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I am appalled at the responses in this thread regarding doctor's appointments. I'm sorry but I'm not going to ignore or delay doctor's appointments on things that need serious attention. I need to see a chiropractor three times a week for my dislocated hip problem, and I need a dental cleaning because it's been six months since I was seen. Healthcare is something that can't wait. I'm sorry. And I've been conscientious enough to schedule my appointments earlier in the mornings or around lunch time or whatever, and have been making up the time accordingly. What's wrong with THAT??
I think some people are getting distracted by the idea that you should not go to the doctor or adjust your schedule or whatever. The issue really is that you didn't let your boss know ahead of time or discuss it with him/her. Something like have a dr's appt tues morning, i'll stay late to make up the time. I think your communication skills need some work. You may be making up the time, but you LOOK like you aren't because you're not letting your boss know what's up.
Your boss sounds like a control freak but you need to do a better job communicating and being aware of "optics."
You probably need to realize that what is acceptable behavior/standards for one job is different for another job. In your old job, you may have been able to get away with managing your own time when it came to lunches/ doctors appointments but with this job you can't do that. If everyone else takes a half hour lunch, you should be taking a half hour lunch (unless otherwise directed by your boss). Are your doctors appointments at different times during the week- can they be scheduled at certain times each week so that your boss knows that you will be in late that day but you will be staying late to make up time? If you have a chronic condition, you might want to tell your boss-you don't have to go in to detail, just say that you are undergoing physical therapy. Dental and cable appointments might be best made for the weekends, especially at this job.
In short, learn to read the culture of each job you have and adapt to it.
I just want to change my career already. After 8 years of accounting, I absolutely HATE it. I do not want to be promoted. I am not inspired by my managers or any other positions above my level at all.
As for my current job....it's too late now. I'm doomed. I didn't impress. And won't likely impress anymore.
Not everyone was cut out for accounting. Don't know what your health problems are, but many health problems are brought out by stress. If you hate your life and are stressed out all the time then you are highly likely to be unhealthy.
If I were an employer I wouldn't have a problem with what you're doing if I were kept aware of what was going on. If I was unaware of what was going on and I kept going by your cubicle expecting you there and you weren't then I would have a problem with that. You answer to your employers. Your employers need to know where their employees are during the work day.
If you worked for me and texted one time when you are being paid by me you would have been fired and that does not take into account the other things you would have been fired for.
You need to learn how to be an employee instead of blaming accounting and the company you work for as being the terrible part of the situation.
Are you an employer or manager? If you are, you surely are a terrible one. One text and you fire? That's way, way too extreme. There's a big difference between someone playing on their phone all day and someone sending a text here and there in the natural, unavoidable down times that occur in every office.
So, I'm two months into my new job and today I had my "mid-year" review (even though it was just two months). My manager rated me a 2 out of 5, which means "needs improvement." She said that if I do not improve my performance, we may have to "part ways" in 30 days from now. This is a white collar professional corporate accounting job.
Needless to say, I am extremely demoralized and discouraged now.
It's ridiculous though, because I JUST started and I'm still learning how to navigate folders and files, figure out who to communicate with on certain matters and learn the business, etc. But I have hit way too many roadblocks. And I try to figure things out on my own before asking my manager, because I don't want it to seem like I need my hand held the whole time. She criticized me for not asking enough questions. BUT THEN, after a few weeks of asking her more questions....she then told me that I ask too much questions.
She also said that my analytical skills are lacking and need improvement. But my previous manager at my last job said my analytical skills were GOOD.
They are also extreme time micromanagers...
Also, this old, miserable, fat lady who sits about 10 feet behind me, apparently, has been monitoring every little thing I do. She went and told my manager that I was taking one-hour lunches sometimes and not making up the time for it (even though I was). I thought it was absolutely absurd and that she should mind her own business. And my manager told me that I've been texting on my phone excessively. Granted, she is sort of right, but I still thought that was the talking point of a MICRO manager.
One time, on a Friday, I left at 4:30 because I had to get home for a cable guy appointment at my condo for 5:00. I didn't think it was a big deal, being a salaried professional, on a FRIDAY, to leave at that time, instead of 5:00, when I would have normally left. When I told her that I had to leave, her eyes opened very wide in an outrage and said, "well, then you owe the company time and need to bring your computer home and work that half hour over the weekend." I don't know....I thought it was just....over the top.
Then today, she got upset that I arrived into the office at 9:30 instead of 9:00, because I had a doctor's appointment and didn't tell her about it. WTF?! At my last job, that would not have been an issue at all. In my profession, we were taught to manage our own schedules, within reason. I've had managers in the past who didn't even WANT to be told that I have a doctor's appointment (unless obviously, it would interfere with a meeting or something important or a busy day, etc.).
