Unfair performance review - what to do about it?

[Stash Man]

A case in point why we work so hard for FIRE.  A friend of mine just got what we think is a ridiculous performance feedback from her manager:  Despite the glowing reviews from her peers, she was rated "below expectation" in the "leadership" category because she didn't work with people ranked higher than her.  And all this time the manager overloaded her with grungy projects that ONLY involved people of her rank or lower.  She immediately pointed this out but the manager just repeated that she needs to work with higher-ranked people.  And of course the manager doesn't care that "working with higher-ranked people" is not even in the job guideline.

Adding insult to the injury:  She was told that she would be PIP'd if she doesn't improve by the next feedback cycle, which is 6 months from now.

Suggestions, anyone?  Jumping ship is always an option but I think she shouldn't go down without a fight.

[Miss Piggy]

Is it not at least partially the manager's role to "grow" his/her people? Assuming yes, then in the spirit of personal growth, if I were this employee, I would schedule a (another) meeting with this manager and come up with a plan together for improving my leadership competencies. The meeting probably wouldn't go well, but at least it would be an effort. I would also schedule a meeting with an HR person, discuss my review, and ask for advice/assistance on setting up a plan to improve my leadership competencies. If nothing else, perhaps HR could set me up with a senior-level mentor, and I can take it from there.

Sounds like this manager just plain doesn't "like" your friend, unfortunately. Are there some personality issues between the two of them?

[Stash Man]

Is it not at least partially the manager's role to "grow" his/her people? Assuming yes, then in the spirit of personal growth, if I were this employee, I would schedule a (another) meeting with this manager and come up with a plan together for improving my leadership competencies. The meeting probably wouldn't go well, but at least it would be an effort. I would also schedule a meeting with an HR person, discuss my review, and ask for advice/assistance on setting up a plan to improve my leadership competencies. If nothing else, perhaps HR could set me up with a senior-level mentor, and I can take it from there.

Sounds like this manager just plain doesn't "like" your friend, unfortunately. Are there some personality issues between the two of them?

Normally I would recommend the same things you did.  But in this situation I think the manager is nitpicking just to screw her over.  So more honest communication with the manager most definitely won't work.  HR is notorious for siding with managers so I'm not sure if that course of action would help....

But you're right.  It seems like this manager doesn't like my friend for some personal reasons.  But for the life of her, she couldn't figure it out.

[LeRainDrop]

Is it not at least partially the manager's role to "grow" his/her people? Assuming yes, then in the spirit of personal growth, if I were this employee, I would schedule a (another) meeting with this manager and come up with a plan together for improving my leadership competencies. The meeting probably wouldn't go well, but at least it would be an effort. I would also schedule a meeting with an HR person, discuss my review, and ask for advice/assistance on setting up a plan to improve my leadership competencies. If nothing else, perhaps HR could set me up with a senior-level mentor, and I can take it from there.

Sounds like this manager just plain doesn't "like" your friend, unfortunately. Are there some personality issues between the two of them?

Normally I would recommend the same things you did.  But in this situation I think the manager is nitpicking just to screw her over.  So more honest communication with the manager most definitely won't work.  HR is notorious for siding with managers so I'm not sure if that course of action would help....

But you're right.  It seems like this manager doesn't like my friend for some personal reasons.  But for the life of her, she couldn't figure it out.

If you don't think the usual strategy of meeting specially with the manager to cooperatively plan how she can can improve her leadership skills is viable -- and I do think this is the smartest route, documenting the effort by email with the manager and an FYI email to HR -- then I would suggest you (or your friend) email the question to Alison Green at Ask A Manager (www.askamanager.org).  I've been in a similar place as your friend before, dealing with a mean girl boss, so I know that it really sucks.  I sort of got past mine after the mean girl resigned, but her bullshit did haunt me for awhile longer.

[plainjane]

A case in point why we work so hard for FIRE.  A friend of mine just got what we think is a ridiculous performance feedback from her manager:  Despite the glowing reviews from her peers, she was rated "below expectation" in the "leadership" category because she didn't work with people ranked higher than her.  And all this time the manager overloaded her with grungy projects that ONLY involved people of her rank or lower. 

