Getting Over Career Speedbump
April 4, 2024 5:09 AM Subscribe
So....I'm 2 months into a job. And I just got presented with a performance improvement plan today - and I kinda think they have a point. Please help me navigate the next 30 days and keep this job.
For the record - yes, I know that sometimes some companies use PIPs to start a paper trail for a termination. But this feels much more like a genuine "we like you, but we've talked to you about this before and now you need to get it, and we MEAN IT" kind of thing. I also have reached out to a friend who is in HR and has seen "many PIPs" and he says that the one I got is an example of "how that thing is supposed to be used." Said friend is also helping me write my response memo tomorrow, which needs to be presented to my boss in 2 days. They DID include some areas where I was doing well, which suggests this is more of a Serious Talk than a Paper Trail move.
And - yes, they do have a point. I kinda got thrown into a position where I was supporting more people than at my old job and doing way more work at a higher level - and i got a little panicky and prioritized speed over accuracy in a few too many places. I have made some mistakes that they've spoken to me about a few times.
I'm expected to come up with a written response to what I'm going to do to step it up; and that friend will help me. I am pretty confident that my trying to work at hyperspeed has a lot to do with this. But I tend to go a little fast and loose when I'm nervous, and well, this is a prime time for nerves, so....I need to learn how to chill more at work, focus more on attention to detail, take a step back and figure out what quetions to ask....and most of all, how to put all that into a set of identifiable metrics so that in 30 days when we come back, we can all point at it and say "look, improvement!" and it's all okay.
Help?
For the record - yes, I know that sometimes some companies use PIPs to start a paper trail for a termination. But this feels much more like a genuine "we like you, but we've talked to you about this before and now you need to get it, and we MEAN IT" kind of thing. I also have reached out to a friend who is in HR and has seen "many PIPs" and he says that the one I got is an example of "how that thing is supposed to be used." Said friend is also helping me write my response memo tomorrow, which needs to be presented to my boss in 2 days. They DID include some areas where I was doing well, which suggests this is more of a Serious Talk than a Paper Trail move.
And - yes, they do have a point. I kinda got thrown into a position where I was supporting more people than at my old job and doing way more work at a higher level - and i got a little panicky and prioritized speed over accuracy in a few too many places. I have made some mistakes that they've spoken to me about a few times.
I'm expected to come up with a written response to what I'm going to do to step it up; and that friend will help me. I am pretty confident that my trying to work at hyperspeed has a lot to do with this. But I tend to go a little fast and loose when I'm nervous, and well, this is a prime time for nerves, so....I need to learn how to chill more at work, focus more on attention to detail, take a step back and figure out what quetions to ask....and most of all, how to put all that into a set of identifiable metrics so that in 30 days when we come back, we can all point at it and say "look, improvement!" and it's all okay.
Help?
I would put myself on a strict don't-reply-until timer. Write/do what you need, set a timer for 10 mins, then review. In that 10 mins even better if it's really important if you can take a few mins for yourself - meditation is a great suggestion, or lie on the floor with your legs up the wall .
I'd present this as "I will take more time to error-check my work, whilst still [working to deadlines etc]".
Good luck!
posted by london explorer girl at 5:42 AM on April 4 [6 favorites]
I'd present this as "I will take more time to error-check my work, whilst still [working to deadlines etc]".
Good luck!
posted by london explorer girl at 5:42 AM on April 4 [6 favorites]
One thing that may help to cut down on mistakes is to create and use checklists. It's a really good way to help ensure that small but important steps are not left out, and all details are attended to.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 6:19 AM on April 4 [8 favorites]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 6:19 AM on April 4 [8 favorites]
And - yes, they do have a point. I kinda got thrown into a position where I was supporting more people than at my old job and doing way more work at a higher level - and i got a little panicky and prioritized speed over accuracy in a few too many places. I have made some mistakes that they've spoken to me about a few times.
