Refusing To Sign Write Up or Signing With A Rebutal (job hunting, employees)
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I have one of the shadiest managers out there who likes to play the victim. She takes responsibility for nothing, will throw you under the bus and issist you are the problem and claims insubordination if you approach her with a concern. She gets irate, belittles her employees and paints them as inept in front of senior management. If she makes a Mistake she presents it as a team mistake. We work in finance and she has covered up errors and even suggested the team cheat on a divisional test (have email where she asked one of the other employees to send the answers to the team). I've been with the company for about a year and a half now. Last week our discussion got heated and she screamed in front of a dozen or so people that she was done with me. Not knowing what that meant I immediately emailed HR to see if I needed to bother coming back the next day. As I was leaving she suggested we grab a conference room and we talked it out or so I thought. While we were talking one of the senior execs started calling her name from her phone so it's clear to me that she dialed into a conference line and put her phone on speaker to broadcast and record our conversation to whomever she advised to dial in.
During her meeting She apologized for her behavior and said she wouldn't do it again but insisted that I take so blame but I wouldn't.
The next day I was so physically and emotionally exhausted I called in sick. My stomach and head literally hurt over the drama.
The following day I came in and she called me into a conference room accusing me of all sort of things and taking personal jabs. So much for the sincerity of her apology. Then she said she wanted to meet again but she needed to prepare a written write up on me. as of now I have no plans on signing anything she presents but will instead bring up every dirty deed that she has done during my tenure as a Rebutal. What would you do? How would you handle this situation? My plans include finding another job but in the meantime how would you handle her trying to take you down without accepting any responsibility?
I would immediately begin my job search.
No way would I stay with that company for a minute longer than absolutely necessary for my financial well being.
My letter of resignation would be addressed to the head honcho of the company, whatever his/her title is, and it would be VERY specific as to the reason(s) for my resignation; naming names, dates, witnesses, etc.
As for her "counseling session", first I would have some kind of small recording device and make sure she knows I have it. I would refuse to sign anything, and I would not make any rebuttal. However, I would insist that I be given copies of every piece of paper generated as a result of that session, reminding her that I have it all recorded.
A signature does not mean that you concur; it means that you received the write up. I don't know how it works where you are at, but if I order you to sign a reprimand and you refuse, you may be immediately terminated for insubordination. If she orders you to sign it, write "I do not concur" and sign it. Tell her that you will be following up with HR for the grievance process.
Sounds like a terrible situation. I am not passing any type of judgment on your story, I am simply addressing the issues in your post heading.
It doesn't matter whether you sign a writeup or not. A signature on a warning usually means only that you have received it, not hat you agree with it. Check the document for any sort of indication to the contrary, but you should see something that says approximately: "I acknowledge receipt of this warning".
If so, signing is not an acknowledgment of guilt.
If it says something like: "I acknowledge and agree with the statements in this warning", that is another matter and you should not sign.
Assuming your manager doesn't try to pull something sketchy like an acknowledgment of guilt, you should sign the document. If you do not, that is grounds for an additional writeup for insubordination.
As for any rebuttal, keep it factual to your behaviour as noted in the writeup. You may not like this, but the writeup is about you, not your boss. Anything you put down in the document is going to get ignored, unless it is directly related to your behaviour as described in the document. Take advantage of the opportunity to describe extenuating circumstances that work in your favor, don't waste the opportunity and make yourself look bad.
If you do decide to file a complaint against your manager, take a different path. File it with HR, or her boss, or the union, or whatever the appropriate method is for your company. That will make it effective and it should be dealt with rather than getting lost as an addendum to your disciplinary action.
If the write up is true, sign it along with a rebuttal. If it is not true, refuse to sign it until it is corrected. I have had some bad bosses and this situation usually doesn't end well for the employee. Management sticks together. I had a list one time of my boss's issues (coming in drunk, showing up an hour late daily, swearing at employees, stealing merchandise, drug use, sexual harassment regarding workers wifes etc) I went through a multi-month exchange with upper management regarding this guy and at the end of the day they chose him over me so I left. A buddy still works there and says it's same as it was. I was a straight shooter, dedicated, and loyal and I simply got pushed out, but not before securing a good reference from corporate.
So that said, stick to your guns and keep your dignity. But recognize there isn't much you can do short of big waves which will probably result in you getting pushed out anyway.
If the write up is true, sign it along with a rebuttal. If it is not true, refuse to sign it until it is corrected. I have had some bad bosses and this situation usually doesn't end well for the employee. Management sticks together. I had a list one time of my boss's issues (coming in drunk, showing up an hour late daily, swearing at employees, stealing merchandise, drug use, sexual harassment regarding workers wifes etc) I went through a multi-month exchange with upper management regarding this guy and at the end of the day they chose him over me so I left. A buddy still works there and says it's same as it was. I was a straight shooter, dedicated, and loyal and I simply got pushed out, but not before securing a good reference from corporate.
So that said, stick to your guns and keep your dignity. But recognize there isn't much you can do short of big waves which will probably result in you getting pushed out anyway.
Definitely being pushed out. I'm definitely ready to go. I just want the record to accurately reflect the truth about all that I've gone through with this psycho.
Not telling you that some exec was listening from the conference line is REALLY sketchy. Did they know that she didn't tell you that?
I once had an annual review that I felt was inaccurate, so I refused to sign it. My manager said, "Well then I have to bring MY manager in." I said that was fine with me. (But really I was terrified - first corporate job at 22 years old).
I told his manager the parts that I thought were inaccurate. She agreed to alter the review and write in information that I thought was pertinent.
Fast forward three months, EVERYONE else in my group got laid off. I'm sure his negative reviews had something to do with it. I was the only one that survived and it's because I stood up for myself. Just some food for thought.
Not telling you that some exec was listening from the conference line is REALLY sketchy. Did they know that she didn't tell you that?
I once had an annual review that I felt was inaccurate, so I refused to sign it. My manager said, "Well then I have to bring MY manager in." I said that was fine with me. (But really I was terrified - first corporate job at 22 years old).
I told his manager the parts that I thought were inaccurate. She agreed to alter the review and write in information that I thought was pertinent.
Fast forward three months, EVERYONE else in my group got laid off. I'm sure his negative reviews had something to do with it. I was the only one that survived and it's because I stood up for myself. Just some food for thought.
There was definitely no acknowledgement that others were listening it. It wasn't that she accidentally butt dialed someone. She had it broadcasting on a conference line which requires on to dial a number, a conference code no a leader pin # so it was definitely on purpose
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