Management
I had my performance review. I was not expecting it to go all well, as I had some mental health issues (of which manager knows the details) which severely impacted my work.
What I did not expect was this:
"Last year I was a bit disappointed in your attitude and the time it took you to do things.
"I know you were unwell, so I don't know why I'm bringing it up."
I know why you are bringing it
up. And I doubly know because you used the line again later for something else.
God I miss my former manager.
What I did not expect was this:
"Last year I was a bit disappointed in your attitude and the time it took you to do things.
"I know you were unwell, so I don't know why I'm bringing it up."
I know why you are bringing it
up. And I doubly know because you used the line again later for something else.
God I miss my former manager.
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Comments
This just adds to my general concern. I'm on continued short term contracts (which I signed up to, so I don't complain), and her attitude, and management skills, are sadly lacking.
I've been yelled at for no good reason (because she wanted something done differently), told all I do is "busy" work, etc. A tough adjustment.
But this isn't all about me. Feel free to vent about your experiences.
He might do better with "Be kind to everyone you meet on the way up, because you may meet them again on the way down".
She turns up to everyone else's presentations and leaves just before mine. I get the feeling I'm not liked.
A 2 day team get-together is organised 1.5 hrs away. She then books meetings with other people so we get an hour together. Jeez.
I was asked to contribute to a trade publication and she clearly was not happy. I asked her to review it and all I got was, You write well, but I wouldn't have done it that way. Further questions revealed my understanding is simplistic, with no other guidance.
I'm
She sounds like an arsehole, Climacus. I'm glad you can laugh about it. Stay strong.
When she made one last attack on me before leaving for another job and sent me to see the HR manager, I revealed to him that I had a 25-page work issues diary (single spaced! 11-point type!) and shared a few highlights. Things changed drastically. Her accomplice backed off, and nothing else was ever said about a new assignment that was clearly designed to show off my weaknesses. I'm still there, and much happier.
Sounds to me like she's not very bright (no sin there) and not very nice either (more of a problem). That 'simplistic' with no guidance is an insult, not a criticism - I can imagine one or two ex-colleagues (lecturers - less able, more insecure) using it when out of their depth with a bright student. I like the diary idea.
To confirm: I'm not fussed if my work is labelled simplistic. In fact I may've said so [or some form of the word] to the journal editor when I was asked and suggested he go elsewhere. It is, as Mark wrote, an insult to me given no guidance was given and I was told when I asked for suggestions, "No, If that's how you see it, then...leave it be."
Mark: in fact she is very bright - she knows more than I'll ever forget. It's the management that's the issue to me -- she should not be in charge of people.
,
Keep copies of all e-mails to, from, and about her and your projects.
This saved me. I was running a project, where I had to get info from lots of people, then act on it. While I was off for a day, compost hit the fan. When I got back, I was met with fury. It turned out that one person had unknowingly given me the wrong info, and acting on it caused some difficulty. I was able to provide a copy of the person's e-mail, and I was off the hook. Felt sorry for the person, though.
I just kept the copies on my work computer, and I think I had some hard copies, too.
(I used to be on the works council and learned much useful information about harassment.)
Interesting. I'm not sure of the current practice here. But it used to be that anything stored on the company's computer system belongs to the company, including e-mail. And they could read it, especially if they were sifting through the company's e-mail for security leaks, etc.
Thank you for your attention.
DT
HH
Ah, then I had her wrong - different kind of twat
aaaaahhhhhhhhh! Run!!!!!!!!!!
Is that like being The Walrus? In which case you're Paul. (Beatles ref.)
Is that song about weed?
Fuck knows. It's also about custard and pilchards, so your guess is... Yes, it's about weed. In a way.
Eta. And also syllogistic responses - we must do something, this is something, therefore we will do this. All dogs have four legs, my cat has four legs, therefore my cat is a dog.
Knowledge and recall are very useful but they are not the same as intelligence! This can be a serious disadvantage when something novel comes along, especially one concerning people. I have a very knowledgeable manager with excellent recall but she has, um, flexibility problems.
Despite that I still like the place, but this may be because before I started there I was in academia where there really are some grade one cunts.
AG
University decides to pay an external company to implement an online eCard system where you can send eCards to each other, like and comment! One "Celebrating with Others" [an award for having a birthday cake?] features a computer with the Aboriginal flag on it. I'm all for indigenous awareness but this just seems offensive -- what has that to do with Indigenous issues? Just like the photo of our Dear Leader with an Aboriginal scarf in front of a dot painting on our website. Again -- cultural appropriation goes through my mind.
My favourite though is the card which is titled "Day Maker". Dirty Harry?
