Worried about future and made scapegoat
Discussion
Evening all,
I'm currently in a big dilemma. Moved out to Africa to work on rotation onshore. Job has been much harder than back home but myself and the others who rotate back to the UK have just put up with it.
The trouble is my boss is high up in the company and effectively can't be criticised. He has certain favourites and even his partner working in the department, making for an awkward environment.
I work hard and always do what I'm asked of, although sometimes the workload is too much. It appears my back to back will miss things too because of the workload, yet he doesn't get chased if something isn't done. The minute I'm on shift, I'm getting asked why things aren't done. My manager regularly openly criticises me in front of others yet doesn't to others. I am one of the younger ones in the team.
Recently we had a financial cock up which was due to him not telling me and other team members what was required. He admitted the way I had done things was right, then a few days later denied this, criticised me in front of the team and said I cost the company money.
Another issue is I study part time which I find difficult when in Africa due to the hours, however I never let it affect my work. I had to drop everything last trip to help other departments and it got to me - this was picked up by my manager and he pulled me in for a "chat" with the manager below him that I "wasn't myself" - that said nothing was said about my performance, because in reality I was working hard and getting through a lot. He tried to blame my study and wouldn't listen to my concerns.
I'm 3 weeks into this trip and purposely worked even harder to prove him wrong. Out of the blue he leaves early then the manager below me calls me in and gives me a "invite to stage 1 capability meeting" and basically says my performance isn't expected of the role, and I have to go to a meeting when back in the UK with him and HR. This is totally out of the blue and I feel I'm being picked on and made a scapegoat. Not once have they said to my face what I need to improve so in theory they have no justification.
My manager is dangerous because of his position and in the past has actually lied to me about things. For example when I changed a flight home to get an earlier arrival after he had me work a few days extra for no pay, the next trip he pulled me aside and gave me a "warning" because the flight change cost over £2k to make. When I spoke with my Travel team in their office they said it was under £100. The other day a spreadsheet I do when requested he said I'd meant to be doing that every month, although I wasn't told this - and when it hadn't been done for half a year, why didn't they ask my back to back the same question.
Given I live in Aberdeen, there are no jobs back home and my company is making positions in Aberdeen redundant. I don't have any silly loans or that but do have a mortgage and car to pay. I feel I can't speak out because my manager can make up anything against me, even when I knuckle down and work hard it makes no difference, I'm still told it's not good enough. What are my options? Do I challenge my manager calmly before this meeting? Do I wait until the meeting and agree with everything they say?
I'm currently in a big dilemma. Moved out to Africa to work on rotation onshore. Job has been much harder than back home but myself and the others who rotate back to the UK have just put up with it.
The trouble is my boss is high up in the company and effectively can't be criticised. He has certain favourites and even his partner working in the department, making for an awkward environment.
I work hard and always do what I'm asked of, although sometimes the workload is too much. It appears my back to back will miss things too because of the workload, yet he doesn't get chased if something isn't done. The minute I'm on shift, I'm getting asked why things aren't done. My manager regularly openly criticises me in front of others yet doesn't to others. I am one of the younger ones in the team.
Recently we had a financial cock up which was due to him not telling me and other team members what was required. He admitted the way I had done things was right, then a few days later denied this, criticised me in front of the team and said I cost the company money.
Another issue is I study part time which I find difficult when in Africa due to the hours, however I never let it affect my work. I had to drop everything last trip to help other departments and it got to me - this was picked up by my manager and he pulled me in for a "chat" with the manager below him that I "wasn't myself" - that said nothing was said about my performance, because in reality I was working hard and getting through a lot. He tried to blame my study and wouldn't listen to my concerns.
I'm 3 weeks into this trip and purposely worked even harder to prove him wrong. Out of the blue he leaves early then the manager below me calls me in and gives me a "invite to stage 1 capability meeting" and basically says my performance isn't expected of the role, and I have to go to a meeting when back in the UK with him and HR. This is totally out of the blue and I feel I'm being picked on and made a scapegoat. Not once have they said to my face what I need to improve so in theory they have no justification.
My manager is dangerous because of his position and in the past has actually lied to me about things. For example when I changed a flight home to get an earlier arrival after he had me work a few days extra for no pay, the next trip he pulled me aside and gave me a "warning" because the flight change cost over £2k to make. When I spoke with my Travel team in their office they said it was under £100. The other day a spreadsheet I do when requested he said I'd meant to be doing that every month, although I wasn't told this - and when it hadn't been done for half a year, why didn't they ask my back to back the same question.
Given I live in Aberdeen, there are no jobs back home and my company is making positions in Aberdeen redundant. I don't have any silly loans or that but do have a mortgage and car to pay. I feel I can't speak out because my manager can make up anything against me, even when I knuckle down and work hard it makes no difference, I'm still told it's not good enough. What are my options? Do I challenge my manager calmly before this meeting? Do I wait until the meeting and agree with everything they say?
