Best Practices For Manager/Employee One-To-One Finally, she takes a deep breath andtells me Im getting a promotion. See more from Ascend here. Whether or not you tell your boss how to manage his own calendar probably really depends on what hes like personally. For PGA Tour Players, Betrayal and Confusion in Saudi Deals That might not have helped in this case, but its a good tip. (WTF, autocorrect?!). Firings dont happen out of nowherenot unless something dangerous, criminal, or egregiously unethical has happened. Lol, thats a hilariously bad meeting name. By the same token, as the HR person, I always tried to be cognizant of the panic when I would schedule meetings with staff. Im halfway through a lengthy probation period at a new job, and everything has me twitchy about being fired. Grandboss in Teams chat: Hey, do you have a few minutes to talk? It takes seconds to add meeting to discuss the Llamas Inc account to the meeting invite. I really encourage those who are in a role where they can hire/fire people to *specify what a meeting/call will be about*, especially during stressful times, like, I dunno, the first week of an unprecedented province-wide shutdown that directly affects your industry. they were eliminating an open position on grandbosss other team and wanted to combine a few remaining duties with mine, and offer it to me as a step up. I was thinking stuff like in OPs letter, where its just check-in So, no agenda but I do have some idea of whats coming in that presumably its about me/my work rather than, say, a training for something (or, like, something I have to drive somewhere for). I can relate, OP! I used to work for a bank where sudden last-minute meetings were a sign that someone not in the meeting was being fired. What are the downsides of having no syntactic sugar for data collections? Heres my story and it did not end happily: The question is blatantly too broad and not answerable. I had my boss message something like have a sec? but as I recall he included some kind of positive, upbeat emoji, maybe a smile. Big flashbacks to when I was ~8 months in to my first post-college job (supposed to be a 1-year position) and got one of these check-in convos dropped on my calendar from the CEO of our small nonprofit. As it turned out, another teacher was going on leave and as she was on a temporary part-time contract, the principal wanted to ask her to take on that teachers classes in addition to her own. Andmaybe since its so normal in my work environmentsIve never really found it stressful. Like, Wait, was I supposed to be afraid of losing my job? Not worrying the meeting would be Boss has resigned and were firing you became very hard. At one point I offhandedly remarked to my boss how it made me nervous and in a later meeting she came right out to say that my job was not in jeopardy and they thought I was doing an excellent job. Luckily I have a very good phone voice, even if I am not much of a fan of phone calls, personally! Then I would be able to focus on the actual content of the meeting without worrying if what was being said was leading up to me not having a job. I started feeling my stomach sink whenever someone IMed me with got a sec? with no other context I assumed it was someone else resigning or other disruptive news. I still cant stop my heart rate from skyrocketing so I COMPLETELY understand the feeling. Yes ok, that makes more sense. It could be about something which doesn't relate directly to you at all - for example an incident involving some co-workers which needs to be investigated, and someone has stated (whether correctly or not!) No one I know is in those roles. I was so frantic and caught up in being late, and the presumption I would be scolded, that I forgot it was my own damn birthday. 7 Fun Ideas to Make Your Team Meetings More Engaging Had the boss set their schedule to private for appointment contents then this whole issue would never had been. Everyone thought it was for the new executives to meet and greet everyone as it was the first time they were visiting our location. Sometimes they were other more benign announcements but since the meeting subject was mysterious everyone would spend the time spreading rumors anyway. Change your default calendar settings to private and whitelist anyone who needs details. Everyone who has done that thing has to hold up their hand in front of the camera! Like, say you just had a meeting with a client who was [unhappy?] In retrospect, I really think I could have easily negotiated to raise my salary by 20% or more if Id asked around, thought about it, and evaluated the offer as one option to consider instead of just THANK GOD THEY WANT ME TO STAY.. Alisons point though about just asking your boss what the mysterious meeting is about is a good one. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why so many managers want to not offer up information ahead of meetings. I'm confused as to why a member of HR is attending on a supposedly one-on-one meeting and no other explanation was given. I guess its not the same everywhere! Because that happened to me and it sucked so hard. So not always something good. I was late, after all, so I was expecting to be scolded or even worse, fired. 