Process for sacking due to poi performance

[Itscurtainsforyou]

I'm having problems doing my work to the standard my boss requires. They're very picky (& a bit over the top) but ultimately they're the boss so if I'm not performing to their standard, it's a problem. I'm completely sleep deprived which is part of the reason I'm not performing well. I worked there for 3 years before mat leave where I didn't have these problems.

They've not formally started any performance improvement process. Do they need to start a formal process before they try to get rid of me? How does it work?

I am truly doing my best re sleep and the impact on my performance but I don't think it's going to improve overnight.

To go down the performance route, a reasonable employer should look at why the mistakes happen: is it a capability issue (in which case it might be fixable with appropriate support) or one of attitude?

Were you making these "mistakes" before you went on mat leave? Or has there been a genuine decline in your performance?

And has there been a change in your line manager?

I ask as it's not beyond the realms of possibility that it's a case of shit-manager-syndrome.

If I were you I would go see your doctor and get signed off for PND and stress. Lack of sleep is a form of torture and if your baby has health issues I would speak to your GP about them signing you off. What your manager is doing sounds like low level bullying and constructive dismissal.

As a manager I have had a couple of women return with babies who cry a lot and their performance dips in the first 18 months of the babies life. During appraisal time I have advised them to go out sick during the review period when I have known they are making lay offs. None of them have been laid off but most have used the time to find a new job.

There are ways to cope with minimal sleep. Go slow to start with and triple check your work is what I do. I drink vast amounts of water and eat as well as I can do.

For dyslexia, my employee was advised to print off their work and check it on paper rather than on the screen. Try it. It might help you.

"And has there been a change in your line manager?"

She has said that there was.

"I don't understand how if you use that and have others check typos are still getting through."

Don't be silly. Everyone makes typos, even with spellcheck. I once typed cards instead of cars, obviously not caught by spellcheck because they're both words that exist. Someone called my boss to complain and I had to send it out again just for that one letter.

I've looked through the thread again and don't see the change in line manager.

What I did miss previously is that this is a small business. It shouldn't change anything from a legal perspective, but from a practical one it does as a small business has less capacity to carry under-performers.

I can understand both sides here. On a human level, I can identify with the frustrations felt by your boss if you are making unreasonable mistakes; I can also appreciate just what a big impact this is having on you personally. You will find that the misery of the work situation creeps into every other area of your life if you allow it to continue.

In an ideal world you should be completely honest with your boss. In reality, your boss' previous form suggests the response is unlikely to be sympathetic to anything but businesses needs. At the same time you cannot afford to throw away your statutory rights after working for longer than 2 years. Unaltered, the situation will lead you to a stalemate of who will crack first.

OP, given that maintaining the status quo is unlikely to be an option for long, what's your preferred outcome here?

But we've had some very tight timescales recently. So that's probably not helped

A reasonable adjustment could be to ensure you are given more time to increase the quality of your work.

In reality, your boss' previous form suggests the response is unlikely to be sympathetic to anything but businesses need

The boss does need to respond to the OPs situation, even if it's against their normal tendency. If they become excessively impatient when she is sleep deprived and working with the challenge of dyslexia, it starts to become low level bullying. But on the OPs side, she needs to adopt additional accuracy checks to avoid further slippage in quality.

"I've looked through the thread again and don't see the change in line manager."

Fair enough, it's not actually there. I just assumed because she didn't have any problems in previous years.

"as a small business has less capacity to carry under-performers."

I don't agree that a fussy boss complaining about a few typos and formatting mistakes that are also not caught by others means OP is under-performing. I think it's more likely she's being bullied.

"n the OPs side, she needs to adopt additional accuracy checks to avoid further slippage in quality."

Why does she? We have no proof that she's making more mistakes than anyone else, just the fussy boss's word for it. That's how bullies work - they make the bullied people blame themselves.

I was in this situation in one job, everything was criticised down to where I placed the comma. Had also just become a parent in difficult circumstances and assumed that's why I was under performing.

A year later they took on 3 new members of staff, who got the same treatment and 2 of them chose to leave within their first 3-5 months, the second without another job to go to but it was having too much impact on her mental health.

If you have previously performed well I doubt your performance has slipped that badly, and would expect your boss to be helping you find ways to cope. E.g. who in the team IS good at proof reading?

This is tough, I hope you get some sleep soon OP. Just wanted to suggest Grammarly. It's made a big difference to my dyslexic colleague. It picks up lots of typos and grammatical errors. Good luck.

Hello I'm back with an update. Went through boss' comments (which took a while). Sent it back and now it seems like he has lots of comments on the technical content. I put more detail into the report to clarify the questions he had previously, so not sure why there are so many further comments.

It's really getting me down. I genuinely don't know if I'm under performing or if he's being overly picky/critical. I think I know that medium/long term I'm going to need to get another job (shame as otherwise like the company). In the short term I'm so stressed/anxious about it it's making me feel physically ill. I want to go off sick and tell him to change the report however he wants, but that would be unprofessional and probably make things much worse.

Sorry, just venting now.

I diagnose a clear case of shit-manager syndrome. Your boss' methods are not designed to get the best out of you. How I wish I could spend 1/2 hour with them and share a few insights into how to get the best out of employees. The sad thing is, they probably don't have a clue about how their actions are affecting you.

You are right to be looking elsewhere. Draw a clear line once work is over and focus your efforts into finding a role in an organisation that values its employees.

I know just how you feel OP, I'm in similar situation. I have a temperamental and highly-critical boss who has (almost) impossibly high standards. You have to constantly earn her respect or she tears everything you do to shreds. I'm a sensitive person and when I'm in her bad books I feel sick with anxiety.