Get everything in writing starting tomorrow. Everything anyone says, make sure they sign it or email it.
When they ask why, explain that everyone keeps blaming you for things and changing what they say, if it's written down then you can prove who said what. Or make notes in meetings even by the cooler and get the other present person to sign said notes.
When they ask why, explain that everyone keeps blaming you for things and changing what they say, if it's written down then you can prove who said what. Or make notes in meetings even by the cooler and get the other present person to sign said notes.
I don't understand it. This is the same boss a few years ago when we worked back in the UK said in private I was better than the other team members and would go far in this company. Recently he demoted the longest serving member of the department who was above me. I'm the second longest. He has also promoted someone below me above me who has no experience just because she is his partners friend. It feels corrupt.
Before I took the job he said 5 days a week, weekends off - sounds great I thought, means I can blitz my postgrad study in my spare time. Get the contract and it says 7 days a week. Since then he has mentioned several times "I'm a good boss, I only make you work 5 days"...but he said it was only 5 to lure us out here! He made another example of me about trying to get hold of a guy offshore, saying I didn't have the right number in my phone to phone the control room. I did, and tried several times, but there was no answer. Any excuse to criticse me.
The other negative is I have about 3k of fees I'd have to pay back if I left this year
Before I took the job he said 5 days a week, weekends off - sounds great I thought, means I can blitz my postgrad study in my spare time. Get the contract and it says 7 days a week. Since then he has mentioned several times "I'm a good boss, I only make you work 5 days"...but he said it was only 5 to lure us out here! He made another example of me about trying to get hold of a guy offshore, saying I didn't have the right number in my phone to phone the control room. I did, and tried several times, but there was no answer. Any excuse to criticse me.
The other negative is I have about 3k of fees I'd have to pay back if I left this year
Mouse1903 said:
Evening all,
I'm currently in a big dilemma. Moved out to Africa to work on rotation onshore. Job has been much harder than back home but myself and the others who rotate back to the UK have just put up with it.
The trouble is my boss is high up in the company and effectively can't be criticised. He has certain favourites and even his partner working in the department, making for an awkward environment.
I work hard and always do what I'm asked of, although sometimes the workload is too much. It appears my back to back will miss things too because of the workload, yet he doesn't get chased if something isn't done. The minute I'm on shift, I'm getting asked why things aren't done. My manager regularly openly criticises me in front of others yet doesn't to others. I am one of the younger ones in the team.
Recently we had a financial cock up which was due to him not telling me and other team members what was required. He admitted the way I had done things was right, then a few days later denied this, criticised me in front of the team and said I cost the company money.
Another issue is I study part time which I find difficult when in Africa due to the hours, however I never let it affect my work. I had to drop everything last trip to help other departments and it got to me - this was picked up by my manager and he pulled me in for a "chat" with the manager below him that I "wasn't myself" - that said nothing was said about my performance, because in reality I was working hard and getting through a lot. He tried to blame my study and wouldn't listen to my concerns.
I'm 3 weeks into this trip and purposely worked even harder to prove him wrong. Out of the blue he leaves early then the manager below me calls me in and gives me a "invite to stage 1 capability meeting" and basically says my performance isn't expected of the role, and I have to go to a meeting when back in the UK with him and HR. This is totally out of the blue and I feel I'm being picked on and made a scapegoat. Not once have they said to my face what I need to improve so in theory they have no justification.
My manager is dangerous because of his position and in the past has actually lied to me about things. For example when I changed a flight home to get an earlier arrival after he had me work a few days extra for no pay, the next trip he pulled me aside and gave me a "warning" because the flight change cost over £2k to make. When I spoke with my Travel team in their office they said it was under £100. The other day a spreadsheet I do when requested he said I'd meant to be doing that every month, although I wasn't told this - and when it hadn't been done for half a year, why didn't they ask my back to back the same question.
Given I live in Aberdeen, there are no jobs back home and my company is making positions in Aberdeen redundant. I don't have any silly loans or that but do have a mortgage and car to pay. I feel I can't speak out because my manager can make up anything against me, even when I knuckle down and work hard it makes no difference, I'm still told it's not good enough. What are my options? Do I challenge my manager calmly before this meeting? Do I wait until the meeting and agree with everything they say?
Hi Mouse, I'm currently in a big dilemma. Moved out to Africa to work on rotation onshore. Job has been much harder than back home but myself and the others who rotate back to the UK have just put up with it.
The trouble is my boss is high up in the company and effectively can't be criticised. He has certain favourites and even his partner working in the department, making for an awkward environment.