It might help if you ask a mod to add a little more about the type of work you're doing.
But this part of your question spoke to me, and here are some things I did to get past it:
- I got really serious about keeping one organized to-do list, putting everything on it as it came up, and carving out ten minutes at the beginning and end of each day to review it and make sure I wasn't missing any priorities. I would make a new one every Friday afternoon before the weekend.
For you, I wonder if it would be helpful to identify three major priorities each day (or however many makes sense) that you plan to focus on so you don't fall into a trap of trying to do as-much-as-you-can-at-warp-speed. And then if you get to other things, okay-- but you aren't shorting the most important detail-oriented things.
- For things that I had messed up because I missed a detail, I made a checklist of all of the dumb little things that I needed to check before I hit 'send.' I really hated doing this, by the way, it seemed so silly-- but it did help.
posted by ambulanceambiance at 6:21 AM on April 4 [4 favorites]
It might help if you ask a mod to add a little more about the type of work you're doing.
But this part of your question spoke to me, and here are some things I did to get past it:
- I got really serious about keeping one organized to-do list, putting everything on it as it came up, and carving out ten minutes at the beginning and end of each day to review it and make sure I wasn't missing any priorities. I would make a new one every Friday afternoon before the weekend.
For you, I wonder if it would be helpful to identify three major priorities each day (or however many makes sense) that you plan to focus on so you don't fall into a trap of trying to do as-much-as-you-can-at-warp-speed. And then if you get to other things, okay-- but you aren't shorting the most important detail-oriented things.
- For things that I had messed up because I missed a detail, I made a checklist of all of the dumb little things that I needed to check before I hit 'send.' I really hated doing this, by the way, it seemed so silly-- but it did help.
posted by ambulanceambiance at 6:21 AM on April 4 [4 favorites]
I'd present this as "I will take more time to error-check my work, whilst still [working to deadlines etc]".
Yes, but with a concrete action plan. So like if there were two main issues, like submitting documents with factual or editing errors, and not following up on tasks within the time expected, then you'd want to identify concrete, trackable actions you are taking to address each. So (and again, this is a fictional example, not suggesting that you need these exact things), for the document accuracy issue you might have a set of actions you are committing to like:
- Completing the draft document X hours or days ahead of the deadline to provide time for editing, senior review, or additional revisions.
- Tracking all document requests in a shared OneNote or spreadsheet with a checklist so that each document receives the required QA/QC check-offs (like completion by deadline, senior review, etc).
- Monday and Friday check-ins to confirm about the week's priorities, identify any issues needing to be addressed, and report on progress. (This is where you could say "Hey, this week I have 24 requests, so how should we prioritize these and can any slip until next week?" i.e., you make the situation a collaborative problem to solve, rather than feeling like you are on your own to sink or swim.)
Again, that's all made up, but basically you want to be able to say that you understand the issues and have a concrete plan to address them. It sounds like everything is solvable by just slowing down a bit ("go slow to go fast"), adding in some additional QA/QC steps, and proactive communication about priorities and needs. A healthy workplace will work with you to address issues; a toxic one won't and you'll know very quickly here which yours is.
Good luck!
posted by Dip Flash at 6:22 AM on April 4 [5 favorites]
Yes, but with a concrete action plan. So like if there were two main issues, like submitting documents with factual or editing errors, and not following up on tasks within the time expected, then you'd want to identify concrete, trackable actions you are taking to address each. So (and again, this is a fictional example, not suggesting that you need these exact things), for the document accuracy issue you might have a set of actions you are committing to like:
- Completing the draft document X hours or days ahead of the deadline to provide time for editing, senior review, or additional revisions.
- Tracking all document requests in a shared OneNote or spreadsheet with a checklist so that each document receives the required QA/QC check-offs (like completion by deadline, senior review, etc).
