Refuse to sign work review? (employee, average, unemployed, temporary)
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Are you sure your performance hasn't slipped given how your attitude has changed to be very unhappy on the job? Actions typically follow attitudes. I am not saying that is necessarily the case, but it is a possibility. Have you asked yourself 'what if the review is right'?
Hey all. This all comes from a long, ongoing work conflict I've been dealing with. In the interest of keeping this post from taking up A LOT of space, I'm gonna try to keep the nitty-gritty details out.
This is REALLY cutting it down to bare bones, but basically, I've been at a job for several years. Things were going great, everyone/all the managers liked me, got great reviews, etc. This all changed a few months ago, when a new manager took over the dept I was working in. Essentially, I became a harassment/bullying/retaliation victim, for a reason that could fall into a grey zone/is maybe illegal on the employer's part. Already tried everything you can think of to fix it at work, but HR proved to be worthless (It's now that I learned that they're pretty much just a legal shield for companies). I would take it to EEOC/a court of law, but am not sure that written documentation of the events is really enough of a case.
Flash forward to now, I'm in a new department while aggressively seeking new work to get the hell out of where I am ASAP (AKA, the "this company sucks now, time to move on approach"). I picked up on a new red flag today. I've ALWAYS gotten excellent worker reviews, but today, they tried to hand me a new one, and it wasn't so nice. I'd go as far as calling it unfair/untrue. They're pretty much defending management and making me look like a bad guy. They made it JUST good enough so that I can still get a small raise, probably hoping I'd just not question anything and sign it. Interestingly enough, this, (and more hours) comes shortly after I qualified for partial unemployment due to "almost no work available" there recently.
The way I see it, since they failed to get me to quit, whether through harassment, or cutting hours, now they're going to try to get me to "admit" to doing things wrong, so they can build enough of a case to cover themselves legally, and find a way to fire me instead, perhaps to avoid paying UI taxes/a lawsuit. I was hoping to have found something new by now before it got to this stage, but hey, gotta love that great economy...
Pretty much, I'm royally sick of this toxic work environment, and I refuse to sign anything that tries to portray me negatively after years of praise. There is a "comments" section on the review, but at this point, I feel I'm essentially backed into a corner, and have no choice but to fight back and fight hard. I realize I might lose my job if I refuse to sign, but I'm wondering if I might be able to keep my UI benefits, due to my circumstances? My next planned move at the moment is to not sign it, but write in the comments section explaining why. Is this much different than signing it and stating you completely disagree? Is it time to call a lawyer? Advice from anyone who's been through something like this would be awesome!
It sounds like management might be trying to get rid of you. Not meaning to put it that way but this goes on quite a bit in the workforce. Often times they do this to older employees whom they want to get rid of so they can move someone else in at a lower salary and less perks. However, they do this to younger people as well (I assume you are younger judging by your screen name). This is common in places like the tech industry where a lot of employers have a reputation of churning and burning younger workers just so they can basically have fresh-out-of-college kids working for peanuts. Keep the grad for 4-5 years then railroad him/her. I've seen it myself.
It doesn't matter if you sign or not; very likely they will eventually get rid of you on some trumped up crap. Again, you aren't the problem, the employer is. There's a good reason why so many people posting here are talking trash about employers. Most of them are ****!
You must the sign the review or it is considered insubordination. Staple a rebuttal to your signed review. Make a few copies for yourself. Once it is handed in, check in with HR in the next several weeks to make sure that the rebuttal is in your file and still attached to your review.
Make sure that you are following any recommendations that have been made. Keep notes. A log of what is happening will be very helpful if you need to consult an attorney. It would be interesting to see if others are also being targeted and what they are doing. I have also recommended that when targeted employees see their family doctor that they mention what is going on at work.
Hey all. This all comes from a long, ongoing work conflict I've been dealing with. In the interest of keeping this post from taking up A LOT of space, I'm gonna try to keep the nitty-gritty details out.
This is REALLY cutting it down to bare bones, but basically, I've been at a job for several years. Things were going great, everyone/all the managers liked me, got great reviews, etc. This all changed a few months ago, when a new manager took over the dept I was working in. Essentially, I became a harassment/bullying/retaliation victim, for a reason that could fall into a grey zone/is maybe illegal on the employer's part. Already tried everything you can think of to fix it at work, but HR proved to be worthless (It's now that I learned that they're pretty much just a legal shield for companies). I would take it to EEOC/a court of law, but am not sure that written documentation of the events is really enough of a case.
Flash forward to now, I'm in a new department while aggressively seeking new work to get the hell out of where I am ASAP (AKA, the "this company sucks now, time to move on approach"). I picked up on a new red flag today. I've ALWAYS gotten excellent worker reviews, but today, they tried to hand me a new one, and it wasn't so nice. I'd go as far as calling it unfair/untrue. They're pretty much defending management and making me look like a bad guy. They made it JUST good enough so that I can still get a small raise, probably hoping I'd just not question anything and sign it. Interestingly enough, this, (and more hours) comes shortly after I qualified for partial unemployment due to "almost no work available" there recently.
The way I see it, since they failed to get me to quit, whether through harassment, or cutting hours, now they're going to try to get me to "admit" to doing things wrong, so they can build enough of a case to cover themselves legally, and find a way to fire me instead, perhaps to avoid paying UI taxes/a lawsuit. I was hoping to have found something new by now before it got to this stage, but hey, gotta love that great economy...
Pretty much, I'm royally sick of this toxic work environment, and I refuse to sign anything that tries to portray me negatively after years of praise. There is a "comments" section on the review, but at this point, I feel I'm essentially backed into a corner, and have no choice but to fight back and fight hard. I realize I might lose my job if I refuse to sign, but I'm wondering if I might be able to keep my UI benefits, due to my circumstances? My next planned move at the moment is to not sign it, but write in the comments section explaining why. Is this much different than signing it and stating you completely disagree? Is it time to call a lawyer? Advice from anyone who's been through something like this would be awesome!
Sign the review. Usually signing is merely stating that you were given the review NOT that you agree with it. If your company uses a form that says signing it is agreeing with the contents, write in the comments that you signed it but disagree. Photocopy the form with your signature and comments and put it straight into a wallet, briefcase etc.
If you do not sign, odds are you will be fired for insubordination. In this case, failing to sign a review when directed to do so by a superior.
You will have an easier time explaining to UI that you signed to keep from getting fired than you will explaining that you got fired for insubordination.
You may be a little confused on the signing issue. You are signing to confirm that you've read and understood the review - not that you agree to its contents.
That depends on the work place. My written reviews quite clearly state that I acknowledge that the review is an accurate assessment of my performance. (And there is a separate signature line and comment section to use if I think otherwise, and then I get an additional review by up to 4 different reviewers.)
That depends on the work place. My written reviews quite clearly state that I acknowledge that the review is an accurate assessment of my performance. (And there is a separate signature line and comment section to use if I think otherwise, and then I get an additional review by up to 4 different reviewers.)
Which only goes to prove that when asked to sign anything you read the small print so that you're fully aware of exactly what you're signing to. Mea culpa, I sometimes forget that so many fail to pay due diligence on that score and then live to regret it!
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