Feeling Trapped by a Bad Appraisal and Career Stagnation – How Can I Move Forward?

Hi, I am posting this query in real frustration. I know I have been a little irregular at the office; my leaves and logins are not accurate or professional.

But that is again due to demotivation factors where I was hired for a different profile and was forced into a different one. I have been repeatedly discussing this with the management and finally thought they would release me from the project so that I can search for another project within the company that could align with my career aspirations.

Later, they stopped my release, saying there are no current openings for the aspirations I have, but I can move whenever I find one. Nothing in writing, and they dragged it to the last day of my said movement date, and finally said it isn't possible.

And now, my appraisal is the most horrible appraisal of my career to date. By means of this appraisal, I cannot move out of the project for another year, will have a salary reduction, and will not be eligible for any promotions for at least another four years.

I am really confused about what I should do. I have rejected the appraisal, but the discussion isn't going well. I have put in a lot of effort for accurate and timely processing in the progress of the project, but yet it is all overshadowed for them just because of leaves. They are giving me unnecessary advice on the "bell curve/rationalization" and are saying there is nothing in their hands.

Please help me come out of this curse and shape my career. I know I can resign and move to another company, but doing that with such an appraisal will also have disadvantages for me.

1. I will have to apply to other companies with reduced CTC.
2. I cannot specify or describe my career path or progress.
3. I will have to serve a 3-month notice, which will help these people (My Current Employer) with the major year activity to be processed in my hands, where no other employee is currently capable of handling. This is also very stressful and hectic work, where one will be required to work extended hours and take the blame for even the minutest errors.
4. Overall, there's a huge risk in getting the right job with another company with this kind of background.

I am really stressed about this matter and tense. This looks like the end of the road for my career, and I really seek some serious advice.

PS: I have no faith in the HR of the firm as per my experience here; HR only nods the head with the project management and provides no resolution. I am saying this as I had earlier brought this to HR and saw no resolution.

Please provide some serious advice on what I should be doing in this current situation.

Regards,

Shaik

Although I can empathize with your situation, absconding is not a solution. You may get blacklisted in NASSCOM (I assume you belong to the IT sector by the kind of work you mentioned).

Resign and Serve the Notice Period

Resign and serve the notice period. This will give you time to find a new job. Also, prioritize what your need is—profile or money.

You are not the only one in such a scenario. Take a deep breath. You do not always need to fight to win. You never know; this could be the beginning of a new career.

Act now!

Before I can go further with your query:

1. Rationalizing the appraisal results/forced bell curve is a common practice in many firms.
2. Resignation around appraisals is a very common practice (both before and after appraisals for obvious reasons).

This is included in the performance appraisal thing. How timely you are... I have read further about your reasons for coming in late, but that is answered below. For now, I wish to answer you that if you are relaxing your working hours and/or productivity, the appraisal results would be low. That is something that you would and should know.

Can you be clear on this? What profile were you hired for, and what have they given you? Were you told by them about the roles and responsibilities you will handle when you join the company, or are you just assuming it for yourself because of the kind of designation they must have offered you?

I ask you this because of many such personal experiences shared below: When I put up a job posting for some position (say Marketing Executive), I always elaborate on the roles that one would have to assume once they'd be hired (which is more of Sales). I do know the difference between Sales and Marketing; however, ours is an SMB, and they give the marketing designation to even salespeople. Now the people just see the title Marketing Executive and apply without going through the detailed job role, and then when I call them, they tell me it's a sales job. Of course, it's a sales job, and so I had already mentioned the details of the job role. If you considered overlooking the details, that's not my fault, right? Secondly, even if HR doesn't mention it, a candidate should ask for the JD at least when we go for an interview.

If the job role was communicated to you, and then you were offered a different role, what you did—following up to transfer you to a different project—is right.

Now after reading your 1st sentence up until here, do you mean to say this:

1. You were hired for X position but are made to work for Y position.
2. Despite your requesting and following up for a change, they didn't oblige with it.
3. As a result, you were demotivated (or frustrated or whatever) and you started coming late and relaxed your time and performance.
4. As a result, your appraisal result was low.

Is this written in your appraisal? How did you deduce that?

What do you wish to do? Once the appraisal results are out, I do not think there would be any changes.

You do not wish to work for your current employer (because you are demotivated since they gave you a different profile; bad appraisal; etc., etc.). You don't want to apply to new companies as they might offer you low CTC. Somewhere you should be open to taking risks. If the only reason for your demotivation and low performance is a change of profile and your employer not willing to switch it, change the job, don't think much.

End of my career... Don't you think it's an over-stretched statement? Your career may not be ending. There's a turn, but you need to understand your priorities and interests and accordingly make a decision.

