1/02/2006
Your Job is Doomed
“Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get me.”
- Woody Allen
Does this mean I’m out?
Excerpted from "Career Comeback" by Bradley G. Richardson:
(I bolded the points relevant to me)
- Your boss, mentor, or champion leaves or is suddenly rendered powerless.
- You fail to meet expectations or are a poor performer.
- You are on progressive discipline (verbal or written warning).
- You find yourself increasingly out of the loop.
- You are given a less desirable or lucrative territory.
- Your compensation structure changes dramatically.
- You are watched and micromanaged where you once had freedom.
- You are given new, unattainable goals or targets.
- You get a new boss who comes from the outside.
- You are in an underperforming unit.
- You are in a nonrevenue- producing or overstaffed unit.
- You are in a remote office.
- You have the least tenure or were the last one hired.
- You have a significant salary.
- You are no longer included in future plans or upcoming projects.
- You are passed over for a promotion.
- You fail to accept a position or relocation.
- Your opinion is now worthless.
- You are reassigned to a lower- profile project.
- You are demoted.
- You are given a "take it or leave it" or "no win" option.
- Management makes your life a living hell.
You find yourself increasingly out of the loop
Per Kate Lorenz (writer for Careerbuilder.com), if you find yourself shut out of meetings and the last to know what’s going on, the company may be preparing for life without you. I had this very thing happen to me and then my Idiot Boss lied about it to my face. Nice.
You are passed over for a promotion
I worked for 5 years in a pioneering role within my department. When a promotion did become available, it went to someone who was with the company for 8 months and who had NO experience in that particular role. You can imagine how that made me feel.
You are demoted / You are in an underperforming unit / You are reassigned to a lower- profile project
After I was rejected for a promotion, I was involuntarily moved into a different, less desirable role. The position I had been in offered high visibility where this new role gave me none. On top of that, I was placed in charge of under-performing individuals – who are incidentally, no longer with the company.
You are watched and micromanaged where you once had freedom
To quote Kate Lorenz, “If you have always had a great deal of autonomy in the past and are now being scrutinized at every turn, there might be a serious reason behind this new form of management. Whether you feel you need your hand held or not, new scrutiny in the workplace can sometimes mean less confidence in your abilities.” What I don’t understand is, after all this time, why is it my management still refuses to provide examples of where I fall short? I’m not entirely sure that this means lack of confidence in my abilities or if it’s just that they want me out.
You have received one or more negative reviews
Once again per Kate, “If you have multiple bad reviews under your belt and still haven't learned from them, your days probably are numbered. Just as bad, if you've had stellar reviews in the past and suddenly you are no longer regarded as a star performer, watch out!” It’s true, if you have received a poor performance review you need to find out why. If your supervisor lays out a map of where you went wrong and what you can do to improve, then it’s in your best interest to sit up and take notice. On the other hand, if your supervisor fails to provide this information then that too sends a strong message. So definitely “watch out” if this is happening to you – your company may be setting you up for involuntary departure.
You are on progressive discipline (verbal or written warning)
As with your performance review, if your manager provided you with a solid outline of where you’ve fallen short, pay attention. Are these valid points? If they are, then do what you need to in order to stay employed - if that's what you want. If not, take this as a sign that they want you out. You can try to take your case to human resources if you think they’ll listen. But be careful as they may side with your boss. Personally, I think it's better to stand up and fail then to do nothing. If it fails though, then it might be time to re-think your job and start looking elsewhere for employment. Trust me on this one – it’s not a good sign.
If you truly feel you’re being pushed out of your job then the best solution is to probably leave. It’s unfair, but that doesn’t mean you should stay and prove them wrong. Chances are, you’ll lose.
- Woody Allen
Does this mean I’m out?
Excerpted from "Career Comeback" by Bradley G. Richardson:
(I bolded the points relevant to me)
- Your boss, mentor, or champion leaves or is suddenly rendered powerless.
- You fail to meet expectations or are a poor performer.
- You are on progressive discipline (verbal or written warning).
- You find yourself increasingly out of the loop.
- You are given a less desirable or lucrative territory.
- Your compensation structure changes dramatically.
- You are watched and micromanaged where you once had freedom.
- You are given new, unattainable goals or targets.
- You get a new boss who comes from the outside.
- You are in an underperforming unit.
- You are in a nonrevenue- producing or overstaffed unit.
- You are in a remote office.
- You have the least tenure or were the last one hired.
- You have a significant salary.
- You are no longer included in future plans or upcoming projects.
- You are passed over for a promotion.
- You fail to accept a position or relocation.
- Your opinion is now worthless.
- You are reassigned to a lower- profile project.
- You are demoted.
- You are given a "take it or leave it" or "no win" option.
- Management makes your life a living hell.
You find yourself increasingly out of the loop
Per Kate Lorenz (writer for Careerbuilder.com), if you find yourself shut out of meetings and the last to know what’s going on, the company may be preparing for life without you. I had this very thing happen to me and then my Idiot Boss lied about it to my face. Nice.
You are passed over for a promotion
I worked for 5 years in a pioneering role within my department. When a promotion did become available, it went to someone who was with the company for 8 months and who had NO experience in that particular role. You can imagine how that made me feel.
You are demoted / You are in an underperforming unit / You are reassigned to a lower- profile project
After I was rejected for a promotion, I was involuntarily moved into a different, less desirable role. The position I had been in offered high visibility where this new role gave me none. On top of that, I was placed in charge of under-performing individuals – who are incidentally, no longer with the company.
You are watched and micromanaged where you once had freedom
To quote Kate Lorenz, “If you have always had a great deal of autonomy in the past and are now being scrutinized at every turn, there might be a serious reason behind this new form of management. Whether you feel you need your hand held or not, new scrutiny in the workplace can sometimes mean less confidence in your abilities.” What I don’t understand is, after all this time, why is it my management still refuses to provide examples of where I fall short? I’m not entirely sure that this means lack of confidence in my abilities or if it’s just that they want me out.
You have received one or more negative reviews
Once again per Kate, “If you have multiple bad reviews under your belt and still haven't learned from them, your days probably are numbered. Just as bad, if you've had stellar reviews in the past and suddenly you are no longer regarded as a star performer, watch out!” It’s true, if you have received a poor performance review you need to find out why. If your supervisor lays out a map of where you went wrong and what you can do to improve, then it’s in your best interest to sit up and take notice. On the other hand, if your supervisor fails to provide this information then that too sends a strong message. So definitely “watch out” if this is happening to you – your company may be setting you up for involuntary departure.
You are on progressive discipline (verbal or written warning)
As with your performance review, if your manager provided you with a solid outline of where you’ve fallen short, pay attention. Are these valid points? If they are, then do what you need to in order to stay employed - if that's what you want. If not, take this as a sign that they want you out. You can try to take your case to human resources if you think they’ll listen. But be careful as they may side with your boss. Personally, I think it's better to stand up and fail then to do nothing. If it fails though, then it might be time to re-think your job and start looking elsewhere for employment. Trust me on this one – it’s not a good sign.
If you truly feel you’re being pushed out of your job then the best solution is to probably leave. It’s unfair, but that doesn’t mean you should stay and prove them wrong. Chances are, you’ll lose.
