surprise meeting with hr and managerdivinity 2 respec talents

Or if I called them and said, Can you stop by my office? I would say, its about X (nothing bad). Two months later and right before a global pandemic, I was blindsided by an unexpected layoff. When I got home I had a 1:1 meeting invite with my great great great grand boss for the day after next. My work has been a bit on edge and when a coworker sent me an IM can you consult with me in Lab X I was sure that she was going to tell me she was quitting, because our lab stuff doesnt overlap at all, and because we have an open office the labs are one of the few places for a private conversation. If the boss wanted to meet with us like that, it usually meant there was a problem. This is a letter from someone who was terrified they were about to fired despite good performance reviews, a recent raise, and literally no indication there was a problem. Turns out the fourth person resigned and it was about that, but we were all panicking a little. A moment came when I thought I was seeing signs he was about to resign. Another version is to have people turn off their cameras for 30 seconds and change one thing in their office. So I learned the hard way not to leave stuff at my desk that I cared anything about. I would have asked people (a more sensitively worded version of) you and others in the team keep asking if you need a union rep etc, why is that? after 2-3 occurrences! I am curious how people feel when it is bad news, though. The suggestions for how to make sure an employee doesnt think a neutral/good meeting is a termination here are fantastic, but then how do you request to meet with someone regarding an actual termination? A meeting that offers no information like that is what people are talking about. Yes, I have whole protocols to go through whenever these thoughts creep in. It is a well known trap. Constant rescheduling and disorganization. performance review and tell me I was getting a raise! If you do care, you will have to terminate employees sometimes and you will do it with the utmost respect. Human resources is an essential part of a company or business. Me on phone: Oh. So this method helps to keep my paranoia somewhat under control. Even before the first round, I told my manager I was worried about layoffs just based on comments at an all-company meeting. Im nervous Im going to be fired since two others were recently fired. Sometimes leasing new office space is a traumatic / bad announcement though. If you don't have a union rep on hand, then @Hilmar wrote a very good answer on how to prepare and behave, especially points #2 and #3. Im not entirely sure I agree with the advice to give a topic heads up whenever possible. At this company there arent many bees and its been OK, but I still remind myself to not panic. She was notorious for calling people in for petty things or for things that were not valid and then getting mad because her reasoning for trying to discipline never held up. Share a Video Those meetings look exactly the same as the hired/promoted/company expanding, can you move meetings without an explanation. I can identify with this struggle a lot! I can mostly tamp down that emotion, but Ill never stop it from cropping up. The news was that my promotion had was approved. rev2023.6.28.43515. Jerk. In my current job, its almost never a layoff (or, at least, not a layoff of any of us). When I got to work the next morning, I was slacking with one of my counterparts at another site. Why in the heck would he call it that??? Step 1: Headquarters announced that reductions in staff were planned and the approximate timeframe (decisions will be made in April-May of this year, employees will be informed in June type of range). Grave matter that must be addressed. In the decade or so Ive been with the agency, people at my position have been demoted from time to time. Same boss would make her assistant principals wait until 330 on a Friday to have their weekly meeting. My states unemployment division counts any part of a week as a full week for your waiting week before you can claim benefits. Yeah. 5. My point being, LW, I totally get this. It does lead to one of my pet peeves. People legitimately need to know when you are available, but they dont necessarily need to know what an existing appointment is about. It also lets people respond accordingly because they have a better idea how long the conversation will take and how urgent it is. Apparently, while I thought I hadnt been making my sales goals, I had beating everyone else. Agreed. I used to work for someone who was the best business communicator I have ever metclear, direct, and reasonably kindbut she had a grave, serious manner that she used for almost everything. We all spent the weekend convinced the company was going under and we were losing our jobs. Around that time, my grandboss scheduled a meeting with me, very helpfully titled catch up. When you know what it actually feels like to be fired, and the vibe before that happens, its way easier to identify Real Fear vs. I think had the grandboss not been there at the time I would have been written up. I worked for a start up once where they were figuring out how to handle things without an effective HR or much SOP about anything. And not just for this reason! Ive worked in sales the last 10 years. Scheduling a meeting with your employee with no information about the topic says to them I am your superior, and I can command your time with no explanation whenever I feel like it. Nobody likes to be treated like that. Performance reviews or meetings with my immediate supervisor cause defcon-1 levels of anxiety. Turned out, nope, she really did need to ask me a lab question! Collect your severance documents in the building, and you will be given a day and time to collect your personal belongings. ANYWAY what I am trying to say is I hate it when people schedule meetings and do not tell me the subject of the meeting. My coworker was at my desk to talk about what she could take off my plate and we were both looking at the list, which also had the note Talk to It was a reminder to me to talk to her about some specific thing for a client but when she saw that she was like uh oh, what do you need to talk to me about? If my coworkers see this they will recognize it, so Im not using my usual name for it, but its too hilarious not to share, in this context. Thanks. Still others were straight up toxic drama monsters from all the years of insecurity. At one point I offhandedly remarked to my boss how it made me nervous and in a later meeting she came right out to say that my job was not in jeopardy and they thought I was doing an