I work hard and always do what I'm asked of, although sometimes the workload is too much. It appears my back to back will miss things too because of the workload, yet he doesn't get chased if something isn't done. The minute I'm on shift, I'm getting asked why things aren't done. My manager regularly openly criticises me in front of others yet doesn't to others. I am one of the younger ones in the team.
Recently we had a financial cock up which was due to him not telling me and other team members what was required. He admitted the way I had done things was right, then a few days later denied this, criticised me in front of the team and said I cost the company money.
Another issue is I study part time which I find difficult when in Africa due to the hours, however I never let it affect my work. I had to drop everything last trip to help other departments and it got to me - this was picked up by my manager and he pulled me in for a "chat" with the manager below him that I "wasn't myself" - that said nothing was said about my performance, because in reality I was working hard and getting through a lot. He tried to blame my study and wouldn't listen to my concerns.
I'm 3 weeks into this trip and purposely worked even harder to prove him wrong. Out of the blue he leaves early then the manager below me calls me in and gives me a "invite to stage 1 capability meeting" and basically says my performance isn't expected of the role, and I have to go to a meeting when back in the UK with him and HR. This is totally out of the blue and I feel I'm being picked on and made a scapegoat. Not once have they said to my face what I need to improve so in theory they have no justification.
My manager is dangerous because of his position and in the past has actually lied to me about things. For example when I changed a flight home to get an earlier arrival after he had me work a few days extra for no pay, the next trip he pulled me aside and gave me a "warning" because the flight change cost over £2k to make. When I spoke with my Travel team in their office they said it was under £100. The other day a spreadsheet I do when requested he said I'd meant to be doing that every month, although I wasn't told this - and when it hadn't been done for half a year, why didn't they ask my back to back the same question.
Given I live in Aberdeen, there are no jobs back home and my company is making positions in Aberdeen redundant. I don't have any silly loans or that but do have a mortgage and car to pay. I feel I can't speak out because my manager can make up anything against me, even when I knuckle down and work hard it makes no difference, I'm still told it's not good enough. What are my options? Do I challenge my manager calmly before this meeting? Do I wait until the meeting and agree with everything they say?
I'm sorry to hear your story; it unfortunately relates very closely to an experience I had this time last year, which didn't end well.
You're a fellow Aberdonian (or, fae the 'Deen min!), which means I assume you're out in West Africa with one of the large or specialist EPCs?
From a high level perspective, I very much suspect that you were brought into the role when the going was good and the demand for resource was high. Now, resource cost is being questioned at every level and there's an expectation that a given resource for a role will be both over-qualified and work for less. The EPCs in particular are being squeezed the most here.
I'm surmising that you haven't been in this particular role for very long and so it also sounds like you were brought in to effectively clean up someone else's mess. Unlike your B-to-B, you don't have the benefit of his longer experience in this role and or the connections he's made within the company as a result (again I'm surmising).
Net result is, your manager, having been responsible for all the s
t that happened before you joined the role is now trying to save his own neck and is making an example out of you as a result. To compound the fact, he will see you as easy meat because you're a young white male and therefore not able to play the race or inequality card and don't have the experience to be able to see the situation from his perspective (i.e. the mess he's created). Believe me, when the shutters are down your colleagues are capable of anything if it will save their bacon.Here's what you MUST DO:
1) Speak to your HR department immediately. Whether you feel they are effective or not, they must take anything you have to say on board and in the strictest of confidence. Arrange a meeting with two HR reps and someone you trust to take notes (optional) and make sure that your complaint is minuted. Explain that you feel you are being bullied and harassed (lay it on thick). That way, your grievance is logged whatever the outcome. Do not be afraid to have this chat. It is vital. Do not make any reference to the meeting you've been requested to attend back in Aberdeen.
2) Do dig out your contract and make sure you are aware of your rights and also your obligations (i.e. you don't want to be blind-sided with a haymaker about something you haven't done which was in your contract). If you are still employed through the UK entity of the company, then your contract is subject to UK legal jurisdiction, which could benefit you.
3) Do ask what the exact reason for your 'Stage 1 Capability Meeting' is and request an agenda. Do not back down on this. Subject to the response from HR as to the reason of this meeting, you may want to contact a solicitor in Aberdeen. I can recommend a great employment lawyer, who will only charge you if you feel he can be of use to you (i.e. its free to talk to him first for some advice).
4) Do also take your manager aside and have a frank one-to-one conversation with him. Ask him why he appears to be picking you out and ask him what you can do to help rectify the situation.
DO NOT sit there in silence. If (as sadly seems inevitable) you are given your marching orders, you need to be able to leverage yourself against the hard work you've done and the complaint you made to HR.