I've been on maternity leave too and when I came back a few months ago I could definitely see myself making more mistakes. I was also out of practice with "managing" my boss, coping with her bad moods etc. It was awful. I felt like my whole world was collapsing.

I'm very dependant on my job. If I lost it I wouldn't have the confidence to apply for something similar. I think I'd never earn the same wage again. And I'd become a recluse. And we've just taken on a huge mortgage that makes us dependant on my salary.

If you did the job well before I doubt you're significantly underperforming now. The problem is that this job is now destroying your confidence and self-esteem. Because you're being criticised you'll blow any mistakes you make out of proportion. Also, do you really want to go on being made to feel like this? I think the right thing to do is to find another job.

I'm struggling to take my own advice though! In my defence, I'm pregnant (early days) and it wouldn't make sense to job hunt now. I also think I'm really lucky to have the job that I have. It is very niche and ironically (on a good day) my boss created this role for me taking into account my strengths and weaknesses. I'm going to keep a diary of my boss's behaviour because it feels like that might be helpful one day. She gave me a list of objectives that I'm going to make sure I do. I'm also getting treatment through my GP for my social anxiety disorder because it has a big impact on my work (and life generally) and also because I'm guessing I can fallback on that if they start attacking that aspect of my work.

Do you get on well with your colleagues? I find it helps me cope with it when I can see her doing the same thing to other people and hear them saying how difficult she is.

Jesus. I think that's the longest thing I've ever written on Mumsnet. Hit a nerve...

OP. Don't let the bastards grind you down.

It sounds like there is a great deal left to be desired in the workplace.

I'm going to keep a diary of my boss's behaviour because it feels like that might be helpful one day. To what end? For your own sake and to get it out of yours system, fine. But with the intention of confronting them with it one day - not such a good move for industrial relations.

OP and KK'sarse - you have really made me think about developing another string to my bow. It would give me great personal satisfaction to help teams / managers and their direct reports to work through issues. What you are describing are situations where no-one is happy or thinking about the impact their behaviour has on others and all its doing is creating a sick organisation.

I bet your bosses would be amazed that things could change so much with a change in attitude. But first they have to change, and so does the employee to a degree.

To what end? For your own sake and to get it out of yours system, fine. But with the intention of confronting them with it one day - not such a good move for industrial relations

KimKardashian's note taking is a very wise move which I recommend is a far more constructive one than you suggest high.

Having accurate facts and data in hand is far more conducive to employment relations than relying on memory. It isnt necessarily confrontational to mirror back to a manager or colleague something they said or did which was unhelpful, distructive or downright bullying - rather it can (if handled adeptly and calmly), show the person you are in control and know your shit so you don't get walked over!

Having accurate facts and data in hand is far more conducive to employment relations than relying on memory. It isnt necessarily confrontational to mirror back to a manager or colleague something they said or did which was unhelpful, distructive or downright bullying - rather it can (if handled adeptly and calmly), show the person you are in control and know your shit so you don't get walked over!

I don't disagree, but it really should be the last line of attack when there's nothing to be lost - hence my comment about IR. Going through a grievance process isn't a pleasant process for anyone, and should not be underaken without attempting other informal methods of resolution. Grown-ups talk through issues in an adult fashion before they escalate.

Unfortunately there are organisations full of people who don't behave like "grown-ups", don't want to talk things through and are often power-hungry or just very poor at managing people. Which is why so many people have to resort to keeping a daily diary of events because they know at some point the shit will hit the fan and its the only way to defend themselves.

The diary keeping is something that my colleagues who practise employment law recommend (I'm a solicitor in a different field). For me it's a defensive thing. I don't plan on doing anything with it unless my performance is more formally questioned.

I've thought so many times to say to my boss that I work far better with encouragement and support than criticism and hostility but I worry about her reaction. I know that if she decides to get rid of me it will happen whether I'm competent or not. I think she'd opt for redundancy. Employment rights are a bit of an illusion really.

I've thought so many times to say to my boss that I work far better with encouragement and support than criticism and hostility but I worry about her reaction. I know that if she decides to get rid of me it will happen whether I'm competent or not.

You can't live like this! It must be like the sword of Damocles hanging over your head, its already having an adverse impact on your health and that's not fair on you or your family. For now, concentrate on getting through each week and network like mad within your field.

Some professions take great pride in accuracy, being tough and decisive: law, medicine and accountancy are the ones that spring to mind. Unfortunately, the characteristics that can make a brilliant lawyer can also make a poor people manager.

Picked up an email telling me how my report is poor and how disappointed he is - and to tell him how long it will take m

Me to put it right. Answer - I have no idea, I've done my best and it's not good enough.

No clue what to do/how to approach this. Feel like walking out and never going back (not practical/financially viable)

Wow, everyone is blaming the boss but have you considered that the boss may have a point? The OP has said how exhausted she is and how little sleep she's getting. I know how many mistakes I make when I've hardly slept. When I look at my work a day later (when I've had some sleep), I wonder what on earth I was on! So I sympathise with the OP as it may well be that she really does have a problem with the quality of her work since having her baby and it's hardly surprising given the lack of sleep. Poor woman is permanently exhausted.

So rather than blaming the boss's management skills, can we come up with anything that can help the OP? Or is it a case of her sitting down with her boss and/or HR and telling them that she's really struggling with the lack of sleep and asking for their understanding. Maybe she could work with them to change her work responsibilities until the sleep situation resolves itself. Is there anything she could change at home (DP help out more etc etc) to give her more support / get more sleep.

Also, from the boss's perspective, running a small business isn't easy, especially not in the current climate. The boss needs to deliver and people's livelihoods depend on it. It sounds like the boss was fine with the OP's performance pre-baby (OP can you confirm?) but if the OP is making a significant number of mistakes now, this may well have an impact on either the business or the boss (who may have to be picking up extra work to cover for the OP's errors).