excellent job. If were talking re-org, I automatically think that layoffs could be coming so starting the meeting with the information that no one is losing their job would allow me to focus on the meeting, instead of worrying the whole time that were going to be let go. But if its something that you find yourself doing in many different circumstances, pausing and coming up with possibilities (such as Alison does) can help de-catastrophize your mentality. I stressed about it for days and thought there was at least a 25% chance I was going to be fired or reprimanded (for what, I have no idea! HBR Learnings online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Leading People. She wanted me to pick out my parking space. Im glad for OP it was a good thing, but its not uncommon to feel unease about things like that. I did once have an opposite situation years prior, where a meeting had been scheduled for at least a few days and I had expected to be hired for a FT job because I had no reason to believe (and I still hold to this) that there was anything wrong with my work. Everyone who has done that thing has to hold up their hand in front of the camera! Ive been getting great feedback from my boss lately. In the UK, you have the right for a colleague to attend. I scored very highly in everything and she had no negatives to say. Keep your calm until the meeting is finished. Turned out he wanted to discuss my (good!) Most of my one on ones do in fact have agendas (often just informal ones i.e. Layoffs This is such a valuable post to me, because I never want to be the cause of someones anxiety. What would be a good way to phrase requesting a meeting to share news like this that doesnt put the news in the title of the invite? am I the only one who thinks point #3 is the most important? I often put things on my calendar that arent really meetings, just reminders. update: I resent my employee for being richer and more qualified than me, can I say I cant come to the office because of my dog, our unlimited vacation is really just three weeks, and more. Turns out it was just some positive feedback she wanted to pass along, but its so hard to NOT have the knee-jerk anxiety impulse if youre naturally prone to it! Oh this is so relatable! I think the ones you dont remember are because something usually preceded the meeting. 1. My husband had this happen pre-pandemic and in personthey tried to escort him out of the office but he didnt have his coat, so the manager had to go get it for him. The meeting turned out to be about a new client Im going to be working on! I got the hell out of there as fast as I could, but boy did that traumatize me. What made it worse was that this meant there would usually only be one meeting room big enough for us still available and unclaimed, because it was on the fourth floor and somewhat inconvenient for most teams. But the check-in can definitely range from talking about what Im working on to something slightly more social (not a lot more sociallike, work-social). Last person to get their sign up is it and has to either answer a question about themselves or another challenge of your choosing! Ask your employees what they would like 5. Im halfway through a lengthy probation period at a new job, and everything has me twitchy about being fired. Last week, my boss asked if we could schedule my evaluation for Wednesday morning. I know it doesnt apply in every situation of course, but it cant hurt! Celebrate those happy birthdays 3. Turn this sad reality into a game by trying to fool each other into thinking youre frozen. A solid 2 hours lost in one direction, at least) and it was a constant source of stress worrying that a minute lost at one stage would result in being at work half an hour late, nevermind the productivity loss. And then, months later, I got demoted by the new department head via last-minute meeting before I logged off for a holiday. Spent 2 hours going through every possible scenario of who could have died or how we could be all getting laid off. No one lost their job, but man was the meeting derailed. I'm confused as to why a member of HR is attending on a supposedly one-on-one meeting and no other explanation was given. He had a specific format: Joe Bloggs, please come and speak to me after assembly, You Are Not In Trouble.. Below are seven simple ideas from mynew bookwhere I discuss more than 75 team building activities for remote teams. Worse, I was sitting front of his office while he was having a meeting with someone in a different division that I couldnt fully overhear but seemed bad, like he had screwed up a project or missed a performance target or something. Viki, could you give us an idea of what would have been a good opening line to you? Ive had to talk to my boss directly and let him know that vague references to upcoming meetings create weapons-grade anxiety for me, and diminish my productivity in the days leading up to the meeting. I would think a reorg meeting that starts with no one is losing their job is good for morale because the primary thing people care about in reorgs is if theyre losing their job. A listing of open positions at other sites was sent out, with those about to be let go getting preferential treatment for interviews and relocation costs covered by the company. Vague calendar invites is how I knew like a week beforehand I was getting laid off, my boss had a vague practice meeting in his calendar right before our 1 on 1, and he had moved our meeting a few times. My VP asked one morning if I could meet with him at 4 that day. Awful. Seriously, why do managers not realize what these can seem like? Jack Kelly Senior Contributor I write actionable interview, career and salary advice. . More transparency in those positions would likely have helped OPs anxiety here. Why would the principal be calling, if not about the student? LOL. That was all it said. Wow! Web1. After messaging my boss about the meeting and asking for context, he is now added as optional to the meeting. Not for me. absolutely its not across the boardfor instance, my dad is in his 60s and if he has a phone at all its a flip phone for car trips. Intern: You were like a rescue dog who was treated badly! A friend of mine a fellow teacher once had a similar experience. Im worried Id be laid off or fired (although my performance has been great). Ive experienced something similar to your second scenariodepartment head suddenly told me that were doing annual reviews, when we have never done themand Im pretty certain I was the only one being reviewed. Ask your team members to take turns to stand up and present something thats I have always greatly appreciated when my