I am getting pushed out! Help!
From the mailbag:
I know that I’m about to be fired. My boss has started the paper trail. I’m being written up and “counseled” for every tiny thing. For example, I forgot to sign one form out of 30 that I complete each day and was written up for not following procedure.
My question is: How do I handle this and what steps should I take to combat the manager from hell?
My first piece of advice: get started on revising and updating your resume. Even if you do weather it, you may not wish to stay that much longer.
Here is what I am guessing happened:
Your manager decided, fairly or unfairly, that it was time to let you go. This could be for a variety of logical and illogical reasons. Your HR lead said “Have you documented anything?” Your boss said “No.” And your HR lead said “Okay, bye bye!”
I do this at times with managers that don’t ever document anything to make a point: I don’t fire without documentation. And you can’t make documentation up after the fact.
Now this probably pissed your boss off enough to where they decided to document everything with you. The problem with that? It is likely you are the only one being documented.
Now what should happen is that your boss is going to get all of these flaky write ups to your HR lead and they will call them out. They have to apply the same level of standards and documentation to all employees. If there are instances of them not writing up someone for doing something that you got wrote up for, bam. That’s it.
I would not bank on that though. Even though I am in HR, I wouldn’t bank on them saving your ass, even when appropriate.
What I would try to do is talk to the boss from hell and figure out what happened initially that got them on the documentation trip from nowhere. You need to ask them in a way that won’t make them immediately defensive (i.e. “Why are you trying to get me fired?”). Here is what I would suggest:
“I noticed that since (beginning date of extra documentation) you have started documenting me repeatedly for small mistakes that have happened in the past without issue and that happen with co-workers that aren’t being documented consistently. I am just wondering if there is a bigger issue here and what we can do to solve it.”
Obviously not an easy conversation to have but it is better to try this route first than to go to HR first and complain and completely blindside him or her. Go to HR if you don’t resolve it and drop some words that you are suspicious of being treated as a non-equal in order to have your employment terminated and that you have tried speaking with your boss and that it went nowhere.
Obviously, my issue answering this is that I don’t know the other side. I am assuming that you deserve the job and that you didn’t do anything to permanently mar your position there. So this advice is going to be very pro employee.
Blog when you’re mad
I am pissed right now about something and let me tell you something, it inspired something crazy in me:
I am writing this entry, I did two entries over on my Vault blog and I am still writing down ideas as I am doing this. All of the course of an hour and a half.
I am sure there is some scientific principle behind it all. Perhaps a study about how the synapses that make your brain work do better under certain conditions. Whatever! I am too ticked off to even care about all of that nonsense.
What I do know is that when I get ticked, I start thinking of ways to solve problems. And when I solve those problems, I solve more that have been bugging me for a while. See, I am usually a pretty even keel guy. A lot of people think that’s why I am good at HR. I respectfully disagree.
It’s that I care, that I get ticked off and I fix things. People may not see the first two and see the third one and then compare it with my general temperament and assume that is so.
And so I promised I would blog mad. So I did! Now what are you going to do about it, punk?
I am going to give a shout out to a couple blogs I have been reading lately on and off and who have also linked back to me. Thanks!
http://hrmanager.squarespace.com/journal/
http://totallyconsumed.blogspot.com/
Adventures with Supervisor’s Handbooks
So I am doing a series of posts on Gradience Software, specifically their supervisor handbook software. Now I have always been open here so I will say that they contacted me first but I am glad they did. I have been wanting to put together a supervisor handbook for some time and they have a piece of software that is built specifically for doing this task.
As someone in HR, I dread putting together a supervisor handbook. If you have experience with it, you know it can be trying and include approximately 1,378 revisions. I have no problem putting together an employee handbook (which they also have software for) but a supervisor handbook is more difficult because you have to be detailed about the policies and include many things that you wouldn’t normally include in an employee handbook. For example, many handbooks have the phrase “Please see your manager for more details.” Well, a soundly designed supervisor manual will have all of those things spelled out as clearly as possible so the manager can actually inform the employee. It has to be reference worthy and also readable.
So basically I am going to download the software and give it a shot and see how I like it. I’ve already started the process by getting with their tech person (Anjanette, who is awesome by the way) and starting the setup process. I am going to get it setup, customized and then generate a handbook and give my input on what works really well and what could be improved.
Recruiting ROI
If you are like me, an occasional business trip isn’t all that bad. Then again, I have no kids, one wife who’d rather I stay and one cat who believes the world revolves around him and can’t believe I didn’t consult with him first.
So I am going on a recruiting trip to Southern California and I am excited about the possibility of seeing sunshine.
Often times, when taking a vacation trip to a nice area of the country to recruit, some jealous concerned people question the expense of it. Are we really getting our money’s worth? Let’s breakdown the cost of a trip for two people for four days:
- Plane tickets: $800 ($400 a piece)
- Hotel rooms: $900 (2 rooms, 3 nights, $150 a night)
- Event Registration: $900
- Food: $320 (8 meals for two people at $20 per person)
- Promo materials: $500
- Personnel cost (time lost, hourly with benefits): $2,500
Grand Total: $5,920
Now some of you accountant types may be saying OUCH. Yeah, I can see that reaction. But let’s consider this:
Specialized field: We are looking for very specific positions. A couple thousand people may have the qualifications we are looking for.
Good concentration: We will see several hundred of these qualified people at this event.
Expensive outsourcing: We pay up to a 50% wage premium for contract workers and 30% of first year salary for direct hires. For the most part, that is still a good value for the decrease risk and opportunity cost factor.
Of those several hundred people, if we pick up one person, we have paid for our current and next trip out there. That’s not bad and if you’re decent at it, you should be able to pick up more.
Any other good ROI stories out there?
What to do about your flaky boss?
From the mailbag:
My boss is a flake and I think it could ruin my career by him going overboard and me be pulled down with him. What should I do?
While this isn’t a true mailbag (I was asked it on Instant Messaging), it is a great question.
People always seem to get nervous whenever their boss is in the doghouse and they can get outright upset if their boss is fired.
Now I am not going to do what I am often paid to do: pat your head and tell you it will be alright. Truth be told, it may well NOT be alright. After all, bosses usually don’t get fired for no reason. And in with bad bosses usually comes bad hires. Granted, a bad boss can have a good eye for talent, people who understand talent usually are effective in leveraging their talented team into success for them.
Granted you may be granted a reprieve for working with a moron, it is likely that the boss will be replaced with someone. Someone who may not like you. Someone who may want to replace you with their own version of the perfect employee.
But let’s back up here a second: you knew this was coming, right? You knew your boss was going to be fired, RIGHT? So if you stopped networking because you felt comfortable, you started doing it again, You revised your resume. You did do all of those things, right?
Because if you didn’t…start doing it. NOW.
And if you don’t pick up on the signs that your boss is about to get him or herself canned, perk up those eyes and ears for a little awareness training. Other than the obvious signs (unexplained absences, searching Monster during work), showing a decreased level of interest in work (that would include YOU if you are his or her employee) or an increased level of work induced anxiety can be a good starting point.
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About
Your HR Guy is a Human Resources Generalist practicing in the field. But don't let that fool you, this isn't a boring blog. I seek relevance and humor in a place we will spend much of our lives. Everything from workplace issues, job seeking and terrible bosses. Read more...
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