Your peers aren't good people to ask about leadership.  Your friend needs help brainstorming how this could involve senior people.  Who else do these projects impact?  Can she present these things to a more senior group?  If your answer is that the manager just has it something out for your friend, then I'd suggest you stop helping her dig herself into a deeper hole.

I'm dealing with someone right now who feels they are a top performer, highly collaborative, glowing reviews from their peers.  However, they are suffering from "what got you here won't get you there" and are refusing to hear that feedback.  From the leadership team's perspective they aren't showing leadership or collaboration.  If your friend is as negative as it sounds like, and believes their boss has a thing against them, then it will be a self-fulfilling prophesy.

HR did side with me.  I'm also the one who came to them with a run of evidence that I'd been trying to solve the problem for months, tried several strategies they suggested.  It was a question of attitude, not strict performance.  But someone that negative can poison a whole office and waste hours of senior time, and HR knows that too.

[sokoloff]

HR is bound to be useless in a situation like this. Remember, in the phrase "Human Resources", "Human" is an adjective...

Your friend needs to work with higher level leaders in the company. That's pretty clear-cut from the review (and not all that unusual a request). Tell her to make that a priority and let some of the other work slide a bit. If she gets called on that, first thing is to remind her manager that's what they asked her to change and she's doing it. If it ultimately proceeds down a PIP/termination path, well, she can start looking for another job then.

I've definitely both received and given reviews where working upward or outward was the recommendations for growth.

[rocklebock]

Your friend is most likely being managed out, and I doubt it's just about the leadership thing. If I had an otherwise good employee who was just underperforming in leadership, I would try to coach them, not threaten to put them on a PIP.  The leadership piece is probably singled out because it's easier for the manager to document, and/or an area the manager thinks your friend will not improve in, thus making it possible for her to be let go.

If I were your friend, this would be my strategy:

1. Start looking for a new job yesterday. My goal would be to get a new job before my manager has grounds to let me go. Otherwise the likely outcome is no job, and no positive reference from my previous employer.

2. Ask my boss what good performance looks like in all the areas where I need to improve. The manager might be evasive about this. Which is one reason I would also...

3. Involve HR. I would not under any circumstances complain to HR about my boss, explain why boss's expectations are unreasonable, or otherwise expect them to save me from the situation. I would tell them I  want to improve, and what kind of support can they provide?

4. I would do everything my boss asked, even if I thought it was hard or stupid. I would document absolutely everything I did to comply and put it in front of my boss and HR. I would keep in mind that my boss is actually hoping I'll push back and give a bunch of Reasons I can't comply, because if I do that, she can say, "I set the expectations, she refused to accept them and failed to meet them," and proceed with getting rid of me.

Hopefully all of that would buy me a few months to find a new job. If I was successful and got off the PIP path, I would still keep looking for a new job.

ETA: Sorry, re-read and saw this person is not on a PIP yet. Doesn't change my thoughts on this much.

[DaMa]

I second Rocklebock.  Whatever the reason, your friend is on path to getting fired.  Poor performance review is 1st step.  Where I've worked, a manager will basically use step 1 to give a person some time to find another job.  Once there is a PIP, you are not eligible to apply for other positions within the company.

This happened to a coworker at the end of 2015.  She was put on a PIP after 2 months.  She jumped through all the hoops to improve her performance, but is also actively seeking employment elsewhere.  She did exactly what Rockleblock wrote.  I think my coworker's boss lost her mind since coworker is a great worker and customers love her.

[Stash Man]

Your peers aren't good people to ask about leadership.  Your friend needs help brainstorming how this could involve senior people.  Who else do these projects impact?  Can she present these things to a more senior group?  If your answer is that the manager just has it something out for your friend, then I'd suggest you stop helping her dig herself into a deeper hole.

I'm dealing with someone right now who feels they are a top performer, highly collaborative, glowing reviews from their peers.  However, they are suffering from "what got you here won't get you there" and are refusing to hear that feedback.  From the leadership team's perspective they aren't showing leadership or collaboration.  If your friend is as negative as it sounds like, and believes their boss has a thing against them, then it will be a self-fulfilling prophesy.