I do not know what made you say HR is nodding with the management. Even if they're doing so, I think only you have experienced where the shoe is pinching. If you are unhappy (only because of your project change), take a risk and change the job. However, if you want better pay, as well as a project of your desire, as well as to think of good appraisals without the bell-curve gyaan, and perhaps flexi-time... I think it's too much to have all at once. Prioritize and decide the criteria for a new job hunt.

Regards

Evaluating Your Current Job Situation

One sentence response, "Please change your job, ASAP." However, I request you to not do the same and hold on for a while. All your experience is about what wasn't right. Have you figured out what exactly would be right for you? What if you move into a new role with a different combination of offerings and lose your motivation yet again?

Understanding Your Motivations

How about understanding why these circumstances pushed you so that you can pick the right option in the future? Suppose, what is so quintessential for you, for which you can let everything else go? For example, if a role in your dream project requires you to take a pay cut or work with a small and almost unknown firm, how long would you be happy and continue in the role?

Please create a dream role for yourself and then test how many ways you can push your limits only to be on that job. This experience has come to you for a reason. What are your best takeaways from here?

Notice Period Strategy

You have to serve a notice period for 3 months. It's enough time for you to find a job. Stop worrying about the pay cut. The slowdown has affected many top performers; hence, you can't categorize anyone just because of that. The new employer who will hire you will do so for the valued service offerings. Get yourself strong there. You will eventually earn a lot more when the employer finds the return from you as a billable talent very high.

Reflecting on Your Current Role

Now take a look at the current job. Take three months to make yourself completely unconditional at work. You no longer seek any rating nor hike. No blame-game affects you, as your days are numbered at the organization. Long hours, without any human treatment, you have already survived it, repeatedly. Yes, it makes you a 'burn-out'. Congrats, you have already figured out your limits. It can now only make you tougher and tell you what rejuvenates you the most. The work you need to deliver, let it be your best. Not to punish your employer, but only to get better.

Philosophical Perspective

Let's be 'philosophic' to acknowledge a point, that bad things happen to us, only to let us know what exactly is good. No situation or people can be polarized. There are different combinations of factors. What makes something good is the same reason we couldn't substitute.

Wish you all the best! You have a great future ahead, where you will rightly know why what works for you, irrespective of what the situation offers. Stay blessed!

Please approach your immediate in-charge and ask him the reason for the reduced appraisal. If he tells you that he has given you the correct rating, then escalate the issue and ask higher-level management about your appraisal. Request feedback on areas where you may be lacking in performance, discipline, attitude, or productivity. Kindly ask in a polite manner, and if they provide feedback, use it to improve yourself so that you can receive a better appraisal in the upcoming years. (This is what I did when my appraisal was low)

Focus on self-improvement and demonstrate your efficiency, dedication, and sincerity to win their approval along with achieving higher appraisal ratings.

Thank you.

Thank you for your feedback. When I joined the firm (one of the reputed IT giants), I was told it was an HR position, but they placed me in HR operations (BPO). Even when I was on the production floor, they were unable to decide which profile I should be assigned to. It took them 3 weeks to decide, and later they moved me to Benefits & Compensation.

This was a new learning experience, and initially, I took it as a challenge. However, as a complete fresher in this field, it started to discourage me. I communicated with the management, stating that I was not hired for this profile, and my past experience does not align with the role I am currently in—from a Client Coordinator to a Payroll Executive. They cited the company policy that no one can switch to another profile until completing 18 months in the same role and mentioned that not everyone gets their desired job. This raised the question of why they hire people with different expectations.

Despite this, my performance did not drop; it was only my attendance and login hours that were affected. I handled many responsibilities diligently and independently, which the management acknowledged. However, they are unwilling to consider this in my appraisal, attributing it to frustration towards my unplanned leaves.

Appraisal Process and Concerns

In our organization, the appraisal is divided into two cycles: mid-year and annual, which are combined to form the annual appraisal. Ratings range from 0 to 5 in both cycles, averaged for banding. Banding goes from A to E, with A being the best and E the lowest. An employee rated D or E will face a salary reduction, and even those on the bench receive a default D rating. Despite an average rating of 3.08, I was banded D and had a salary reduction.

Career Aspirations and Challenges

I am keen on exploring better opportunities, but I am uncertain about how to position my experience now. With 3.5 years of experience as a Client Coordinator and 2 years as a Benefits & Compensation Executive, I aspire to work in HR, which is challenging to secure.

As a Client Coordinator, my responsibilities included liaising with clients for login access, acting as a single point of contact, updating and providing access to operations, troubleshooting access issues, maintaining databases, conducting audits, and updating headcount reports.