The reality is that your scheduled 'chat' with HR back in Aberdeen is likely to be an exit conversation or some other materially detrimental outcome to your current role. I've had to do it myself before ultimately being the recipient of one too. It's f
king awful.What you need to focus on now is coming out of this with the least damage and making sure that you are properly prepared. As disgusting as it is, our industry will stab anyone in the back to save a buck when the s
t hits the fan, and those easiest to get rid of go first. If you make it clear that you will challenge any performance criticism the whole way, then it may serve you better than by just nodding your head and accepting your fate.To give you an example of my own experience, I moved my life and my now wife out to Qatar to accept a job with a a big EPC working on a huge LNG project. I left behind a great life in London and a great project. Despite working myself to death in Qatar and making myself ill with stress, nothing I could say or do was good enough for my manager and yet despite passing my probation review, I learned the next day that my probation was to be further extended for no adequate reason (to a total of 6 months). Nevertheless, I (naively) soldiered on until it became clear that a guy being brought in to 'help' me was actually there to replace me (he was much older and more experienced and had accepted less money). Sure enough, after being told to 'watch my back' one morning, I was brought in for a 'chat' by my manager who sat there straight faced and told me how poor I was at my job.
And as far as he was concerned, that was it; I was to pack my things and be on the next flight home. No notice period; no severance package; no nothing. Only little did he know, I'd raised a complaint to HR a month prior and after refusing to sign my termination notice, I calmly explained to HR that company process had been ignored (i.e. they had no right to extend my probation without reason) and I demanded my notice period entitled to me. Sure enough I was given a lump sum of cash and told to disappear.
Moral of the story is this: Don't be afraid to fight if you feel you are being treated unfairly. Things will work out, even if it seems initially that they wont (I found another job and moved to the UAE shortly after my termination and both my wife and I are infinitely happier here).
Sorry for the long rant; I hope it's helped you. Best of luck.
Get everything in writing.
When ever you talk to a manager or HR always slant the conversation to be about he best interests of the company, not your needs but the needs of the company with regards your employment. Liberal use of the words bullying, at risk, discrimination always seem to help.
When ever you talk to a manager or HR always slant the conversation to be about he best interests of the company, not your needs but the needs of the company with regards your employment. Liberal use of the words bullying, at risk, discrimination always seem to help.
Thanks for all the advice guys so far
Today I got shouted at in front of everyone for checking with our travel team on a security situation to make sure our crew weren't in harm. Because I did tell the boss first, he went mental. The other thing is if you tell him something he will jump at you if it's not the right thing, there's a "you should know better" culture but no one has been properly trained or shown what to do. I hardly slept last night and tried to get my head down today. My parents reckon to wait for the meeting and try and get one of my work colleagues to sit in with me (he is the one who was in the team 2 years longer than me and sent back to Aberdeen and demoted).
My worry is they want me to react, if I rock the boat he has so much power (reports direct to CEO) he could make up anything to get rid of me. My name was highlighted last year to senior management as underperforming because 2 years of invoices on one of the contracts I look after were done wrong - the irony is they were all done before I took on this position and nothing to do with me, but yet again easy to blame me.
Pennyroyal Tea said:
Hi Mouse,
I'm sorry to hear your story; it unfortunately relates very closely to an experience I had this time last year, which didn't end well.
You're a fellow Aberdonian (or, fae the 'Deen min!), which means I assume you're out in West Africa with one of the large or specialist EPCs?
From a high level perspective, I very much suspect that you were brought into the role when the going was good and the demand for resource was high. Now, resource cost is being questioned at every level and there's an expectation that a given resource for a role will be both over-qualified and work for less. The EPCs in particular are being squeezed the most here.
I'm surmising that you haven't been in this particular role for very long and so it also sounds like you were brought in to effectively clean up someone else's mess. Unlike your B-to-B, you don't have the benefit of his longer experience in this role and or the connections he's made within the company as a result (again I'm surmising).
Net result is, your manager, having been responsible for all the st that happened before you joined the role is now trying to save his own neck and is making an example out of you as a result. To compound the fact, he will see you as easy meat because you're a young white male and therefore not able to play the race or inequality card and don't have the experience to be able to see the situation from his perspective (i.e. the mess he's created). Believe me, when the shutters are down your colleagues are capable of anything if it will save their bacon.
Here's what you MUST DO:
1) Speak to your HR department immediately. Whether you feel they are effective or not, they must take anything you have to say on board and in the strictest of confidence. Arrange a meeting with two HR reps and someone you trust to take notes (optional) and make sure that your complaint is minuted. Explain that you feel you are being bullied and harassed (lay it on thick). That way, your grievance is logged whatever the outcome. Do not be afraid to have this chat. It is vital. Do not make any reference to the meeting you've been requested to attend back in Aberdeen.
2) Do dig out your contract and make sure you are aware of your rights and also your obligations (i.e. you don't want to be blind-sided with a haymaker about something you haven't done which was in your contract). If you are still employed through the UK entity of the company, then your contract is subject to UK legal jurisdiction, which could benefit you.
