Manager issues - 360 feedback my arse

[flownthecoopkiwi]

Long story with a difficult manager who bullied two or three previous members of staff, as well as me, although I've stayed on and not made a formal complaint.

A couple of years ago we did a 360 feedback exercise for our small team, she gave feedback on me but didn't ask me to give feedback on her.

This month, doing the exercise again. We were explicitly asked to seek feedback from each member of the team and once again I've not been asked to provide feedback on her. Small team, like less than 10 people.

Just furious and want to pull out of the exercise completely. Have told person who is organising this. Not sure what else I can or should do?

We have no working relationship on a daily basis.

If it's not your own line manager (you use 'a' manager rather than 'my'), then give the feedback about the person to your own line manager. Highlight that your understanding was that everyone should seek feedback from everyone, but you haven't been asked by this person, can he/she (your own line manager) clarify whether you should have been asked, and if not, can he/she pass it on to the appropriate person.

If the manager is actually your own manager, ask him/her about it - say you find the 360 exercise really useful but you haven't as yet received his/her request for feedback, was this an oversight and as you do have some feedback, can you forward it to him/her please?

its my direct line manager.

I should bite the bullet and ask them? Via email or in open plan office

Its difficult to tell from your post who exactly is instigating the 360 feedback process for the team? Is it your direct LM (who is the person you have difficulty with)?

Its often the case that a line manager will ask their direct reports to solicit feedback from people they have had interactions with on projects etc.

It isn't always custom and practice for the direct report to give 360 feedback about their LM. I have had to evaluate LM performance a couple of times in my career, and both times those managers were excellent with good collaborative people skills who wanted the best for the department.

What I meant to add is that it is often cultural as to whether mgmt 360 feedback is given, where the manager genuinely wants to do better (or if they already know their team is motivated and want to ensure there is a tick in their performance box) .

If a LM doesnt ask the question, it's probably because the answer will be ugly!

its belbin, so supposed to be about getting our strengths as individuals and as a team

If the exercise is supposed to be 360, it by definition should include upward feedback.

OP yes absolutely. If you have been specifically told that you should be expecting a request for feedback from all members of the team, including your own manager, tell your line manager you haven't received their request yet, and ask how they would like you to provide feedback as part of the exercise.

In terms of how to ask, not in open plan office in front of everyone, no. Either via email if that's how you'd normally communicate, or in person in a one-to-one discussion. Email might be easier, plus gives you a papertrail in terms of the response.

Ha ha, is this my former boss you are talking about? Classic tactics from a bully -- it was noteworthy that she NEVER asked the people who she'd bullied, or anyone who she wasn't sure would be positive about her.

Given that somebody else is organising this and you want this to be complete, I'd aproach this as if it has been some kind of terrible mistake. Oh dear, I notice that I haven't received a feedback request for X. I wouldn't want her to miss out on a full set of 360 reports from the team; is it a technical glitch? Can you send me a blank form that I can fill out for her, to be added to the others?

If the person organising the 360 feedback is too junior to be able to sort it out, approach the difficult person's line manager in a similar vein (oh dear, seems to be a mistake, not sure who to talk to in order to make sure that X receives a full set of feedback from the whole team).

Ideally don't ask the person directly, since you don't want to get on the wrong side of a bully (especially if they are your line manager). Treat it as if it's a technical problem that somebody else needs to sort out, rather than a choice they have actively made themselves.

You can always mention it in passing to them (oh dear, think there's a glitch in the system as I've haven't had the 360 requests from everyone, I wouldn't want them to miss out, you were one of the missing ones but I've just got in touch to ask them to sort it out though so no need to worry).

ooh yes, I like the technical glitch angle. Just found out another colleague who would have given honest feedback has been excluded too. Will approach our administrator to sort the glitch out ;)

Do let us know what happens.

been in similar situation, i went to the senior manager who manages my line manger and made informal complaint/comments that while whole team were being subjected to a feedback exercise, she was not included. I asked how we could provide feedback on her if she was not undertaking or being required to undertake a 360 feedback loop.
he was very keen to get feedback to use in her end of year appraisal. Interestingly though never asked everyone in team, it was not seen as a routine thing to do, so whole team individual emailed him saying they had concerns and wanted to feed them back...

I think complaining to your line manager's line manager before actually talking to your line manger herself isn't likely to go down brilliantly to be honest. The normal person to approach if there is an issue with something you've been asked to do is your own line manager, so ask her! Say you've not received the request yet, is it a technical glitch and would she like you to fill in a form (or whatever it is).

If she says no, you can think about complaining to her boss, but the reasonable thing to do is to ask her first, IMO.