I am perplexed about my next steps. Securing a job in HR in the current market is tough. I seek the right profile, prioritizing over salary, but I aim not to accept a lower salary than my current one. I lack suitable references or contacts to apply for new jobs, and my morale with the current employer is low, making it challenging to continue.

Though I know this is not the end of my career, I currently feel disheartened and lost. I am in a state of confusion.

Regards

Please find the answer to your post -

You were hired for an HR position, transitioned to HR Operations, and finally assigned to Compensation & Benefits. Just to inform you, HR Operations as well as Comp & Ben are roles within HR. If you search for HR's roles and responsibilities online, you will see that this aligns with your current position.

I would like to ask, were you informed during your interview, in the job posting, or in the offer letter about your specific job role as an HR professional? If not, did you inquire about your responsibilities when offered the position? I understand your frustration with the mismatch of interests; let's delve into that further in a separate discussion.

Transitioning from a Client Coordinator to Payroll is a significant change in responsibilities. What are your academic credentials and job expectations? Without clarity on these, it's challenging to devise a plan that will bring you job satisfaction.

Company policies must be upheld, even if they seem unfair. HR's role is to address issues, balancing fairness for all employees. Regarding your performance, factors like attendance and work hours can influence how your dedication is perceived.

Appraisal systems vary, and your rating's rounding can affect your band placement. It's crucial to focus on learning from past evaluations to improve future performance.

Specify your desired HR role to set clear career goals. HR encompasses various functions, so defining your specific interest is essential.

Knowing your career destination is crucial before job hunting. Define your desired role to strategize your job search effectively.

I hope this guidance assists you.

Regards

Analyzing Your Current and Dream Profiles

Okay, let us weigh all the pros and cons for you in your current profile as well as your dream profile.

I cannot move laterally within the firm for another year now when the movement was already decided, and since I was the critical resource, they did not let me move. Despite training people for over 5 months and creating SOPs, the major issue here is that we work for an Australian client who wants me to handle the year-end activity (falling in June and July) as they lack confidence in any other person doing it. After that, they are prepared to release me and tarnish my rating as they have done now.

One good thing for you is that your manager lacks confidence that this task could be done by someone else. So, you likely will be here until June/July without much risk to your job.

Last year-end, there was a major error in the client systems, and none of the other payroll members got involved in this activity. I was the only person who handled the issue to its close, yet I was never appreciated for my work. Subsequently, since I was unhappy with the work and they extended my release date, my leaves and late logins increased.

Again, this is very subjective.

Handling Team Expectations and Acknowledgment

Now, for example, if you are the only one in your team with IT knowledge, they would expect you to fix the error. If others lack IT knowledge, we can't expect them to help us, right?

Concerning acknowledging or appreciating someone's efforts, it is often forgotten in companies. People have started thinking that they pay you and expect you to perform your best, so there is nothing extraordinary about performing well. This mentality may discourage people from working better in the future.

Career Aspirations in HR

About my career endeavors, I aim for a profile in HR focusing on employee engagement and employee relations. I understand this requires an understanding of payroll, but at least you don't have to sit and process pay here. From my previous experience as a client coordinator transitioning to HR, I can relate to conducting audits, managing MIS, headcounts, and maintaining public relations.

I hope you are well aware of what goes into employee engagement. Make a list of a few things you would want to do once selected for this profile.

To be honest, I am confused about my career options. It is natural to get confused and lost considering the different routes available. Spend some time analyzing each job role to determine what motivates you the most.

Exploring Creative Roles

I do not want to do an 8-hour system job. I am creative, good with employee relations, and customer interactions, team motivations. While currently in the BPO industry working for an IT giant, being a creative individual makes it difficult to focus on one task for continuous hours. I engage in studying, enhancing knowledge, pursuing writing hobbies, reading, listening to music, and actively participating on citeHR to help myself and others.

My current designation is a Business Process Lead, but I am not handling any team. Most of my experience has been as an individual contributor. I am open to a Team Lead profile, an HR employee relations role, or even joining ad agencies to contribute creative ideas. However, being a fresher in this field, I wonder if this would impact my pay significantly.

Your dream role seems to shift between employee engagement in HR and ad making in marketing. It's crucial to stick to one department, if not a role.

Challenges in Job Search

I am located in Bangalore and finding it challenging to secure a job in HR employee relations.

To be candid, one reason for your job search difficulties may be a lack of clarity on your part. Ensure you have a clear direction – IT, Marketing, or HR – and the proper credentials for it before moving forward.

I hope this helps clarify your career aspirations. Let me know once you have a clear plan in mind.

Regards