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.

I got that they like me, that's why I've been utilised in different departments. I have been on loan, and my boss had to take me back as I was spending too much time doing that stuff

Spending too much time as in being inefficient perhaps. Admin may not affect the actual sale but the sale cannot be processed and recorded otherwise.

Sorry but 😀😂😃😊

Op's manager has said there is one way of saying this. Just one. Get the hell out of my team or you will be dismissed. Which "way" did you think they were saying it?

Lots of people have been rude and even cruel to the op. They are enjoying her possible dismissal. The posts are basically “get a clue op you are shit” vipers cackling at her confusion. As you want to laugh at me for treating op with a little dignity, let’s have at it. Some of you are enjoying another person’s worry and misery too much and it’s not shining you in a great light. But, the facts she has presented are that there is room for improvement but she’s not on a Pip. I worry that people forget there are human beings with actual feelings who might be at a low point in their lives and this kind of cruelty pushes them over the edge.

Not all of us are cruel.

OP’s boss demonstrably did NOT threaten dismissal. You are factually incorrect on this as well as many other points. 🙄

They don't want to fire you. They are hoping someone else will want you or fire you.

Tbh from reading your posts it seems like you might be better off applying for a job that suits your strengths more. You say you're good with data and SQL - can you use that somewhere?

No most people including me genuinely want the OP to understand what is happened to her. Many of us sharing managerial experience with the OP so that she understands this so that she can do something before it’s too late.

And many us are past exasperation at the OP’s inability to grasp what is happening.

I'm not seeing any cruelty. I'm seeing genuine concern for someone who is struggling to see the precariousness of their position and some posters have perhaps been a bit more blunt in pointing that out. I know some of my remarks might seem bordering on being rude, they're not meant in that way, they are to try and get OP to reflect and think about what she wants, and how to go forward. I haven't seen anyone rubbing their hands in glee, if anything I've seen people exasperatingly, and painstakingly giving the OP the heads up that her job is at risk.
If anything I've seen more support for OP on this thread than almost any other threads on here today 

Should add with OPs latest update, about her team supporting her then it all seems a bit if a storm in a tea cup, and OP will be fine, which is a great outcome.
I'll wish op all the best and bow out now.

OPs manager has said improve or go to another team, or else. How "factually incorrect " can that be? OP is on an improvement plan. They must improve. Or go. Exactly which points do you think are factually incorrect????

Ermm ... in the OPs opinion, and if employment is now a democracy.

This thread is infuriatingly confusing.

OP....What helpful points have come out of it for you? What will you do differently as a result of it? How will you think about this situation differently? How is this thread helping you?

I mean I guess that depends on the job. I've been in mine 6 years and make an error/mistake maybe once every 3 months
It's not unknown for someone to make 4 mistakes in a month in our department and then none for a few months or get 3 in a week

Nothing earth shattering but it's strictly monitored

I think @anunlikelyseahorse had her tongue buried deep in her cheek...

Nope, not that either. None of my mistakes have backfired, got us in trouble with clients or cost us any money.

So out of those 8 documents I produced:

• one my boss fixed --- lack of technical rewording, we normally used templates. I also mentioned two colleagues would do the job. They were aware of it, but apparently that was a no-no

*one had an extra word in the title - my bad

*one she just decided it sucked and fixed as a team -- this one was my normal standard. However, I was not involved from the start and created a "blurb" based on notes and a recording . Apparently the quality of my blurb was terrible. Something of this calibre would also have multiple calls/meetings but there was only one and I wasn't part of it

*I'm bad at the "blurbing" but at the same time practice makes perfect which is why the lower workload comes into place

The rest were fine or at least have had no feedback on

The ticking the boxes helps with basic reporting , and yes I've probably missed it a couple of times. Probably also forgot to update another file.

My bosses annoyance is that she had to do it for me. Which is what I mean with the lack of workload not helping. I'm a forgetful person especially the type of A>B>C and if there can be weeks when I don't do it, then I can see how I forgot. It's not an excuse it's just understanding the possible explanation of things.

There are other processes that I've done so many times that I do them for my colleagues even though it's within their role and not mine.

I always knew there was not enough workload for my colleague and I.Which is why I diversified (and not because they want to pass the responsibility of who fires me).

The difference in workload did become silly over the summer, which I did raise.

There are other bits of my job that I'm better than the rest of my team. Early summer I wrote the proposal (our side of it) worth millions, we won it (as a team but still). In fact I'm the one who does most if not virtually all proposals.

I'm the one who met with our clients over a company wide change. I'm the one dealing with that. If that went wrong it could also cost millions.

So it's not like I'm a complete failure and I think everyone can recognise that. Yesterday I did something that literally nobody else in the company could do, and yes it's rare (thus why I've only done it once), and yes I only generated like £10k, but I did get a company wide shout-out.