3) Do ask what the exact reason for your 'Stage 1 Capability Meeting' is and request an agenda. Do not back down on this. Subject to the response from HR as to the reason of this meeting, you may want to contact a solicitor in Aberdeen. I can recommend a great employment lawyer, who will only charge you if you feel he can be of use to you (i.e. its free to talk to him first for some advice).
4) Do also take your manager aside and have a frank one-to-one conversation with him. Ask him why he appears to be picking you out and ask him what you can do to help rectify the situation.
DO NOT sit there in silence. If (as sadly seems inevitable) you are given your marching orders, you need to be able to leverage yourself against the hard work you've done and the complaint you made to HR.
The reality is that your scheduled 'chat' with HR back in Aberdeen is likely to be an exit conversation or some other materially detrimental outcome to your current role. I've had to do it myself before ultimately being the recipient of one too. It's fking awful.
What you need to focus on now is coming out of this with the least damage and making sure that you are properly prepared. As disgusting as it is, our industry will stab anyone in the back to save a buck when the st hits the fan, and those easiest to get rid of go first. If you make it clear that you will challenge any performance criticism the whole way, then it may serve you better than by just nodding your head and accepting your fate.
To give you an example of my own experience, I moved my life and my now wife out to Qatar to accept a job with a a big EPC working on a huge LNG project. I left behind a great life in London and a great project. Despite working myself to death in Qatar and making myself ill with stress, nothing I could say or do was good enough for my manager and yet despite passing my probation review, I learned the next day that my probation was to be further extended for no adequate reason (to a total of 6 months). Nevertheless, I (naively) soldiered on until it became clear that a guy being brought in to 'help' me was actually there to replace me (he was much older and more experienced and had accepted less money). Sure enough, after being told to 'watch my back' one morning, I was brought in for a 'chat' by my manager who sat there straight faced and told me how poor I was at my job.
And as far as he was concerned, that was it; I was to pack my things and be on the next flight home. No notice period; no severance package; no nothing. Only little did he know, I'd raised a complaint to HR a month prior and after refusing to sign my termination notice, I calmly explained to HR that company process had been ignored (i.e. they had no right to extend my probation without reason) and I demanded my notice period entitled to me. Sure enough I was given a lump sum of cash and told to disappear.
Moral of the story is this: Don't be afraid to fight if you feel you are being treated unfairly. Things will work out, even if it seems initially that they wont (I found another job and moved to the UAE shortly after my termination and both my wife and I are infinitely happier here).
Sorry for the long rant; I hope it's helped you. Best of luck.
Yep, fellow Aberdonian! I've been in the same dept. over 7 years since joining as a graduate and quickly worked my way up. My boss moved out there in 2014 and offered me and a few others to come down on rotation. My back to back used to be below me and has only been in the company a few years, however he is 13 years older than me and he never seems to be criticised even if he makes similar mistakes. My back to back works hard and he is a good guy too but I seem to get the flack as I'm an easy target.I'm sorry to hear your story; it unfortunately relates very closely to an experience I had this time last year, which didn't end well.
You're a fellow Aberdonian (or, fae the 'Deen min!), which means I assume you're out in West Africa with one of the large or specialist EPCs?
From a high level perspective, I very much suspect that you were brought into the role when the going was good and the demand for resource was high. Now, resource cost is being questioned at every level and there's an expectation that a given resource for a role will be both over-qualified and work for less. The EPCs in particular are being squeezed the most here.
I'm surmising that you haven't been in this particular role for very long and so it also sounds like you were brought in to effectively clean up someone else's mess. Unlike your B-to-B, you don't have the benefit of his longer experience in this role and or the connections he's made within the company as a result (again I'm surmising).
Net result is, your manager, having been responsible for all the s
t that happened before you joined the role is now trying to save his own neck and is making an example out of you as a result. To compound the fact, he will see you as easy meat because you're a young white male and therefore not able to play the race or inequality card and don't have the experience to be able to see the situation from his perspective (i.e. the mess he's created). Believe me, when the shutters are down your colleagues are capable of anything if it will save their bacon.Here's what you MUST DO:
1) Speak to your HR department immediately. Whether you feel they are effective or not, they must take anything you have to say on board and in the strictest of confidence. Arrange a meeting with two HR reps and someone you trust to take notes (optional) and make sure that your complaint is minuted. Explain that you feel you are being bullied and harassed (lay it on thick). That way, your grievance is logged whatever the outcome. Do not be afraid to have this chat. It is vital. Do not make any reference to the meeting you've been requested to attend back in Aberdeen.
2) Do dig out your contract and make sure you are aware of your rights and also your obligations (i.e. you don't want to be blind-sided with a haymaker about something you haven't done which was in your contract). If you are still employed through the UK entity of the company, then your contract is subject to UK legal jurisdiction, which could benefit you.