HR did side with me.  I'm also the one who came to them with a run of evidence that I'd been trying to solve the problem for months, tried several strategies they suggested.  It was a question of attitude, not strict performance.  But someone that negative can poison a whole office and waste hours of senior time, and HR knows that too.

Thanks!  I was totally unaware that I was painting a negative picture of her.   And if you think that, others can easily think that too  - a reminder that such things can easily backfire if not presented carefully.  I told her to watch out for this when presenting her case to others (ie. HR, senior managers, etc).  Hopefully she'll heed my advice.

There are good reasons, which I didn't list, that support her view that the manager has something out for her.  But of course, the more I list, the more negative it sounds so I'll leave it at that :)

[TaxChick]

How big is her company? Is there a chance to transfer to another job before she has a PIP on her record?

[Polish_Hammer]

PIPs and failing to meet expectations. Are these terms now used everywhere or does your friend work at a mega bank like me?

[Stash Man]

Your friend is most likely being managed out, and I doubt it's just about the leadership thing. If I had an otherwise good employee who was just underperforming in leadership, I would try to coach them, not threaten to put them on a PIP.  The leadership piece is probably singled out because it's easier for the manager to document, and/or an area the manager thinks your friend will not improve in, thus making it possible for her to be let go.

If I were your friend, this would be my strategy:

1. Start looking for a new job yesterday. My goal would be to get a new job before my manager has grounds to let me go. Otherwise the likely outcome is no job, and no positive reference from my previous employer.

2. Ask my boss what good performance looks like in all the areas where I need to improve. The manager might be evasive about this. Which is one reason I would also...

3. Involve HR. I would not under any circumstances complain to HR about my boss, explain why boss's expectations are unreasonable, or otherwise expect them to save me from the situation. I would tell them I  want to improve, and what kind of support can they provide?

4. I would do everything my boss asked, even if I thought it was hard or stupid. I would document absolutely everything I did to comply and put it in front of my boss and HR. I would keep in mind that my boss is actually hoping I'll push back and give a bunch of Reasons I can't comply, because if I do that, she can say, "I set the expectations, she refused to accept them and failed to meet them," and proceed with getting rid of me.

Hopefully all of that would buy me a few months to find a new job. If I was successful and got off the PIP path, I would still keep looking for a new job.

ETA: Sorry, re-read and saw this person is not on a PIP yet. Doesn't change my thoughts on this much.

Thanks, Rocklebock.  Very insightful reply - why would you PIP an otherwise good employee just for the leadership thing?!  Doesn't make sense.

I'll share this with my friend.

[Stash Man]

How big is her company? Is there a chance to transfer to another job before she has a PIP on her record?

She works at a mega-corp.  She's going to try internal transfer.  But with the unflattering comments on her record, it may be tough...

[Stash Man]

PIPs and failing to meet expectations. Are these terms now used everywhere or does your friend work at a mega bank like me?

I think these are terms used everywhere nowadays.  Dehumanizing, yes.  Isn't that why we want FIRE? :)

[rocklebock]

Thanks, Rocklebock.  Very insightful reply - why would you PIP an otherwise good employee just for the leadership thing?!  Doesn't make sense.

I'll share this with my friend.

Glad to help. That's the best way I've seen this stuff turn out. This doesn't end with the boss admitting they've been unreasonable, or getting some kind of comeuppance from a higher-up that vindicates your friend.

I know it doesn't seem fair, but it really doesn't matter if the boss has it out for her because she's a low performer, or if the real reason is that she doesn't like your friend's haircut. If the boss can prove, "I tell her to do x, y, and z, and she doesn't do it," that's all they need to progress toward terminating your friend.

[Frankies Girl]

Even bringing up a PIP means that they are positioning her to be fired. They are deliberately salting her reviews to show that she isn't meeting expectations so the PIP will be justified when they ask for one. It absolutely can be purely personal but it doesn't matter; her manager doesn't like her and has started the ball rolling on getting rid of her.

HR is also not there to help the employees. They are there to protect and serve the company's best interests and will not do anything against senior management unless there is gross (like actionable) negligence or other serious malfeasance. They'll side with the company man/woman over a cog worker any day.

She needs to leave ASAP - job search starting like yesterday.

[lefty]

Agree with Frankies Girl. Fighting a war that is already lost.

