Dear Joan:

Recently, I've had a performance evaluation which was very unsatisfactory. I've been

employed at this hospital for over ten years. Now suddenly, my work "needs

improvement" and I have three months to do it in, otherwise, "be written up."

There are twenty-two areas on this evaluation that you need to meet requirements with

thirty pages of documentation to prove they have been met. There is an additional

document, a peer review from 2-3 persons with twenty-seven areas that are rated. This

peer review carries a lot of weight and is confidential. This peer review has a lot of

negatives according to my supervisor, such as "non-professional behavior."

My questions are: Is this legal? Can a peer go around saying and writing anything about

a co-worker without proof or evidence? Where can one obtain names of attorneys that

are experts in employee rights in case of firing? How much severance for ten years

employment is customary? (Incidentally, the boss has hired two new persons at $6.00

an hour less than my hourly rate with no open positions.)

I have only two years left to go before I can collect Social Security, so I am not

particularly anxious to look for a new job.

Answer:

I have advice for both you and your boss. First, you would be wise to listen to his

feedback and take steps to improve your performance; Second, your boss must be very

specific about what it is that you need to change..."non-professional behavior" is too

vague to be acceptable criticism.

Although I think peer reviews provide valuable input in a team environment, they should

not be used as a club to beat the co-worker. The manager must take the responsibility

to observe each employee, first-hand, so he can support and pinpoint the peers'

feedback and then work with the individual to help them improve.

The key word in your letter is "suddenly." After ten years, you "suddenly" need to

improve. Either your boss has been telling you (or hinting?) for a awhile and you haven't

been listening, or your boss has been putting off telling you and things have been

building up and he is fed up. Perhaps the peer input has forced the issue.

Another possibility that can't be discounted is that he is trying to replace you with

cheaper labor. Although it is tempting to believe that, the fact that your peers have given

you a negative rating suggests that your performance is the real problem.

You are right to feel indignant about the general nature of the feedback. I suggest that

you go back to your manager and ask for more specifics. However, I would wait until

you can do it calmly and with an open mind. Explain that you are frustrated and upset

about the feedback because you don't know why they said it and you can't correct it if

you don't know what it means.

Then listen carefully to his response. If he doesn't have specifics tell him that it is

impossible for you to improve during the next three months. If he does have specific

details, don't get defensive. Listen and force yourself to write them down. This will keep

you from getting into an argument and provide a record for you to refer to later.

Then think about what he said and decide what you can do to improve. Schedule

another meeting with your manager and discuss what you want to do to improve and

get his advice. Although you are feeling hurt and angry, you only have two years left

before you can leave on your terms, so why not make it as pleasant as possible.

Lawyers who specialize in employee's rights can be found online. Frankly, you will be

far better off (whether you ever file a suit or not) to take proactive steps now, such as

asking for details and trying to improve. If you are fired, the company doesn't have to

give you any severance, but if they do, a rule of thumb is one or two weeks severance

pay for each year worked.

Surprise feedback is not an easy thing to hear and it's even tougher to listen to. It's in

your best interest to do both.

Joan Lloyd is a Milwaukee-based executive coach, organizational & leadership

development strategist. She has a proven track record spanning more than 20 years,

and is known for her ability to help leaders and their teams achieve measurable, lasting

improvements. Email your question to Joan at info@joanlloyd.com and visit

www.JoanLloyd.com to search an archive of more than 1600 of Joan’s articles. Contact

Joan Lloyd & Associates (414) 354-9500. ©Joan Lloyd & Associates, Inc.