- Monday and Friday check-ins to confirm about the week's priorities, identify any issues needing to be addressed, and report on progress. (This is where you could say "Hey, this week I have 24 requests, so how should we prioritize these and can any slip until next week?" i.e., you make the situation a collaborative problem to solve, rather than feeling like you are on your own to sink or swim.)
Again, that's all made up, but basically you want to be able to say that you understand the issues and have a concrete plan to address them. It sounds like everything is solvable by just slowing down a bit ("go slow to go fast"), adding in some additional QA/QC steps, and proactive communication about priorities and needs. A healthy workplace will work with you to address issues; a toxic one won't and you'll know very quickly here which yours is.
Good luck!
posted by Dip Flash at 6:22 AM on April 4 [5 favorites]
Q: You say you were thrown into a position, but its been 2 months… in this position in a new place or is this a new promotion at the old place?
Asking for clarity but I assume you are in a standard 90 day probation period for new hires. If they release you during this time I guess HR won’t ding the manager to whom you report. So this is a paper-trail but in the ‘we want this to work out’ vibe. Both things are probably true.
What is also true about ‘new’ and probation is this is the best time to relate how this job was described vs what you are seeing. If there are discrepancies or opaque parts you might mention them. Not in a scorecard manner, but look for resources that might be available to you. You might be helping everyone by showing a gap in onboarding. You might find you expected more support, and that support might be there but no one told you who or how to ask, etc. Check if there are training events or materials that line up with any topics.
In any case, If you can identify training opportunities that the company already offers as a reinforcing layer to your action plan, that might be well-taken.
posted by drowsy at 7:24 AM on April 4 [1 favorite]
Asking for clarity but I assume you are in a standard 90 day probation period for new hires. If they release you during this time I guess HR won’t ding the manager to whom you report. So this is a paper-trail but in the ‘we want this to work out’ vibe. Both things are probably true.
What is also true about ‘new’ and probation is this is the best time to relate how this job was described vs what you are seeing. If there are discrepancies or opaque parts you might mention them. Not in a scorecard manner, but look for resources that might be available to you. You might be helping everyone by showing a gap in onboarding. You might find you expected more support, and that support might be there but no one told you who or how to ask, etc. Check if there are training events or materials that line up with any topics.
In any case, If you can identify training opportunities that the company already offers as a reinforcing layer to your action plan, that might be well-taken.
posted by drowsy at 7:24 AM on April 4 [1 favorite]
Depending on your field- my spouse had a lot of success going through their previous work, and finding the types of errors that they were making and then creating a document with those types of errors listed and checkboxes. Now they basically scan and check off before they turn anything high stakes in.
posted by jeszac at 8:43 AM on April 4 [8 favorites]
posted by jeszac at 8:43 AM on April 4 [8 favorites]
To clarify- he framed it to his boss as driving down the number of certain kinds of errors to basically zero within x number of months using this tool.
posted by jeszac at 8:45 AM on April 4 [2 favorites]
posted by jeszac at 8:45 AM on April 4 [2 favorites]
I struggle with all of these things, too, and "walk away" is the best strategy I've found. I too tend to work at warp speed – I'm pretty sure it's an anxiety/possible neurodivergence thing where I'm so worried about dropping something that I do everything as soon as it comes across my desk because the idea of having something "sitting" is unbearable sometimes.
For things that are written, like a document or email, my approach for this has been to write it, read over it a few times, and then set it aside until later. When I come back to it, I almost always find that I missed a word somewhere, made some typos, etc., that I completely missed even when I reviewed immediately after writing. Fresh eyes are a thing.
For the general nervousness, if I start to feel that anxiety starting – which can happen because I'm overwhelmed, frustrated, annoyed, or all of the above – I've been really trying to physically get up and walk away from my desk if possible. I work from home, so I spend five minutes doing the dishes, picking up around the house, petting the dogs, or just sitting on the couch and playing on my phone. I find that the activity doesn't really matter; it's about getting myself mentally and physically away from the "trigger" of whatever has started that nervousness. When I come back to my desk a few minutes later, I may still be feeling those undesirable feelings to an extent, but they're much more manageable and I feel like I'm able to more effectively handle whatever the next steps are.