[Guesl982374]

I agree with a lot of what's already been said. One thing to add:

Have your friend set up monthly/quarterly meetings with senior leadership who's organizations are affected by her "grunt" projects to build relationships and to get a better understanding of what's important to those leaders. It will do a couple of things:
1) Give her a different perspective on the business needs, maybe even a clearer understanding why she's doing those "grunt" projects and how they fit into the overall strategy
2) Allows her to provide a clear and objective response to her manager (and possibly HR in the future)  that she took the feedback sincere and that she is making a step change to continue to grow.

I'm dealing with someone right now who feels they are a top performer, highly collaborative, glowing reviews from their peers.  However, they are suffering from "what got you here won't get you there" and are refusing to hear that feedback. 

  <-- This. I've personally been in the spot where "what got you here won't get you there. Time for your friend to change her approach.

[Digital Dogma]

A case in point why we work so hard for FIRE.  A friend of mine just got what we think is a ridiculous performance feedback from her manager:  Despite the glowing reviews from her peers, she was rated "below expectation" in the "leadership" category because she didn't work with people ranked higher than her.  And all this time the manager overloaded her with grungy projects that ONLY involved people of her rank or lower.  She immediately pointed this out but the manager just repeated that she needs to work with higher-ranked people.  And of course the manager doesn't care that "working with higher-ranked people" is not even in the job guideline.

Adding insult to the injury:  She was told that she would be PIP'd if she doesn't improve by the next feedback cycle, which is 6 months from now.

Suggestions, anyone?  Jumping ship is always an option but I think she shouldn't go down without a fight.

I've had unjust comments on my review, my strategy was to verbally refuse to accept the criticism from my boss one-on-one and rebut with the facts to refute his claim firmly. I don't think he expected me to do that, because he kept fishing for an agreement when I didn't see it his way, eventually he stopped insisting and simply asked if I'd sign off on it. I signed off, and in the area we are allowed to put comments I laid out why I rejected the criticism and reiterated the facts in my favor.

In the case of your friends position, I'd refer to a book - "You don't need a title to be a leader" - the fact is that leadership is about making tough decisions and sacrifices for the benefit of the team. Real leaders don't wait for permission to take the reigns, and they act within the confines of their job description and responsibilities the best they can to achieve a common goal. Maybe buy an extra copy for the unfair judge of a boss and drop it off on his desk as a 'gift' hint.

[sleepyguy]

Yeah, internal transfer or get another job.  Seems like the manager is an asshole.  HR for megacorps won't do shit... I've seen it a million times.

UNLESS there are a handful of employees under the same manager and are making a stink about it... and have backup of the occurences... that is the only time i've seen upper managers get fired.  Remember, if they get rid of the manager... the ones who hired or promoted them look bad... and they don't want that to happen!

Just rememeber... once your friend brings something up to HR and the manager gets wind of it... i'll only get even worse.  Time to cut ties and move on... then key the assholes car (j/k).

[LeRainDrop]

Even bringing up a PIP means that they are positioning her to be fired. They are deliberately salting her reviews to show that she isn't meeting expectations so the PIP will be justified when they ask for one. It absolutely can be purely personal but it doesn't matter; her manager doesn't like her and has started the ball rolling on getting rid of her.

HR is also not there to help the employees. They are there to protect and serve the company's best interests and will not do anything against senior management unless there is gross (like actionable) negligence or other serious malfeasance. They'll side with the company man/woman over a cog worker any day.

She needs to leave ASAP - job search starting like yesterday.

Frankies Girl is spot on with every comment she made.  A corporation generally won't mention the word "PIP" till they're seriously headed down that path and building the record to support it.  They're essentially giving her a warning so that she can get a new job while still honestly able to tell potential employer's that she's in "good standing" at her current job.

[Polish_Hammer]

This garbage is why I can't wait to leave the corporate world

Amen, Amen, amen. 45 months left and looking to start implementing desperate measures to reduce that timeline. The life of a corporate puppet is an up at dawn pride swallowing seige

[Stash Man]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!  My friend has decided to start looking (both internally and externally), and to keep herself afloat for the time being by following your suggestions.

