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Employee receives praise from other areas in the company, which the manager discourages. They want a second person brought in on projects, and all details to get approval from the manager.
Manager insists on having existing project changed to appear to have their own personal stamp (even though project was well underway when manager arrived).
They are taking credit for your work. If not right now, they are setting that up for the near future. Discouraging praise from outside prevents you from communicating your contributions outside your unit. Bringing in a second person makes it less clear which work was done solely by you. Requiring approval ensures that you cannot take credit for any original ideas. Making personal changes to the project helps them add details to claim that all the work on the project was theirs.
Note: When I say take credit, I don't mean, "I led the team that did this." I mean, "I did all of this." Literally setting up to take sole credit for the work done.
If other people are giving you good feedback perhaps you could start collecting those comments in writing? That way, if you're discussing this with your manager or HR you can whip them out. They may not carry much weight but at least you'd have proof you're not exaggerating other people's comments.
If other people are giving you good feedback perhaps you could start collecting those comments in writing? That way, if you're discussing this with your manager or HR you can whip them out. They may not carry much weight but at least you'd have proof you're not exaggerating other people's comments.
I agree. I've created a folder in Outlook called my "Praise" folder. Whenever someone says something good about the work I've done, I file it away. Then when your boss tries to argue that you're just average or below average, you can bring up specific examples of how you've done good. And while your boss is left dumbfounded and fumbling for a response, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that his/her thoughts about you are unfounded. At the very least, this will help in any case where your boss tries to get you tossed by mislabeling you as inept. Let's face it, some bosses can just be pr***s.
HR gets paid by the company and is always 100% on the side of management. They are there to keep the company out of any trouble (prevent lawsuits, etc) and to make sure that the rules are being followed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg1977
^ Interesting read. I'd have to agree with the part about HR; depending on the type and size of the company, HR can either act as an objective buffer or they can be 100% in Management's pocket, and so going to them expecting that the matter will be resolved with a win-win for all is highly unlikely. I work for a small,private company and the latter is very much the situation, my HR manager is the LAST person I would go to.
However, it's a little hard because my manager is implying that what I am doing isn't good enough, despite me getting great feedback. She is often in obvious disbelief when I do get such great feedback.
It feels sort of confusing, particularly because my managers superior only recently mentioned what I was doing was great.
Only a few days ago, my manager told me that she asked someone to help me out with my work. I need to get approval for all the work that I do, even if it's something really small.
Lordy! Sounds like the -itch I worked for for 14 years! She finally got the opportunity to lay me off and has not only been under fire from the rest of the department, and even other departments, but she's reeeeeal unhappy with the person she replaced me with (and who is about to leave), and she's pelted with complaints constantly. But that person is a narcissist and it's very difficult to work for people like that.
I agree to NOT go to HR, but to talk to your manager and ask for where you can improve because on your end you feel you are working very diligently and are a little surprised by the comments. Ask for constructive criticism.
Going straight to her IMO is the best way to go about this.
HR exists to keep the organization from getting sued, period. They are there to represent the employers' interest not the employees' interest.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ccm123
HR gets paid by the company and is always 100% on the side of management. They are there to keep the company out of any trouble (prevent lawsuits, etc) and to make sure that the rules are being followed.
Yes, something I've learned the hard way when previously addressing issues with HR, expecting them to be resolved in a manner that actually benefited both sides. Having first worked in the public sector and now the private, it was quite a rude awakening. Experience, of course, is a dear teacher....
For some private employers, they don't appear to understand that content employees and the company's best interests go hand in hand. For the employee, leaving is the only realistic choice but in this employer's market not that simple to find another job right away. So the employee likely retreats into a shell, goes through the motions, passive-aggressive behavior, and the like. The employer can of course respond to this by terminating employment, and then go through the process of hiring and loss of productivity until the replacement is in place and up to scratch, a situation that is likely to perpetuate itself over and over.
Yes, it is a huge misconception that HR is there for the employees. They are there for the employers. And any backing they do for an employee is to save the employer's hide.
My last stupivisor had 5 support staff reporting to her, and all of the others went through periods when they had big problems with her, and they went to HR constantly to complain. I did not, would not, do this. I maintained documentation for 14 years and it has finally come in very handy.
Sometimes no matter how hard, you try you'll never please some people, and manager's who were insecure and had unhappy personal lives were the hardest to please. One such manager would make claims that employees complained about me being standoffish/unapproachable; however, when I asked for specifics, I was informed that it wasn't necessary to give me specifics. (How do you fix what you know nothing of?)
I made a point of ensuring I was not standoffish, etc., and yet at the next performance review was given the same complaint - it was just one of those no-win situations and thankfully that manager left the company. The new manager never had one complaint regarding my attitude and/or work during all the years we worked together.
I try not to go to HR, unless some law has been broken.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg1977
Yes, something I've learned the hard way when previously addressing issues with HR, expecting them to be resolved in a manner that actually benefited both sides. Having first worked in the public sector and now the private, it was quite a rude awakening. Experience, of course, is a dear teacher....
For some private employers, they don't appear to understand that content employees and the company's best interests go hand in hand. For the employee, leaving is the only realistic choice but in this employer's market not that simple to find another job right away. So the employee likely retreats into a shell, goes through the motions, passive-aggressive behavior, and the like. The employer can of course respond to this by terminating employment, and then go through the process of hiring and loss of productivity until the replacement is in place and up to scratch, a situation that is likely to perpetuate itself over and over.
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