3) Do ask what the exact reason for your 'Stage 1 Capability Meeting' is and request an agenda. Do not back down on this. Subject to the response from HR as to the reason of this meeting, you may want to contact a solicitor in Aberdeen. I can recommend a great employment lawyer, who will only charge you if you feel he can be of use to you (i.e. its free to talk to him first for some advice).
4) Do also take your manager aside and have a frank one-to-one conversation with him. Ask him why he appears to be picking you out and ask him what you can do to help rectify the situation.
DO NOT sit there in silence. If (as sadly seems inevitable) you are given your marching orders, you need to be able to leverage yourself against the hard work you've done and the complaint you made to HR.
The reality is that your scheduled 'chat' with HR back in Aberdeen is likely to be an exit conversation or some other materially detrimental outcome to your current role. I've had to do it myself before ultimately being the recipient of one too. It's f
king awful.What you need to focus on now is coming out of this with the least damage and making sure that you are properly prepared. As disgusting as it is, our industry will stab anyone in the back to save a buck when the s
t hits the fan, and those easiest to get rid of go first. If you make it clear that you will challenge any performance criticism the whole way, then it may serve you better than by just nodding your head and accepting your fate.To give you an example of my own experience, I moved my life and my now wife out to Qatar to accept a job with a a big EPC working on a huge LNG project. I left behind a great life in London and a great project. Despite working myself to death in Qatar and making myself ill with stress, nothing I could say or do was good enough for my manager and yet despite passing my probation review, I learned the next day that my probation was to be further extended for no adequate reason (to a total of 6 months). Nevertheless, I (naively) soldiered on until it became clear that a guy being brought in to 'help' me was actually there to replace me (he was much older and more experienced and had accepted less money). Sure enough, after being told to 'watch my back' one morning, I was brought in for a 'chat' by my manager who sat there straight faced and told me how poor I was at my job.
And as far as he was concerned, that was it; I was to pack my things and be on the next flight home. No notice period; no severance package; no nothing. Only little did he know, I'd raised a complaint to HR a month prior and after refusing to sign my termination notice, I calmly explained to HR that company process had been ignored (i.e. they had no right to extend my probation without reason) and I demanded my notice period entitled to me. Sure enough I was given a lump sum of cash and told to disappear.
Moral of the story is this: Don't be afraid to fight if you feel you are being treated unfairly. Things will work out, even if it seems initially that they wont (I found another job and moved to the UAE shortly after my termination and both my wife and I are infinitely happier here).
Sorry for the long rant; I hope it's helped you. Best of luck.
Today I got shouted at in front of everyone for checking with our travel team on a security situation to make sure our crew weren't in harm. Because I did tell the boss first, he went mental. The other thing is if you tell him something he will jump at you if it's not the right thing, there's a "you should know better" culture but no one has been properly trained or shown what to do. I hardly slept last night and tried to get my head down today. My parents reckon to wait for the meeting and try and get one of my work colleagues to sit in with me (he is the one who was in the team 2 years longer than me and sent back to Aberdeen and demoted).
My worry is they want me to react, if I rock the boat he has so much power (reports direct to CEO) he could make up anything to get rid of me. My name was highlighted last year to senior management as underperforming because 2 years of invoices on one of the contracts I look after were done wrong - the irony is they were all done before I took on this position and nothing to do with me, but yet again easy to blame me.
Only thing to offer over what's already been said, is make loads of notes before this meeting. Seems you have had lots of issues with your manager, which are not attributable to you. Have a list of these going back as far as you can remember, anything which he had an issue with, and try to back this up with evidence.
I.e. The invoice issue, have a note of everything from then, what you we blamed for, what actually did happen, and why it was not your fault.
This hopefully mean you have stuff to back you up, if any of these issues are brought up in the meeting. Good luck, and just keep at it whilst your out there.
I.e. The invoice issue, have a note of everything from then, what you we blamed for, what actually did happen, and why it was not your fault.
This hopefully mean you have stuff to back you up, if any of these issues are brought up in the meeting. Good luck, and just keep at it whilst your out there.
A good way of covering your back is anything your manager tells you confirm your conversation back to him in an email and ask if anything is different to let you know by return. This way it makes him look a twunt if he then has to deny what's been said.
I would also ask for an agenda and if the meeting deviates into to other area say it's not on the agenda. I also believe you cannot go straight to a capability meeting without there having been a performance management program put in place to allow you the opportunity to put right any problems. I hope you have a union representative. Good Luck!
I would also ask for an agenda and if the meeting deviates into to other area say it's not on the agenda. I also believe you cannot go straight to a capability meeting without there having been a performance management program put in place to allow you the opportunity to put right any problems. I hope you have a union representative. Good Luck!