daycare does this. WebPeople involved are me, my boss, the HR person who is requesting the project, and the project manager. This. Scared me something good until he told me about my raise. Not only will it bring attention but laughs as well! ;). Alisons point though about just asking your boss what the mysterious meeting is about is a good one. I had a boss, back in the day who would wander up to you and say, hey, can we talk? By the same token, as the HR person, I always tried to be cognizant of the panic when I would schedule meetings with staff. When I expressed that Friday at 4PM gave me pause, my manager was surprised. Ha ha! When I get such invitations I email back and ask the person who invited me how/what they hope I will contribute to the meeting. But the fear is still there. The one and only time I was invited to a company-wide meeting with no information on topic, we were all told on Friday to expect this meeting Monday. ANyway, I should have gotten used to this, but even after a year of this, hed say it, and Id panic. I had my boss message something like have a sec? but as I recall he included some kind of positive, upbeat emoji, maybe a smile. I also worked for a kind but serious boss who had a habit of impromptu calling me from his office across the hall with Can you come to my office? No hello, no nothing else. 3) Home office scavenger hunt. This. Really she just wanted to consolidate the office to her favorites and promote them. That may be the case with some people who are on power trips, but I have seen people send meeting invites with no information peer to peer and employee to supervisor. ! Sometimes your personal notes end up public!! That being said: I once worked a place where a couple of new executives came to visit and put out a notice there was to be a Town Hall on Monday morning. She had also gotten an invite and she was worried because she had dropped the F bomb in front of the HR Director. I was wondering about this. I think if you want a meeting with someone, you should tell them (at highest-level) what its about. Shell be in our office soon. If thats the good news, what the heck is the bad news going to be?? I was When checking calendars to schedule that meeting, I noticed my boss had a event titled Jane check-in (my name) for later in the week, but I hadnt received an invite. I think this can be a generational thing, too! OP could reply with something like, Sure, I can meet any time Wed after 3pm or Thu before noon. Maybe it can. I dont think in either instance there was a calendar invitation from the manager. Luckily I have a very good phone voice, even if I am not much of a fan of phone calls, personally! Here are seven simple ideas to make your next video call more fun. If I had a contract change, especially with a shift change, with my current employer, this is exactly what I would expect to happen. I left a few months later. Glad that it was good news for the OP. But I dont think thats typical. So, I guess Im missing something. And by the time the team got back, the fired person would have been cleaned out of their desk and gone. I was simply asked to swing by an office somewhere with no formal meeting scheduled from my perspective. Including ones that go SOCIAL-QUARTELY 1-1 CHECK IN_(NAME) which I do appreciate. Im still not quite sure what was said the rest of the meeting because I was sure I was in huge trouble I mean she is my boss boss right? WTF. One-on-one could easily be boilerplate in the letter basically saying the meeting is just for you and not your whole team or department. See who can spot the change. And there are definite steps the OP can take to prepare. I was CONVINCED I was being laid off immediately. Set the Timeline. How can groups quickly identify easy ways to make their meetings more engaging? If my boss has a Q she will just call me (and Im fine with that) and when anyone else IMs got a sec? our roles are so specific that I can usually guess what they need the sec for. See more from Ascend here. My supervisor is so dang clueless. So I still think it's a reasonable precaution to log out of your internet banking in case you don't see your laptop again, or that there isn't more stuff in your locker that day than you can carry, or whatever. This applies even if your workplace is not unionised. In my experience, the termination meeting is usually requested with as little notice to you as possible. I ended up getting a diagnosis of PTSD and am taking steps to deal with it (including research, mindfulness, medication, and strategies for telling my new and not-insane management about my challenges). My first boss was a word that I wont repeat here. Thats like ho EVERY break up happens, right?? (Not just being fired. I wonder what the boss would have done had the OP simply remained unaware of the meeting, and consequently failed to attend? Managers: dont ever do this. I was asked to schedule a meeting to discuss a project with myself, my boss, and another coworker. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. About the manager, about company practices and culture, or even both. Workplace anxiety is similar to a trauma response, and it doesnt magically go away when you leave the anxious workplace. A thing I have heard many times is that folks should just not worry about things until they are told, but a thing I have observed many times is that when people come in upset/worried, they dont hear well anyway and also are not as likely to ask important clarifying questions, and when they have all the context they need, they are able to ask good questions and offer up things to consider, plus they also arent worried all day, plus they may have had the opportunity to use that context to gather information that turns out to be relevant and necessary. You took 3 sick days and were in the hospital and they fire people over that? Why not? My only comfort is knowing that they dont fire people here without a months-long PIP in place, so the first meeting wouldnt be the final meeting, but I have no clue what everyone thinks of my work, or if they even think of it at all. but laughing out loud when something is that bad. He was worried she might be resigning because in the past few months he had had two other such short quick chat meetings from resigning direct reports. Schools and daycares who understand that parents expect phone calls to be bad news that generally ends in so I need you to pick up [child] right away make things so much better when they start off with Hi, this is [name], Im [role] at [school], [child] is fine. By Hannah Thomas-Peter, climate change and energy correspondent.

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