@cookinfreak Practically all of my work experience was with the Federal government, so I'm not coming from the same environment as you. However, I have a few questions:
1. Do you have a position description or other document (like standard operating procedures) that lays out your job responsibilities? If you have any document of this type, use it to develop a bullet list of your responsibilities, identify those that you perform on a regular basis and then add any functions/activities that you perform in addition to those that are required. This will give you an idea of whether management sees you as "working to the rule" or taking the initiative to help wherever needed when possible.
2. Along those lines, do you have performance standards (or a comparable document) for your job? These would typically describe the quality, timeliness, quantity, etc. of your work. Ideally, they are objective and measurable. For a receptionist, they might require you to greet & direct visitors or answer & direct phone calls within x minutes of their arrival/receipt. They might require that you perform your job with no or a very small number of valid complaints. If your job requires you to screen and route mail, that you do it correctly x% of the time. From a more subjective perspective, you're "the Face" of the organization, so you might be required to convey a positive or welcoming attitude. This would be hard to measure, short of letters of appreciation or outright complaints.
3. Do you expend extra effort to help others if you can, take sick or vacation leave judiciously, try to limit unscheduled absences as much as possible, arrange for coverage when you're out, etc.? If so, these are things you can highlight that show how you're a team player and a valued employee.
Even if you don't have the specific types of documents noted above, there must be some agreed upon understanding of your job duties and standards, identifying them (even if informally) and discussing how well you perform them. If you can use this rationale to conduct a self-evaluation, it will give you something more concrete to discuss at your next review. If management agrees with your self-assessment, they can't really support their position. If they disagree, ask them to identify their points of disagreement, the basis for it and ways in which you can improve.
Whenever you meet with your supervisor, take notes and follow the meeting up with an email to confirm that you have a common understanding of the discussion points, action items and next steps. Besides being a good CYA step, it tells him/her that you're taking this seriously and want to work with them. It makes it difficult for them to take adverse action if you've complied with their directions and recommendations to improve your performance.
Another poster suggested contacting HR. This could be a double-edged sword. While they might be surprised to hear what you're experiencing, they could just as easily be advising your supervisor. So, tread carefully.
As I said, I come from a different work environment than you, but I hope you'll be able to benefit from this. Hang in there and good luck!
Blogs & Forums
Forums
Blogs