Mouse1903 said:
Yep, fellow Aberdonian! I've been in the same dept. over 7 years since joining as a graduate and quickly worked my way up. My boss moved out there in 2014 and offered me and a few others to come down on rotation. My back to back used to be below me and has only been in the company a few years, however he is 13 years older than me and he never seems to be criticised even if he makes similar mistakes. My back to back works hard and he is a good guy too but I seem to get the flack as I'm an easy target.
Today I got shouted at in front of everyone for checking with our travel team on a security situation to make sure our crew weren't in harm. Because I did tell the boss first, he went mental. The other thing is if you tell him something he will jump at you if it's not the right thing, there's a "you should know better" culture but no one has been properly trained or shown what to do. I hardly slept last night and tried to get my head down today. My parents reckon to wait for the meeting and try and get one of my work colleagues to sit in with me (he is the one who was in the team 2 years longer than me and sent back to Aberdeen and demoted).
My worry is they want me to react, if I rock the boat he has so much power (reports direct to CEO) he could make up anything to get rid of me. My name was highlighted last year to senior management as underperforming because 2 years of invoices on one of the contracts I look after were done wrong - the irony is they were all done before I took on this position and nothing to do with me, but yet again easy to blame me.
I think you need to need to be assertive in your defence with these people and be conscious that your manager's attitude towards you is a deliberate ploy to keep you on the back foot. Today I got shouted at in front of everyone for checking with our travel team on a security situation to make sure our crew weren't in harm. Because I did tell the boss first, he went mental. The other thing is if you tell him something he will jump at you if it's not the right thing, there's a "you should know better" culture but no one has been properly trained or shown what to do. I hardly slept last night and tried to get my head down today. My parents reckon to wait for the meeting and try and get one of my work colleagues to sit in with me (he is the one who was in the team 2 years longer than me and sent back to Aberdeen and demoted).
My worry is they want me to react, if I rock the boat he has so much power (reports direct to CEO) he could make up anything to get rid of me. My name was highlighted last year to senior management as underperforming because 2 years of invoices on one of the contracts I look after were done wrong - the irony is they were all done before I took on this position and nothing to do with me, but yet again easy to blame me.
And I think you really must speak to HR as soon as possible.
Best of luck. Let us know how you get on.
Quick update. Back to work tomorrow and since I got back I had the meeting which I appealed after they sent me a letter summarising the concerns that make me look really bad at my job. All the points could be applied to my back to back or previous colleagues. I got a solicitor to help with the appeal letter and they haven't even given me a formal warning and not followed their own procedure.
Had the appeal meeting with my boss over the phone last week but they conveniently ignored the points I made about not following procedure. When I tried to say these points shouldn't apply just to me he turned round and said this was about my performance not others. He also blamed me for the financial issues that had nothing to do with me and I helped investigate. Got the call today from HR to say he is travelling but they are upholding the decision to put me on a plan, which proves he is a coward and can't call me direct (or wait til I'm in country in 2 days) and the fact the are singling me out for whatever reason.
I'm absolutely livid but going to have to contain my anger. Once I see the plan when I arrive then I'll need to get with my solicitor to see what the next stage. What angers me most is they didn't listen to me at all and all the items I will "correct" in my improvement plan will mean they can't hold it against my other colleagues, even though they should be held equally culpable.
Finally to add, our HR manager left before I got back. Our boss was one of the main reasons she was leaving. The new HR boss was clearly on their side as instead of being impartial she said she could see areas for improvement, and even 5 days before my appeal letter was due she was phoning me up asking when I'd have it in and that she couldn't see why I was appealing. I'm on the job hunt but had nothing in the last 4 weeks, it's looking grim.
Had the appeal meeting with my boss over the phone last week but they conveniently ignored the points I made about not following procedure. When I tried to say these points shouldn't apply just to me he turned round and said this was about my performance not others. He also blamed me for the financial issues that had nothing to do with me and I helped investigate. Got the call today from HR to say he is travelling but they are upholding the decision to put me on a plan, which proves he is a coward and can't call me direct (or wait til I'm in country in 2 days) and the fact the are singling me out for whatever reason.
I'm absolutely livid but going to have to contain my anger. Once I see the plan when I arrive then I'll need to get with my solicitor to see what the next stage. What angers me most is they didn't listen to me at all and all the items I will "correct" in my improvement plan will mean they can't hold it against my other colleagues, even though they should be held equally culpable.
Finally to add, our HR manager left before I got back. Our boss was one of the main reasons she was leaving. The new HR boss was clearly on their side as instead of being impartial she said she could see areas for improvement, and even 5 days before my appeal letter was due she was phoning me up asking when I'd have it in and that she couldn't see why I was appealing. I'm on the job hunt but had nothing in the last 4 weeks, it's looking grim.