In terms of this blip that according to my boss is not a PIP because I did ask for a timeframe to get my act together, and I was told there wasn't one. I've created a document with the things that have been pointed out, what's on track, what's in progress, and a real diary of what I'm up to - in terms of my core role.

I think my boss thinks I don't find my job interesting or challenging and thus why she thought I was bored, and thus why I became "forgetful". I would call it out of practice more than anything else, but that's my take on it.

@Neriah- this is the original post- can you highlight the part where her boss threatens to dismiss her, put her on a pip or in fact that any formal action against her? 🙄As I said, factually incorrect and doubling down.

So saying “you’re beyond help” isn’t at all cruel? That’s just one of many….

There is another scenario here- Op is under performing now, but is liked, loyal, turns up every day and also has skills that are useful to the company, who don’t want to lose her.

Recruitment is expensive and unreliable and it takes time to train people.

So OP’s manager is laying it out and asking for improvement without threatening sanctions because she doesn’t want to replace her, she just wants Op to pull her socks up.

The problem with reading between the lines when it’s not spelled out is that you might be wrong.

I think after almost 48hrs of the original call that's what has happened.

Redundancies are always spoken of in the company and my boss always reassured me that it wouldn't be me. Now I know it would be me. (Big change, but not earth shattering).

My understanding now is that as long as I get back to my previous level, I'll be fine. Obviously from my POV volume needs to increase so I can "practice" but most importantly prove that I've improved.

The between the lines is that maybe she genuinely thinks I'd be happier somewhere else.

I like bits of my role but not all of it. I know that if I were doing this for say 5+ years I wouldn't like it. I have a broad idea of what I like (that's where the idea of moving teams came) but I don't know if that team would be the best fit, or not.

What I "need" is to buy myself some time to "find myself". I did mention this to her, and she said that they happen, that they've happened to her.

From a personal POV she's annoyed she has to correct some of my work, which isn't much but to her it must seem like a lot.

Her vague, "empowering" I found it quite the opposite: demoralising and it left me second guessing as I wasn't sure if it was about me or not (both the positive and the negative).

So I'm tracking everything, hopefully this will show that

a) I've improved

b) figure what I want in life (job wise)

@Nemareus - the manager would not offer twice to help OP move to a different company if that was all the case. She's stressed very clearly to OP that the work is not up to standard and it needs to be from now on. If OP is encouraged to not take that seriously, then she will be unnecessarily very surprised when she's fired.

but I think that's obvious isn't it?

The emphasis on "moving on" I did find it a bit odd, but maybe she really thinks I hate it here (AFAIK most do).

The key is that yes I need to improve but it won't be tracked nor documented. Which is why it's not a PIP (and she's said it herself).

Maybe I need a PIP, and that might work best for me (as in goals, deadlines, etc..)

I get why she thinks I was "bored" I got side tracked with the other projects (that were given to me not because of my bandwidth but because of another from last year), and yes I did find that way more interesting.

It doesn't really matter what you want to do, or what you find interesting.

You are being paid to do a job that your boss (and others) are having to do for you.

You cannot do your job properly.

This is a problem for the company, as they are paying you but you are creating more problems than you are solving.

It is possible that you are causing problems you are not aware of.

I think you need to stop focusing on why this is not your fault, and on why your mistakes are (in your opinion only) not that bad.

Instead, think about which of the options you have been offered is the most appropriate, and then focus on what practical steps you will take towards that.

It is possible that losing this job would be a good thing for you. It would allow you to look for something you are better suited to.

I think overall you're right, but I think the main misunderstanding here is that my boss isn't doing my job (or anyone else for that matter).

My boss is correcting bits of my job.

It hasn't been said that I can't do my job as a whole properly, but for better or for worse one of the few visible outputs of what we do are those documents.

My problems are creating a few hours that AFAIK only my manager knows.

My "side gigs" so far have created £35k in the past couple of months.

I'm trying to figure out what role is really suitable for me. - jack of all trades mentality - and I have the very big blocker that I can only take remote jobs. However that's the "buying time" element of this.

Apply for a job doing the side gig

Are they aware of your nd? If so they may find it difficult to sack you and want to try to give you the opportunity to make it work hence why they have not formally disciplined you. However if others are having ti redo your work it is clearly not up to standard and while you may think you are being productive, unfortunately you are not. That you feel you are bored, distracted or looking for progression is not important if you are not fulfilling the basic tasks of the job you are paid to do. If other team members are having to compensate and complaining managers will be looking to move you onto other departments.

I'm trying to figure out what role is really suitable for me. - jack of all trades mentality - and I have the very big blocker that I can only take remote jobs. However that's the "buying time" element of this.

But time is ticking here. When did you actually start this job and when is the 2 year period up as this is the crucial thing? What date?

Your manager has told you she needs to know by next week if you want to be transferred to the other team/area. So if you do, realistically you need to tell her this Monday that is your decision. Your "buying time" element is running out here.