I've been telling her about FIRE, to little avail.  Maybe this will make her come around.  Sometimes people need a hard kick in the pants to wake up.

[SwordGuy]

I've been in the workforce for 42 years, since I was 16 years old.   I've only ever had one REALLY bad boss in all that time.  He wasn't right in the head.   

I got a performance review that was inaccurate at best and contained major lies and fabrications. 

I wrote "I acknowledge receipt of this review." and signed that.  I was not going to sign a document in a way that admitted those lies were true.  I also wrote a rebuttal and provided witnesses to contact.   Of course, they were not contacted.

The next review period I was told I would be fired in 60 days if my "issues" did not improve.  At that point, I contacted my customer and told them I would be fired in 60 days and we needed to make plans to protect their interests as I had been working on two projects, both of which might die off if I wasn't around to complete them.

The customer wasn't happy about it but, as they were government, there are rules about what they can and can't do about it.
As my immediate government contact said to his boss, "I don't understand the problem.  I give SwordGuy a task to do and he goes off and does it."

I went to my area supervisor and told him I had been around the block long enough to know there was nothing that was going to stop this freight train, so I was looking for another job.  I made him aware of the situation and that my immediate supervisor had driven off 2 people already and there was no reason to expect him to change behavior after I was pushed out.  (Many area supervisors on govt contracts don't actually know what their employees do for the customer or even know the employees at all.  They often inherit an entire workforce when their company wins a contract and the employees change employers and stay in the same job.)

He offered to find another position in the company for me at a different location but there just weren't any nearby and I didn't want to relocate. 

I found a better paying job, with twice the vacation time, and working in better technology 2 doors down the hall for a different branch of the same client (but a different contracting company).   

I got to smile at my old supervisor every time we saw each other in the halls.

Less than a year later he was kicked out of the client.   My polite and professional discussions with management had opened their eyes and they quit ignoring the problem signs from then on.    That was a good day.  Hopefully he'll work out his personality problems and learn from this.

[Goldielocks]

A case in point why we work so hard for FIRE.  A friend of mine just got what we think is a ridiculous performance feedback from her manager:  Despite the glowing reviews from her peers, she was rated "below expectation" in the "leadership" category because she didn't work with people ranked higher than her.  And all this time the manager overloaded her with grungy projects that ONLY involved people of her rank or lower.  She immediately pointed this out but the manager just repeated that she needs to work with higher-ranked people.  And of course the manager doesn't care that "working with higher-ranked people" is not even in the job guideline.

Adding insult to the injury:  She was told that she would be PIP'd if she doesn't improve by the next feedback cycle, which is 6 months from now.

Suggestions, anyone?  Jumping ship is always an option but I think she shouldn't go down without a fight.

I received similar comments once, the year after a major promotion.   (but without the PIP threat).

I was easily 20-30 years younger than my new "peers" and uppers...  And there were only two other women in the management group of 25 or so at my level and up (PR and Deli counter manager).  I had no idea what to do...

The solution was actually quite easy -- It was to call the higher ups, and ask to join them for coffee to learn a bit more about what they do.  And be seen doing that in the company cafeteria.    Period.   No talking to boss about an unfair review, not much skin of my nose or time out of my day.

This can also work if you have glass meeting rooms, or open offices for the higher ups, too.   Even if not noticed, you just update picky boss with a monthly (email) update -- met with so and so last Tuesday...  etc.

Got another promotion two years later... turns out manager thought he was being helpful.   (Helpful asshat is a oxymoron, I think)

[ender]

She could be doing the best work at the company but unless her manager knows about it, it doesn't matter. What her peers think of her is irrelevant if management doesn't know about it.

It sounds like she knows exactly what is being expected of her but argued with her boss about it instead of trying to find ways to address her manager's concerns.

The way you presented this is not clear if she is actually a good employee or not. Perhaps she is but her manager just knows about her failings for leadership. If so, she shouldn't be surprised that the manager is frustrated. If the manager knows she is a top performer, would advocate for that, and still is pursuing the PIP path? That's a very different situation. Too many people assume their manager knows 100% what they do on a regular basis and will 100% fairly evaluate them for it. Nope, you have to help your manager know what you are doing and why it's beneficial. That's how you keep yourself from ending up in situations like this.