Your tax dollars at work. I shudder. I sometimes think universities deserve to have their funding slashed if this is how they spend money. Lesson 1 in how to miss the bloody point.
The Dear Leader of our Division has noticed we felt communication was lacking.
Solution? Increase the number of newsletters her team generates.
I feel my psychologist is going to get both barrels this afternoon.
That's terrible Niteowl. And physical assault. Wow.
More exchanges:
Manager: T & Q have been looking in our systems without asking.
Me: That doesn't sound like T...or Q. What were they doing?
Manager: What I said: looking in our system for content. YOU said we couldn't do that.
Me: No, I said some content was not tracked. I still don't see it.
Other colleague: It does sound odd.
Me: *lightbulb moment* Did they mention the word GOAT?
Manager: Yes.
Me: That's it. That's a different system they own.
(I'm fine with people, and new people, not knowing things...but not taking notice of what was actually said in a meeting, then accusing people?)
---
Colleague: I need your help with a institution-wide survey.
Manager: I have no interest at all and want no involvement. Can you do it yourself?
(Of course...I just asked for your help for a laugh. Thankfully manager's manager was helpful.)
----
Manager: Jenny is visiting later.
Me: Do you mean Jen...she goes by Jen.
Manager: Yes, Jenny. You've worked with Jenny?
Me. Jen, yes I know and have worked with Jen.
*Jen arrives*
Me: Hi Jen.
Manager: Hello Jenny.
I spent 90 mins with my psychologist last week talking about these, and other encounters (including one that had me ready to find a baseball bat and punch it through my window....completely ignored the point and the large workload increase on a colleague - no sympathy or concern). I needed to know if my approach was sane. Turns out my psych thinks I'm alright.
Employees can be pretty bad as well. In the last 5 years for example, we've been stolen from - employee was eventually charged, we didn't want to, but insurance demanded it. Another just stopped coming to work. Another gave the legal 2 weeks notice to resign, but not the contracted 6 weeks, and then left after 1 week. Still another was crediting payments randomly and not to the people paying. And it's a small operation - just 20 in grand total. Some of these problems are >$10k to fix.
And I've paid all sorts of good will expenses for employees related to their unexpected needs. Perhaps things are different when the manager isn't the business owner. I am demanding, of best efforts, honesty and similar, and most often get it. Just don't hit me.
Maybe they decided getting out asap was worth the loss of a reference or severance pay.
That's here.
My director will now call me after my manager, in a public meeting, expressed the view that I was not telling her what I was doing. For that read, the people who asked for 1 piece of work from me are ignoring her and her repeated attempts to interfere in something she does not understand, and I told her to go to them as I had no authority to change specification. Thankfully the director likes me and knows the esteem I'm held in so I think it will go okay.
I'm not saying I'm perfect, far from it. I can improve. And I do stuff up occasionally (and admit it). But this current manager is driving me up the wall, and driving me to look for a new job (which I think is her aim...she always complains she has me, a data analyst, and not a data scientist).
NOprophet_NØprofit: indeed employees can be bad. I take the view Soror Magna does.
Cry me a river. It must just suck so hard to have power over other people's lives.
Just one example (and not of the worst):
I worked for a small business, owned and run by a lady, with women well represented across the (technology driven) business. This was a really good place to work - my first casual dress place.
Eventually, the business was sold to a besuited company who were all male (not unusual). The first thing they did was to dismiss the three most senior women. Not to mention turn the place into a sucky sucky place to work. I left (to a ridiculous and wrong job) very soon.
Sorry, I know this is not really the place, but I need to stop ranting and seek advice. Others feel free to rant.
I had the meeting with the director. It turned out the complaint was that I focussed more on others' requests than her's. She was offered the chance to talk to me and said No, she wanted the director to. I acknowledged my focus was on others' work (people come direct to me), said I would do better and provided a brief outline on why I acted like I did. But I said I would change.
He then asked me what I thought about working with her. I am a bad liar and told the truth -- I find her a poor manager and gave examples, all the while stating this was just my opinion and it may be we just don't get on. Based on the examples I gave, he wants to speak to the rest of the team.
She now knows this -- that he wants to speak to the rest of the team. And would've joined the dots on why, I think, if the director did not make it explicit.
Monday morning is concerning me. I doubt it can go well. Either she says nothing and the frosty relationship continues, or she says something and I need to answer, without giving too much away (I think).
How would you prepare? Or am I over-analysing? This is the first time I have ever done this or been in this situation and I don't care for it. I've had poor managers before but it has never reached the stage where their manager has asked me about them. Did I do the wrong thing in expressing my view (too late now...but a lesson learnt...)? I'm a bundle of confusion and nerves.
Thanks.