Now I feel like I have a gun pointed to my head and that I'm being watched, for the next 30 days. I simply cannot work well like that. I'm sorry. Now I understand why this other lady quit after just two months. It's a terrible department and company to work for.
My career has amounted to an EPIC disaster, at the age of 31 now. I used to be a straight-A accounting student in college, and here I am already on my 5th job, haven't been promoted in all 8 years of my career, have no desire to move up the ladder in my career, and 4 out of the 5 jobs truly sucked. The only good job I had was in Stamford, CT, but I would never go back there, because it was a horrific place to live.
I hope I get fired so that I can go back to school and get a degree in something else and start a NEW career in something that I will actually ENJOY and be GOOD at. I won't be able to collect unemployment though, because it's less than 6 months on the job, and well, you can't collect if you get fired.
My manager is also an extreme right wing Republican who was in the military.
ACCOUNTING SUCKS!!!
I was curious, what made Stamford a horrific place to live?
Not so sure about this. I watched Office Space and I don't see why you would recommend that movie in this instance. The boss in that movie, IIRC, was a jerk. The OP's boss, according to his/her own posts, have every right to complain.
I think that with the OP's attitude, they would be miserable in any job.
And jobs are still hard to come by, at least in this area. It's this "pie in the sky, do what you love" advice that has the OP screwed up in the first place. Feeding the family/paying the bills come first.
I checked the post count, too. Are people honestly this lazy?
I also know that, at least here, you have to wait MONTHS for a Saturday doctor's appointment. Dentist's offices are closed on weekends. Sometimes we really have no choice but to schedule things during our workday.
But yes, OP, tell your boss for crying out loud.
Around here the doctors are only open maybe 9-5 or 9-4:30 M-F. Many areas are like that and there is no way for someone working a professional job to go to the dr. without missing work.
I am still appalled at the responses in this thread.
Healthcare is something that can NOT wait, in certain cases. And doctor's offices are ONLY open during business hours most of the time and it's very hard to get time slots after work or on the weekends. I do ask for those time slots first, but if it doesn't work out, I will just pick the next best time slot. I'm sorry, if I was an employer and had a new hire, I would absolutely LET them have the flexibility to go on doctor's appointments. Healthcare is a personal thing and people should NOT have to wait until a 90 day probation period is over. It's sickening. Especially considering that I was willing to make up the time by coming into work earlier and staying later. I was absolutely willing to make up the time and they are being nitpicky as hell. I made an appointment tomorrow morning for 8:45, and was willing to come in at 8:00 am to work (earlier than my normal 9:00 time), to make up for the anticipated 45-minute appointment. Then, I had another appointment at 11:40, which is close enough to lunch time. And I was willing to stay an extra hour later at the end of the day, til 6:30. Seriously....WHAT'S SO WRONG WITH THAT?!
I have also NEVER had a bad performance review in all 8 years of my career....until now. The department is a disaster and they are giving me all kinds of work that I've never dealt with before in my career and their expectations are a bit too high if you ask me. They just had a HUGE merger, so things are in disarray right now. And our department is understaffed. I do not handle overtime well at all. After an 8 hour work day, I am EXHAUSTED as can be. But even my manager said she believes in a 40 hour work week, no matter what the case.
HECK, we even had another manager who started in May and voluntarily quit and left the job in July. She hated it and didn't impress them either and left. So it's not just me.
The only thing that I will agree with my manager is that I was texting excessively. Fine. Fair enough.
It still doesn't change the fact that I hate my career to no end and don't have the passion, motivation or desire to excel in it. If I were to go back in time, I would have gotten a different degree altogether, that has nothing to do with business or finance.
So, I'm two months into my new job and today I had my "mid-year" review (even though it was just two months). My manager rated me a 2 out of 5, which means "needs improvement." She said that if I do not improve my performance, we may have to "part ways" in 30 days from now. This is a white collar professional corporate accounting job.
Needless to say, I am extremely demoralized and discouraged now.
It's ridiculous though, because I JUST started and I'm still learning how to navigate folders and files, figure out who to communicate with on certain matters and learn the business, etc. But I have hit way too many roadblocks. And I try to figure things out on my own before asking my manager, because I don't want it to seem like I need my hand held the whole time. She criticized me for not asking enough questions. BUT THEN, after a few weeks of asking her more questions....she then told me that I ask too much questions.
She also said that my analytical skills are lacking and need improvement. But my previous manager at my last job said my analytical skills were GOOD.
They are also extreme time micromanagers...
