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I received an outstanding performance review 1 week ago during my annual review at work. My boss has spoken very highly of me throughout the year and explained that she's very happy that I'm on her team.
I made a minor mistake at work a few days ago, and I found out that I will receive a formal written warning from upper management, as requested from my boss. The mistake was never discussed me with verbally by my boss.
How do I handle this situation and how should I protect myself?
Two different issues from my understanding. You had an excellent review, then made the error. Acknowledge the error and make sure it doesn't happen again.
2. You get written up. One of the primary steps in proving cause for termination is good documentation showing what happened and why. When an employee makes a mistake or breaks a company rule, it is not unusual for them to be written up with some kind of warning, corrective action or other form of documentation. If you are written up, and there is a good reason for that write up, it may be that the write up was appropriate and written in good faith to address the issue. But if you have been written up unfairly or if you were written up when an oral conversation should have been enough, that is a red flag that the boss may be intending to soon walk you out the door.
OP, I don't care how raving your review was, you have to remember a manager's job is to protect him or herself, not you.
They are two separate things -- your review, and the mistake (since then)
But, I have to say, from the worker-bee point of view, I think what your boss did was low.
IF the mistake was truly minor, why didn't she discuss it with you, before recommending a formal warning?
Clearly she didn't have to do that. But wouldn't it have shown you that she's not a low down dirty, back-stabbing dog?
Why do I say that?
1) You were never informed about possible repercussions from the error.
2) It'd be one thing if HER boss had wanted you to get a warning. You said SHE is the one who asked that you be formally warned. That leads me to believe she also had the option of NOT going that route.
I received an outstanding performance review 1 week ago during my annual review at work. My boss has spoken very highly of me throughout the year and explained that she's very happy that I'm on her team.
I made a minor mistake at work a few days ago, and I found out that I will receive a formal written warning from upper management, as requested from my boss. The mistake was never discussed me with verbally by my boss.
How do I handle this situation and how should I protect myself?
Things happen. The past doesn't always determine the future. People do make mistakes no matter how stellar an employee they are. Doesn't sound like it was "minor" if you will be formally written up, so change your view about that. Make sure you know why it happened. Could have been a result of lack of skill OR of conduct/attitude. Acknowledge the mistake when it comes up with your boss and be prepared to explain what you will do to avoid it or similar mistakes in future. It's your willingness to regroup, re-tool, and to take ownership they are probably expecting from such an otherwise outstanding employee. If you prove them right, this blip will remain right where it belongs; in the past.
Weird scenario. Excellent rating, but then you make a 'minor' error for which your supervisor requests a formal, written warning. Anywhere I've every worked, a minor mistake is handled informally. Something is missing in the middle there.
2: Company opinion. Your mistake may have caused problems for others, and this mistake was brought to attention of upper management, who ordered the written notice.
This is what happens a lot of times, and there is no contesting the write up.
Do you think that employees who get ‘Outstanding’ reviews are above making mistakes or errors on the job? Of course not. These are two separate issues from a management perspective. The key bit of information that is missing for me is why your boss didn’t handle this instead of taking it up the ladder. What am I missing here?
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