Edited by Mouse1903 on Monday 14th March 14:35
esxste said:
Make sure you keep those notes about what is said, and when.
Right now the stress and the blind-sides from the Company and Boss can make it hard to see the wood for the trees.
But if the worst happens, when hindsight gives its usual clarity; those notes are going to be very helpful.
Totally agree. This is your ammo. Rarely do employers not make mistakes in these situations. It's at times like this when you should only think of number one. If the situation ever arises that you have a crunch meeting with a senior HR person and he/she then realises you have a thick dossier, the negotiating dynamics start changing.Right now the stress and the blind-sides from the Company and Boss can make it hard to see the wood for the trees.
But if the worst happens, when hindsight gives its usual clarity; those notes are going to be very helpful.
I'd encourage you to think ahead to getting your next job - what will you say when a prospective employer asks you, "Why did you leave?".
If there are protracted legal wranglings (even if completely justified, as it sounds like may be the case) then the answer to this question gets much tougher, especially as a new employer will be likely to check references.
Go through the formal process with HR as others have said, but keep your wits about you as it sounds like you may be put on a performance improvement plan with a view to an exit :-(
Keep your eyes open for other jobs as it sounds like it may be time to cut your losses, and get out cleanly with a decent reference.
A tough situation - all the best!
If there are protracted legal wranglings (even if completely justified, as it sounds like may be the case) then the answer to this question gets much tougher, especially as a new employer will be likely to check references.
Go through the formal process with HR as others have said, but keep your wits about you as it sounds like you may be put on a performance improvement plan with a view to an exit :-(
Keep your eyes open for other jobs as it sounds like it may be time to cut your losses, and get out cleanly with a decent reference.
A tough situation - all the best!
Mouse1903 said:
Quick update. Back to work tomorrow and since I got back I had the meeting which I appealed after they sent me a letter summarising the concerns that make me look really bad at my job. All the points could be applied to my back to back or previous colleagues. I got a solicitor to help with the appeal letter and they haven't even given me a formal warning and not followed their own procedure.
Had the appeal meeting with my boss over the phone last week but they conveniently ignored the points I made about not following procedure. When I tried to say these points shouldn't apply just to me he turned round and said this was about my performance not others. He also blamed me for the financial issues that had nothing to do with me and I helped investigate. Got the call today from HR to say he is travelling but they are upholding the decision to put me on a plan, which proves he is a coward and can't call me direct (or wait til I'm in country in 2 days) and the fact the are singling me out for whatever reason.
I'm absolutely livid but going to have to contain my anger. Once I see the plan when I arrive then I'll need to get with my solicitor to see what the next stage. What angers me most is they didn't listen to me at all and all the items I will "correct" in my improvement plan will mean they can't hold it against my other colleagues, even though they should be held equally culpable.
Finally to add, our HR manager left before I got back. Our boss was one of the main reasons she was leaving. The new HR boss was clearly on their side as instead of being impartial she said she could see areas for improvement, and even 5 days before my appeal letter was due she was phoning me up asking when I'd have it in and that she couldn't see why I was appealing. I'm on the job hunt but had nothing in the last 4 weeks, it's looking grim.
In my experience HR are never on your side. They may have to pretend to be but mark my words they are not. They are there to try and ensure minimal exposure of any wrongdoing by the company, that's it! Anything else is just about perception. Had the appeal meeting with my boss over the phone last week but they conveniently ignored the points I made about not following procedure. When I tried to say these points shouldn't apply just to me he turned round and said this was about my performance not others. He also blamed me for the financial issues that had nothing to do with me and I helped investigate. Got the call today from HR to say he is travelling but they are upholding the decision to put me on a plan, which proves he is a coward and can't call me direct (or wait til I'm in country in 2 days) and the fact the are singling me out for whatever reason.
I'm absolutely livid but going to have to contain my anger. Once I see the plan when I arrive then I'll need to get with my solicitor to see what the next stage. What angers me most is they didn't listen to me at all and all the items I will "correct" in my improvement plan will mean they can't hold it against my other colleagues, even though they should be held equally culpable.
Finally to add, our HR manager left before I got back. Our boss was one of the main reasons she was leaving. The new HR boss was clearly on their side as instead of being impartial she said she could see areas for improvement, and even 5 days before my appeal letter was due she was phoning me up asking when I'd have it in and that she couldn't see why I was appealing. I'm on the job hunt but had nothing in the last 4 weeks, it's looking grim.
Edited by Mouse1903 on Monday 14th March 14:35
I've worked with quite a few HR teams and its all BS. They are also usually the least professional of the lot, ducking out of any difficult questions and ignoring basic legislation when they can get away with it.
Good luck and keep your cool, its time to look after number 1 and maximize any potential gains from being dismissed. Dont loose it with your boss or even bother getting into an argument.
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