Also, this old, miserable, fat lady who sits about 10 feet behind me, apparently, has been monitoring every little thing I do. She went and told my manager that I was taking one-hour lunches sometimes and not making up the time for it (even though I was). I thought it was absolutely absurd and that she should mind her own business. And my manager told me that I've been texting on my phone excessively. Granted, she is sort of right, but I still thought that was the talking point of a MICRO manager.
One time, on a Friday, I left at 4:30 because I had to get home for a cable guy appointment at my condo for 5:00. I didn't think it was a big deal, being a salaried professional, on a FRIDAY, to leave at that time, instead of 5:00, when I would have normally left. When I told her that I had to leave, her eyes opened very wide in an outrage and said, "well, then you owe the company time and need to bring your computer home and work that half hour over the weekend." I don't know....I thought it was just....over the top.
Then today, she got upset that I arrived into the office at 9:30 instead of 9:00, because I had a doctor's appointment and didn't tell her about it. WTF?! At my last job, that would not have been an issue at all. In my profession, we were taught to manage our own schedules, within reason. I've had managers in the past who didn't even WANT to be told that I have a doctor's appointment (unless obviously, it would interfere with a meeting or something important or a busy day, etc.).
Now I feel like I have a gun pointed to my head and that I'm being watched, for the next 30 days. I simply cannot work well like that. I'm sorry. Now I understand why this other lady quit after just two months. It's a terrible department and company to work for.
My career has amounted to an EPIC disaster, at the age of 31 now. I used to be a straight-A accounting student in college, and here I am already on my 5th job, haven't been promoted in all 8 years of my career, have no desire to move up the ladder in my career, and 4 out of the 5 jobs truly sucked. The only good job I had was in Stamford, CT, but I would never go back there, because it was a horrific place to live.
I hope I get fired so that I can go back to school and get a degree in something else and start a NEW career in something that I will actually ENJOY and be GOOD at. I won't be able to collect unemployment though, because it's less than 6 months on the job, and well, you can't collect if you get fired.
My manager is also an extreme right wing Republican who was in the military.
ACCOUNTING SUCKS!!!
Personally, and I am NOT your manager, but your work ethic DOES SUCK {putting it mildly} and needs VAST improvement.
1} STOP texting- you are AT WORK. TELL ALL your friends NO while you are at work. IF you have a child at school who needs to text saying "I am home", receive that, say "do your homework see you later" and GO BACK TO WORK IMMEDIATELY.
2} Friday, or any other day of the week, doesn't entitle you to leave early if the work is not done, ASK for time available needed for "appointments".
3} calling a coworker "fat"-even to us- isn't nice, watch what you say your thoughts may come out as words that person hears.
4} "all jobs I had sucked"-fine attitude to have.., it comes out in your attitude at work...
5} the real world is NOT college doesn't matter straight-A or not, the real world is NOT a college grading system! It HAs its OWN system, and you are failing it. Lack of desire to move up probably leaves you with little drive to do your job as it is.
6}Perhaps ACCOUNTING is NOT for you? You may be right to go back to school, but if your attitude doesn't change, changing careers won't help.
7} labeling your boss does NOT help your attitude...I am Independent of party and I am offended by your "right wing republican" comment!
8}what may have been "good skills' at your last job may not work at another job,.
9} If you need supervising, you WILL need "micromanaging"- ALL managers to some degree micro-manage, remember it is their BUTT on the LINE if all doesn't go well! Likewise it is YOUR butt on the line at your level!
1)} become a fast learner..
DO seek other options as I think this career for you is NOT your "calling" Get out while you can... Thatmay be your best option right now!
Best of luck to you
I went to tell my manager that I have my two doctor's appointments tomorrow and that I was willing to make up the time by coming in early and leaving late. She didn't like the idea, because she didn't want to give me the "flexibility" because I'm underperforming. But, my healthcare is important and I need to see the doctors NOW. My right hip is dislocated and I'm suffering from sciatica and hip pain and need to regularly see a chiropractor. I can NOT wait until a probationary period is over.
Anyway, she was upset, so we went into the HR director's office for 40 minutes and I didn't look my manager in the eye not even ONCE. They were basically telling me that, because my performance is under par, that I should not have the flexibility of scheduling doctor's appointments during business hours, even if I make up for it in the morning or evening, which is absurd. They're just trying to flex their muscle. At once point, the HR director said, "it seems like you're not happy here....if you want, we can just part ways right now." The conversation went on and on and on and I kept defending myself and told them that I need to give attention to my health issues right now and doctors are ONLY available for appointments during business hours, almost all of the time. They still kept resisting. After the meeting was over, I went to my desk, logged off my computer, grabbed my keys and LEFT.
I would say there is a 80-90% chance that I will be fired very soon. What do you think?
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