I’m Incompetent Apparently!

[Selfishlazyme]

Last week I came across an email all about me (legit came across, no sneaky snooping).
It was from a Manager in my team (Not my Line Manager), to Upper Management listing all my apparent failings, and the impact it was having on her (already failing) service.

Nobody has ever brought these allegations of incompetency to my attention. I work hard for her dept.

Im obviously angry, but more so deeply hurt by this. I feel I’ve not been given any opportunity to defend myself, and I’m so embarrassed that UM will now believe this of me, plus any other colleagues who may have read it.

Any advice before I curl up and die of shame ?

How did you come across it is my first question?

This. I'd have to raise it with someone.

No reason to die of shame, and every reason to be angry.

I’d write to HR, and ask them to arrange a meeting with your LM and their boss the dept boss to discuss.

Fight fire with fire. Contact the writer of the email, the senior manager, your own manager, and HR. State clearly that you are disappointed to read the letter, and saddened that the writer felt unable to address any concerns with you and your manager, and that your performance appraisals have never raised any issues in the past.

State that you would like to have the opportunity to discuss the letter as it raises unsubstantiated allegations about the quality of your work which could damage your reputation and credibility, and want to resolve the issue so that you can continue to work effectively in a safe and open environment.

That must have been very upsetting. Was it a recent email, or was it sent a while ago? How did you "come across" it exactly?

I guess there are several possible reasons why it was never addressed with you. One is that they just haven't got round to it yet (more likely if the email was sent very recently). Another is that your line manager agrees with it but is too cowardly/conflict avoidant to raise it. Another is that the senior manager didn't consider it important enough to even share with your line manager. Or your manager/ the senior manager have deliberately ignored it because they think it's bollocks.

In your shoes, if you genuinely came across the email by accident and legitimately in the course of doing your job, I would be inclined to tell your manager what you found and ask if there are genuine concerns about your performance that need to be discussed.

Email was attached to a recent calendar invite of one of the UM who I regularly access their calendar to check availability, work base location, etc. so in the normal course of my job.

Wow! So pretty incompetent of the sender, who's presumably the one trying to scapegoat you? Have you screenshot it?

Yes in all its glory. Not sure what to do about it though. The meeting was today, so Ive been waiting for someone to contact me so I can at least respond.
I’ve been doing this job for 10 years and I’ve never had anything but positive feedback 😞

Speak to your line manager. I recently had a manager in another team slag off a member of my team. It got back to her and she was obviously upset. Thankfully she came to me and I was able to confirm I was aware and had had a very productive conversation with the manager and she was now in agreement that the individual in my team is in fact outstanding and she made a mistake. I didn’t raise it with the individual in my team as it was in no way a reflection of her work.

I'd raise it. A similar thing happened to me.

I picked up documents from a shared printer and returned to my desk to start going through the docs. I found an email from another colleague in a different dept complaining about me. It was a very petty email in which she had asked me a question, I had replied and she forwarded my reply to my manger at the time, saying this was proof of my unhelpfulness.

I was really upset at the time and went to my manager with it. He tutted about having a word with her and I never heard anything else about it. It left a bad feeling with me though and I never trusted her again. I was also worried about what she was verbally saying about me as while she was known for badmouthing people, she had a lot of 'friends' who didn't want to get on her bad side.

I would email my own manager and cc the sending manager saying:

I've unfortunately stumbled across the attached email during my routine duties managing Xs calendar.

Can we please arrange a time to discuss? I'm not aware of any issues with my performance over the past ten years, certainly not to the extent that I'd expect to be the subject matter of an upper management meeting.

Best regards

As a senior manager, I disagree with this approach.

If you have access to someone’s calendar, it doesn’t mean you should open up everything ie check every meeting booked in, root through documents and emails attached to the invite etc when the meeting concerns HR. The message clearly wasn’t intended for OP. What if the email stated the same things, but one of OP’s colleagues was the subject matter? It wouldn’t make sense for OP to continue to go through the invite and attachments when an initial glance would confirm it is not for their eyes and likely confidential.

I’ll caveat and state the person who sent the invite should have marked the email as private to avoid this, plus the manager themselves especially as they know OP has access to their calendar.

Secondly, managers do have meetings about HR matters as part of the normal course of their role. Upper management discussing their people in their meetings is normal. A meeting could just be a one to one - I had to case conference a sickness absence with one of the line managers I manage today - it’s not to gossip about the person who’s unwell, but to ensure that manager feels supported by me and that I’m listening to their point of view.

OP, if I’m being honest I would speak to a union rep if I were you but I wouldn’t go to HR. TU would advise you to keep quiet but they’ll support you if anything comes of this.

Why? Well your management may not agree with those concerns, or if they agree with those concerns they may agree to take a soft approach with you as they may not think it is serious. If you inform HR, you’re drawing attention to the matter, and HR may recommend a hard approach ie recorded warning, set timeframes to improve etc as HR might think it is more serious. By going straight to HR, I think it automatically magnifies the situation. HR won’t have an issue with the email or the managers holding a meeting. HR likely will tell the managers to make future meetings private, but they won’t be reprimanded

Go to HR and call ACAS and go sick with stress whilst you get advice.

Why do you recommend to go sick with stress?

You can file a Subject Access Request with your employer and request all and any emails about you in that request. You have that right under GDPR and you don't have to give a reason.

It might be useful to read what others have said, see who has been backbiting you.

Your performance can't be deemed to deteriorate if you are off sick, because you aren't at work.

Firstly talk to your manager and ask what’s going on. I’d struggle not to email UM and state concern about the letter in light of positive supervisions and feedback.

i don’t understand this, the performance concerns have already been raised. Going off sick will just pause the process, so your performance won’t deteriorate beyond that whilst you’re off sick, but the
same performance concerns will be raised when you return and picked back up.

The fact that you opened documents attached to a calendar invite that doesn't concern you can be seen as snooping. So be careful.

Am I the only one thinking you are being used as a scape goat?

Nobody has asked whether there is any basis for the allegations? Is there?

If your work is fantastic then, I agree, the manager who wrote this email has an agenda.

Defamation of character?
Manager has not had any concerns about you for 10 years but now this?
Business is failing but it's you that's the manager's concern?

It's not you, it's her.

It’s absolutely shit that they sent it to you

mangers discuss staff and there performance that’s there job it part of managing staff

have a constructive look at it is any of it justified
nobody likes to be criticised but again none of us are perfect

forewarned is for armed

get familiar with companies performance management and discipline procedures

don’t take the piss and ring in sick that will just add to performance issues as sick is monitored and has procedures to follow

I would be proactive and ask for meeting with your manager

I'd get external, confidential advice before doing anything at work.