Employers – Understanding Employees

You work too slow

You don’t know what you’re doing

I don’t like the quality of you’re work

I don’t like how you walk

I don’t like how you laugh

This was the short version, spilled out of his obnoxious gob as I sat there reeling from the tirade of abuse. Under normal circumstances this guy would be smacked in the gob by most other people, but I sat there with a professional hat on and took it.

Not only was there not one example of any of this half of the abuse directed at me was personal, plus there was one slight circumstance which might have explained a lack of performance lately – I had only two weeks previously attended my mother’s funeral after  she lost a short fight with cancer.

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Understanding

This kind of sledgehammer discipline towards people may have been acceptable in the past, but it would have been a long time ago. Understanding where an an employee is at and why they might be struggling and helping them get through it is surely better for them and their employer?

Going through that kind of destructive criticism isn’t going to help. It felt really bad in fact. Every day I felt my guts twist inside me when I was in there, every day I struggled to think of a way out and worked like fuck thinking it was me that was the problem.

So when I was re-reviewed I was told I was on further probation. Apparently most of my team had been in on the meetings that had decided I wasn’t doing great but not bad. Every single person involved had either forgotten what I had been through or couldn’t put themselves in my shoes and think what the hell I must bee going through.

Three days later I quit.

Well done you guys, if you wanted to inspire someone to work then you failed. If you wanted me out well done! These six months of my working life were my worst ever and it was so unnecessary. A little understanding would have gone a long way and would it really have put you out.

On a side note, the best think I heard from my boss here was “Where are you pissing off to?”

As if I told him the truth!

Simon 🙂