How do you deal with being managed out? Has anyone ever successfully fought back and if not what steps did you take?
9 replies (most recent on top)
Thanks for all the advice everyone, I figured that I was basically sc--wed. My business results are not even the reasons for me being managed out it has everything to do with the cultural fit and this has been stated. I have gone the route with HR and ER to no avail evidence I brought to the contrary was not read or utilized, so this was more to see if I was fighting the good fight and could win. It just su-ks the job market is an non existent as it is.
You’re not gonna win unless you have concrete evidence (not speculative opinion) that your manager is lying about your performance. HR and ER has to sign off on it so it can’t be done in silo. But if you are combative and aggressive it only hurts you.
I would also suggest admitting to past faults and give recognition that you will work to improve them (unless you did that already and didn’t keep your word).
- Take the feedback seriously, unemotionally and try to do better
- Proactively ask others for 360 feedback on what you do well and can improve , share this with Hr
- Be clear with your manager what you need to succeed. Ask clarifying questions, tell Hr if you feel you’re feeling intimidated, your manager is being aggressive etc.
- Contact a lawyer for feedback on how to navigate and communicate
- Document everything , cc yourself and write recaps if your understanding after every interaction with your manager. don’t send it to your personal account , that’s grounds for firing.
I was put on a performance plan without concrete reasoning as to why- it came down to “I don’t like that you push back against me.” There was no “plan” to it, it essentially said that I must not say anything my manager didn’t like. HRBP acknowledged it was BS and that my manager had a history of doing this (especially to strong women, go figure), but didn’t do anything. Everything I said and did was twisted around. I left pretty much immediately and came back a couple of years later to a different team.
If there is truly no merit to it, there is nothing you can do and you need to move on before they fire you. But….reflect deeply on whether there is even a shred of truth to it. I’ve put someone on a PIP who I genuinely wanted to keep but just didn’t seem to take feedback seriously, and I worked hard with that person to make it clear, tangible and actionable. We had regular check ins and they ended up getting promoted just over a year later. Basically… if it’s a witch hunt, you’re sc--wed. If it’s not, you’re not. Do you have any mentors or coworkers you trust to give you honest feedback for some more data points?
I moved myself to a different team as soon as I was able
This happened to a friend of mine and they ended up firing him for a mistake he made a year before he was put on a performance plan (when he was still receiving glowing reviews). What you can do is document things, try your best, and prepare for what is probably the inevitable.. in 20 years I’ve only seen one person get past this
I just did everything I was told to do and I did a great job. Never complained.
I eventually earned the respect that I should have had from the beginning but whateva.
Now I’m a life long friend.
You can do that. Or you can quit and find something else.
Thanks for the response, but if that was an option that hadn't already been explored I wouldn't even be asking
I had a very honest conversation with my manager to confront the issues.
More so, I had look deep at myself of the feedback I was getting and ask myself if I was really doing my best. I wasn't and that was 10 times harder to accept. I created a plan to turn everything around.
In the end, our work relationship changed and I gained the skills to move ahead.