Feeling Targeted at Work: How to Handle Manager Criticism and Personal Challenges?

I have recently joined a firm two months ago. I have been lagging on a few deliverables. Today, my manager, along with HR, called me in to give feedback. I had informed my manager that I required a half-day leave due to a family court matter and would come later in the day. Unfortunately, my phone battery was drained, and I could not call to inform them. This was made into a huge issue, and I assured my manager that I will keep him posted going forward.

I usually go to the office by 8:15 or 8:30, but in the past few days, I have been arriving 30-40 minutes late. Yesterday, I broke my glasses, and I have a prescription of 4.5. I reached the office 9 minutes late, for which my manager raised an issue because I did not inform him. I explained that I had to stop at a small shop to pick up Feviquick, hence the delay, as none of the opticians would be open at 9:30 in the morning. However, he made it sound like a major issue.

We have some internal trainings that are required to be completed, and we receive reminders to complete them. I have finished all of them a few days before the deadline set by the enterprise-level benchmark. However, my manager reprimanded me, saying that as a practice, the team finishes these trainings a month in advance. I have completed the deliverables I missed, but the manager keeps bringing it up. I have marked a couple of emails regarding delays from stakeholders.

Today, the office organized a CSR initiative, and everyone from the team went. I was told that I had feedback and was asked to stay back. I felt sidelined and discriminated against. I have not picked up calls from the office sometimes, which my manager is also bringing up. Please guide me on what action can be taken.

Your post is nothing but an admission of your failure to demonstrate professional behavior. Under such circumstances, expecting professionalism from the manager, how far would it be proper? I leave it to you. My analysis of the post is as follows:

a) If you were required to attend a court hearing, then you should have applied for leave well in advance. Since you did not inform your manager in advance, you had to be absent exactly when the feedback session was scheduled. Is my interpretation correct?

b) When you wanted to inform us about your absence (leave), your mobile phone battery was drained. This shows a cavalier attitude. Why did you not charge the phone or keep a power bank beside you? Why did you not use someone else's phone or call from a public telephone booth?

c) You say that your manager made a big issue because of your non-communication. This is obvious. Since you failed to meet your deliverables, your manager's perceptions of you were different. At this stage, you should have been cautious not to damage your reputation further. However, you did not show seriousness.

d) You have written that "I have not picked up calls from the office sometimes." Seniors always take it seriously when juniors do not pick up their calls. If you were unable to take the call, then you should return the call at the earliest.

Lessons to be Learned:

- Hope you are serious about your employment. If yes, then you need to learn the following lessons:

a) Most importantly, you have not understood the principles of communication. Your attitude is not communicative. Communication does not just mean how you speak but being proactive in passing information. Your manager could have become upset with you even if your deliverables were good if you had not shown a communicative attitude.

b) Have you analyzed why you are not able to meet the deliverables? Is it because of a lack of job knowledge? What is the hold-up? Minor mistakes of star performers are always condoned. However, this is not the case.

c) Your manager may lack managerial skills. Nevertheless, there is no provision to choose your manager. Therefore, it is better if you tune yourself to the management style of your manager.

d) The obvious impression from your post is that you need to improve your business writing skills. You have written your post in one single paragraph. You have used compound sentences, but there is no relation between the subject and predicate. Sentences are unnecessarily long. There are neither transitional words nor transitional sentences. The sooner you work on your weakness, the better.

Thanks,

Regards, Dinesh Divekar