'Not working to grade'

[bollockstothis24]

Name changed. I posted last year about my half year review and I'm finding myself in a similar situation this year in that my manager says I'm not 'working to grade.' I managed to get it overturned at the end of the year by basically over working myself and getting very very stressed. But this half year it's the same story and I've been told I'm underperforming.

I work 80% in a very under resourced team, manager isn't very present and I end up doing a lot of tasks to support and run the team, making sure that everything runs smoothly.

I haven't had objectives for the first half of the year so he can't even tell me what I'm not achieving. He's given me objectives for the rest of the year which are not achievable within my working hours without a lot of additional support (which I'm unlikely to get).

I've been told numerous times that I need to go back full time (I don't want to - I'm 55 and want to slow down, don't need the extra money). I think this is borderline bullying.

The final nail in the coffin is that he said he thinks my job should really be a grade below and suggested I take a voluntary demotion which I'm obviously not going to do - why would I? I've been mulling all this over and I think this gives me a case to ask for a redundancy package. They should either find me another same grade job or let me go.

Any advice appreciated. Also thinking of consulting an employment lawyer but don't really know how to go about it.

I wouldn’t know that as you haven’t written to that effect. That’s why I asked you.

@1offnamechange presumably there are expectations of the grade that OP is not meeting. Those can be separate to objectives. e.g. you can have an objective of bringing in 3 new accounts. Separately there can be a grade expectation of leading an md mentoring others. It would be possible to bring in new accounts without mentoring others, therefore possible to be meeting objectives but not performing to grade.

You need to drop the tasks that are not in your remit.

concentrate on yourself and not other people.

Might I add that in the same conversation he said he knows the team would have been screwed without me this year. That's why I don't think he's trying to get me out.

Difficult to explain, but the tasks I carry out are vital to the running of the accounts. I'm meant to have a support person but I haven't had one all year. If I didn't do this stuff, the relationship would fall apart.

So you've been doing a chunk of the admin work that's literally below your grade? So he has a point from that respect in which case you point out you need to do so as h hasn't resources you correctly.

Do you have access to the grade expectations? Write next to each point what you do that meets the expectations and show that you are doing two jobs on 80% of the time.

I've already had the conversation about needing the resource so that I can focus my time on what he deems to be important. Nothing changes.

I have sent you a PM.

Yeah I’m not sure I’m sorry, if he wasn’t why is he doing this, and repeatedly.

He wants a full time person in that role. He'll mange you out to get a full timer in.

It's very difficult to just manage people out in my organisation. It's a very long and time consuming process that I know he doesn't have the time for. I've seen people get paid off. That's what I'm hoping for.

Dropping you down a grade wouldn't mean you were able to get more work done. If anything, you'd be inclined to work to rule, and only complete tasks exactly as described in your new, lower grade contract.

Ah ok. In my experience within FS, this DOES sound like PIP is being implemented.

Do you have any union support within your firm?

I had a similar experience with Management who were setting KPI’s which were inherently against FSA guidelines to benefit commission and sales not customer outcomes.

I took it to the union and was completely absolved as was acting exactly as I should and all official KPI were being met and exceeded.

ACAS is a good option if you don’t have any support in house.

To add, the management (two men) were moved out of role due to their lack of proper management skills

I agree with @ImCamembertTheBigCheese , it really sounds like he wants a full time person as he would struggle to find someone to fill your dropped 20%
It would make sense to me to employ someone for more than that 20% to be your support but he probably doesn’t want to pay more than 100% of your role.

NHS absolutely can terminate underperforming staff but there is a process. Each NHS grade has a national standard (google agenda for change) and staff must be appraised objectively against the criteria in the standard. If the job has changed and the standard no longer applies then the job can be regraded but the incumbent's T's and C's are protected for a certain amount of time. The thing is there needs to be documentation and agreed objectives and anything that the OP is doing outwith their job description needs to be addressed. I do agree though that from my experience this is often not done which is why I wouldn't give another penny to the NHS without a thorough overhaul. ok, just seen added posts. While true this is irrelevant to the OP's post.

None of this is OK.
You can't be underperforming against non existent objectives so that is null and void assuming you are carrying out your overall job description. Was that amended to reflect 80% working?
Do not agree to forward objectives that are not achievable. If relevant refuse to sign the review and definitely put in writing to your manager the reasons, why copied to HR.
If you would rather have voluntary redundancy have an initial discussion with HR. What you represent here is bullying and they should either investigate it or look to negotiate a severance for you if you suggest it.
Any HR professional would recognise the potential tribunal from what you've stated.

Did you sign the document stating your new objectives? If you have and or you have no evidence of having argued them officially, this will not go in your favour.

Also, you've shown that you are capable of meeting objectives last year. You might have done so under stress, but you ultimately showed that you can do.it, which wouldn't help your case either.

manager isn't very present

This jumped out at me

I had a review once where I was told I was “reluctant to take responsibility” despite taking on huge amounts on a very important project.

In fact what was happening was that my manager wasn’t very good at his job, hated taking decisions, and I was reluctant to take major decisions (£££ at stake) that he should have been taking himself. I kept referring the decisions back to him and he didn’t like it. I also mentioned to a more senior manager that he wasn’t making these decisions and was holding up the project.

I am 100% sure manager put this comment in my review to cover his own arse.

Do you think something similar could be the case here?

What he's saying doesn't make sense at all.

He is saying that you are "not working to grade" while simultaneously saying that the job "should" according to him, be a grade lower, so actually his issue is that your job role and description doesn't contain things "at the grade"?

Fuck that, stand your ground and don't let him put fear in you. You clearly are productive and take on a lot of work load. Tell him that you will not be leaving your appraisal without mutually agreed SMART targets that you can show tangible progress in.

I would say that they wouldn't be doing what they are doing if you were great at your job.

Good staff are hard to find and there's no smoke without fire.

Find a new job?

His comments about you "needing to be full time" are also a huge red flag; it sounds like he is expecting you to perform as a full timer on a pro rata contract which is completely unreasonable of him.

Don't let him walk all over you OP! I have been in this position when younger and just let things go to try and not rock the boat. Sod that, rock the fucking boat. I would be writing to his LM in an email explaining your concerns, based on feedback he has given you directly, that:

1. He is not setting you fair, measurable SMART targets
2. He is expecting you to work with the same capacity as someone on a full time contract which is not reasonable as you are being paid pro rata.

It sounds like OP's LM doesn't want part time staff on his team and is trying to manage her out.

At the very least he is managing her poorly by not setting reasonable targets. Her feedback also doesn't sound very constructive and it seems like he is not doing well at his job, rather than the OP.

Or it sounds like as you say, he is happy with your performance so wants to pressure you into full time, and is just going to keep being more of a prick until you either do so, or leave so he can hire a full timer.

You are being managed out. This is a legal thing. Contact Lawson West, Leicestershire for initial free advice. If you need to take it legal, you can claim solicitor costs from the legal cover on your home insurance. Good luck x

how long have you worked there?

2+ years and you might have a claim for constructive dismissal.