game MASSIVELY in this role, or jump ship, with or without their support. If you want to stay you are going to have to fight and convince them you can do it and are worth it. In a sense, they have to offer you the opportunity to do this. But I'm not hearing that is what you see, or what you want, and I'd be surprised if that's not the way they are thinking too. I expect they would prefer to work with you to move you into something else, than sack you, because this is easier for both of you, but more so because it makes business sense.

I can appreciate this viewpoint takes some reading between the lines to obtain, and if you are ND this is not something you'll find easy. I agree your needs should be catered for, but they aren't going to offer that, and can't really be criticised for not having done so, unless you inform them that this is the issue. I hope this is helpful.

Autistic , very successful English teacher here. Communication is my bread and butter. Horrified by some of these comments around neurodivergency.

Ah gosh @pebbles1976 I hope my comment above didn't offend? My understanding is people with autistic tendencies often take the literal meaning of things and can find it hard to read between the lines /social cues - I've had to work hard to overcome my own difficulties in this area and often wonder where I am on the spectrum. Maybe I'm wrong in assuming the OP needs to raise this as a possible cause herself for investigation - do employers have a responsibility to explore whether someone is ND? I appreciate too that you're not responsible for educating me if I'm ignorant on this, but I'd gladly be corrected if I am wrong.

@chatenoire I hope you do have a clear view from the comments other posters have made. In an ND clarity (me too)/summarising the situation perspective, I hope that what you have concluded you need to do is:

1. Recognise the absolute non-negotiables of your core job. If this is that A>B>C and checklists are completed & no corners cut & no messy documentation & no manager correction needed, then pull your finger out and make sure the bog basic tasks of your current role are done right first time, every time. Without this, the risk you are let go before your 2 year anniversary is extremely high.
2. Clarify the timeframe yourself. You seem to be extremely passive in waiting to be managed. Message your boss again with something like 'I've reflected on our discussion and I understand that completing all my core tasks (in 1) to a high standard is the basic expectation of my role. I will be self-monitoring on this and you won't have any further problems. However you asked for a response within the week on whether you could support an internal transfer, and I think on balance, a move to team X would be a better fit. I would like to take you up on your offer of support to set up a discussion with team X manager to discuss the possibility?'
3. Stop having an existential crisis about how bored you are or how fulfilling your job is or what the perfect blend would be. You're being paid (handsomely?) for your current role but have been spectacularly sloppy & not proactive at all when needing input from other people to get/keep the quality up.
4. Wake up & smell the coffee! You're pissing people off all around you & fobbing off the feedback you're given because it's not in your perfect format. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of it. Never mind sending your manager a SWOT of what your perfect setup would be. Your manager is paying you because there is a boring core workload which is essential to THEM is done. You're not doing it. They are having to correct it for you.
5. Curry some favour by making it clear you understand you have underperformed in your core role & sloppy mistakes WILL NOT happen again. This might just keep the door open on an internal transfer.
6. Look at other jobs in the current market (not in work hours) as you may find you need to be interviewing for them in month 49 anyway. Do not kid yourself the grass is greener. Go back to your own role spec & ask if you are delivering your salary's worth (70k?) of value against your core tasks. If you're not, £35k of wins on side work is irrelevant as you're not earning your keep to start with.

Communicate everything clearly, focusing on what your manager NEEDS, not what you WANT. Do not wait for them to take the lead on this.

Good luck.

Don’t worry. There is a phrase in our community: ‘if you have met one ND person, you have met one ND person.’ Because we are all so different. People can never believe I am autistic. 🤷‍♀️🙄 I am someone you would objectively consider a very good communicator.

Ironically I teach literature, meaning I am adept at reading between the lines and working metaphorically!

When I received my assessment I was so worried that I had been going around unknowingly offending people with misunderstandings 😂 But the Dr said I will just be working a little harder, cognitively, than most to figure things out, because it might not be so easily intuited.

It’s just such a spectrum we can’t generalise but I do see why it happens.

My feeling was that op’s 1st language is not English which is accounting for the blurry communication. I’m finding it hard to follow her too tbh. doubt this is indicative of her verbal expression though.

Hope she is ok. Some pretty unpleasant tones in replies, I thought. I do wonder why people can’t be just kind in their delivery, because if there is one area ND peeps might converge, it’s that many of us are highly sensitive. Especially to perceived rejection.

Thanks @pebbles1976 - that makes sense to me! I too hope OP is okay and can find the support she needs and a positive way forward.

I would also refer to the above poster who mentioned autistic people not being in the workforce. Some of the appalling attitudes of posters here and the manner in which they are expressing themselves, would make many autistic people run for the door in a workplace!! Being curt and abrasive is just so unnecessary, but says more about the person obvs. I hate that” be kind” had become a cliched phrase, but really, just be kind.

Sorry I don’t think you can be helped 🙈
you are just not getting it.
good luck…

Op have you been assessed for adhd? There is something about your communication style which is very hard to follow and it reminds me of what’s going on inside my head a lot if the time. I have always had to make an effort to make myself very clear to others rather than just brain-dumping.

PLOT TWIST not that it changes much BUT... While running some reports that my boss doesn't have access to, I found that my colleague actually isn't as busy (she's just as busy as me) but inflates her calendar with "phantom" events.

We also ended up churning the same amount of documents (that actually got signed) and I produced twice as much as her in actual monetary terms and within my main role.

It's not a bloody competition, though, is it?! You're coming across as very petty in thus update.

I'd be less concerned with your colleague's output and performance and concentrate upon your own job.

Exactly this. Don't use your perception of others to justify your shortcomings. Focus on your own performance issues. Have you responded to the manager yet?

Yes BUT she got to me and made me feel useless. She pointed fingers which ended up helping destroying my morale.

My manager isn't going to HQ anymore, so the opportunity won't happen (at least this week).

So nothing to talk to her about beyond what I've been working on.

And maybe you have "got" to her too by shirking the basics of the job. It is not a very productive way of thinking though.

The thing is OP, your Manager has had conversations with you. She may have had conversations with your colleague but that is a completely separate issue.

You need to focus on your work, not make mistakes and up your game - as requested by your Manager. This doesn't involve looking at what your colleague has or has not done in comparison to you.

Also your Manager did state the timeframe that she wished to be told this week if you want her to put you forward for a transfer of department. I would stick to what she has requested irrespective of whether she is going to HQ or not. The conversations she may plan for this don't necessarily mean she has to do them in person, but can lay a first stage approach by telephone to the relevant person etc?

Again, you are making assumptions based on your own perception of things. It's up to your manager how she handles an approach of seeing the feasibility of putting you forward for a transfer and she asked for your decision this week.

No because she's always complained about the same thing over and over. For at least 8 months, way before my "downfall".

She explicitly said she'd discuss it over a beer/smoke when she was there as an "informal" chat.

Besides she's just given me a full workload that spans into the new year so either I transfer roles or do that workload. They're mutually exclusive.

I'll have a chat with her on Friday I think that's when I can have more clarity overall.

Oh my god, just get on with your work!