On the flipside, attention to detail is something that I've had a direct report struggle with, and I agree with others that it's important to be explicit and clear about how you're going to address it other than just saying you'll do better. It absolutely sounds like you want to do better and you're taking their feedback on very well! But your management also needs to see that you have a plan that they can help you with.
posted by anotheraccount at 8:51 AM on April 4 [2 favorites]
For things that are written, like a document or email, my approach for this has been to write it, read over it a few times, and then set it aside until later. When I come back to it, I almost always find that I missed a word somewhere, made some typos, etc., that I completely missed even when I reviewed immediately after writing. Fresh eyes are a thing.
For the general nervousness, if I start to feel that anxiety starting – which can happen because I'm overwhelmed, frustrated, annoyed, or all of the above – I've been really trying to physically get up and walk away from my desk if possible. I work from home, so I spend five minutes doing the dishes, picking up around the house, petting the dogs, or just sitting on the couch and playing on my phone. I find that the activity doesn't really matter; it's about getting myself mentally and physically away from the "trigger" of whatever has started that nervousness. When I come back to my desk a few minutes later, I may still be feeling those undesirable feelings to an extent, but they're much more manageable and I feel like I'm able to more effectively handle whatever the next steps are.
On the flipside, attention to detail is something that I've had a direct report struggle with, and I agree with others that it's important to be explicit and clear about how you're going to address it other than just saying you'll do better. It absolutely sounds like you want to do better and you're taking their feedback on very well! But your management also needs to see that you have a plan that they can help you with.
posted by anotheraccount at 8:51 AM on April 4 [2 favorites]
This may be obvious to you already but make sure you understand what they want you to improve. You mentioned mistakes they spoke to you about so that's important, but try to make sure you've got a full picture of what good performance looks like to them so you don't fixate on a visible symptom but fail to address a deeper issue.
posted by crocomancer at 12:41 PM on April 4 [2 favorites]
posted by crocomancer at 12:41 PM on April 4 [2 favorites]
Mod note: From the OP:
Hi there - some people have asked for some followup, and I have a bit of an update.posted by Brandon Blatcher (staff) at 5:28 AM on April 5 [3 favorites]
This is clerical/admin work. It's just that it's ramped WAY, WAY up from what I've done in the past, and the training for my job processes has been sorta slipshod (I was placed into a lot of training sessions about "the company culture", but training for "here is how to use the software that we expect you to use to track this vitally important thing that is now your responsibility" or "here is the process or doing this other thing that is your responsibility" is something I had to ask for). It is a new position with a new company.
I had already written the action plan by the time this posted, and many of your suggestions were already in it, so that is good; and my direct manager also thought my response was good. I'm also starting to wonder if this is maybe a sign this isn't a good fit for me after all. But - my friend who helped me write this pointed out that I should go through with the improvement plan anyway because there IS a kernel of truth to their comments, and adopting these habits will help me no matter what happens - whether I decide that I'm going to leave after all, or whether I do improve but it still not up to their standards, I will still be coming away from this with some improvement. I have also already adopted some of these suggestions over the past couple days and I'm starting to notice a tiny change already.
Also, my direct manager - whom I'm starting to suspect may be inadvertently making me nervous, because they're a bit of a micromanager - will be traveling extensively this month, and that may rachet down the anxiety a bit and give me breathing room. The company also has licenses with a lot of online training and staff support benefits and I'm going to lean on them a bit - some training in time management, and also some anonymous career coaching.
At the end of the day, if I do leave this job I would like to be the one to decide when rather than having the decision forced on me. But I would also like to make these new habits stick as well, so that even if I decide six weeks from now that "I'm outta here" I will be a stronger employee nevertheless.
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posted by wormtales at 5:37 AM on April 4 [1 favorite]