2. For instance, boss called me a few months ago to say I was getting a bonus and raise and it was x% of my salary. I work for an independent government agency, at a level within the agency that Im at will and serve at the pleasure of the agency head. So theres not really that many different things someone might want to talk to me about, which is maybe part of the difference in our experiences. I was quite on edge before but incredibly pleased after. After, ask people to guess what change was made. I would just say dont worry I am not quitting I just need to talk about something personal/sensitive, Haha the same thing happened with my boss. If people are surprised with this kind of conversation in a randomly scheduled meeting (or at their annual review), thats a red flag. When I asked the boss what the meeting was about she explained that it is a one-on-one meeting to discuss the contract I signed and talk about the shift change. And even if its not a scheduled meeting 529: Agreed to by a record vote of 219-208, after agreeing to the previous question by a record vote of 214-206, on Thursday, June 22, 2023. HR Manager During the first UK lockdown this happened to me. Turns out the celebration was for firing me, and the description of the event made that clear. That only happened once.). Government progress on meeting net zero commitments is now "worryingly slow" according to the independent Climate Change Committee. School: Hi, is this Daisys mum? WebA very strange meeting with HR. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. We had one (our whole team) because the big boss was quitting. By Hannah Thomas-Peter, climate change and energy correspondent. Ten years later and lots and lots of one on one meetings later, we always laugh about that. Turned out that this one was to talk about parental leave. First time I was being let go due to some reestructuring, so there was nothing I couldve done. Even after Alison asks for clarification, OP isnt sure if shell be fired for performance or laid off because of downsizing perhaps because she isnt sure what happened to those other two coworkers did they have a chance to make any corrections, had they received any heads-up, or were they laid off due to downsizing, etc. Keep us posted after the meeting is over. Or, they offer you your job back, when they realize they didnt think the layoff/firing through quite enough. US citizen, with a clean record, needs license for armored car with 3 inch cannon. Step 1: Headquarters announced that reductions in staff were planned and the approximate timeframe (decisions will be made in April-May of this year, employees will be informed in June type of range). If the meeting is scheduled at end of day on a Friday I would be concerned about it. At least if I get fired now, it wont be for tardiness!). Damn, dude! That might depend on industry and culture though. Ive had to talk to my boss directly and let him know that vague references to upcoming meetings create weapons-grade anxiety for me, and diminish my productivity in the days leading up to the meeting. The performance of the human resources department is vital to the success of employees, their longevity, long-term growth and execution of goals set out by department managers. If I get a no topic invitation, I ask what its about. I would definitely want to hear that before I hear the word restructure. In my 14 years at the school where I teach we have had a few impromptu no-agenda meeting for the entire staff. Thats the way it worked with my most recent layoff, with a twist: I was invited to a quick meeting with my boss in his cube, but when I got there, he stood up and walked over to the HR office with me in tow. Just saying. It really could be entirely harmless, and the HR person might be there not to check on you, but to check on your boss. Ah! So, a well-known set of actions within a well-known framework. Ive had several experiences where people were just disappeared from my company one morning or in the middle of the day no warning, no opportunity for others to say goodbye, like all of a sudden they never existed. How many ways are there to solve the Mensa cube puzzle? The Ukrainian president said S-300 missiles were used to carry out the deadly attacks. GIve Tough Love. Severance was pretty good (for the US) and in the case of long-term employees enough that they could retire early. Since they wouldnt tell me the Agenda I went into the meeting expecting it. Thats like ho EVERY break up happens, right?? My childs elementary-school principal always, when she called me, made her first sentence, Im not calling about your kid, nothings wrong.. Spent all day worrying about it, only to arrive and him immediately say Oh I hope you dont mind me moving the location, Ive been stuck in my office all day and wanted a change of scenery and room with a window. I immediately felt relieved and silly that Id worried. Also as a manager you should be having regular 11 check-ins weekly or bi-weekly or monthly, depending on how often you need them. It was also announced what the severance payouts would be, and calls for volunteers for layoff or early retirement were sent out. More transparency in those positions would likely have helped OPs anxiety here. I was in her office promptly at 8:30, trying not to sweat through my suit. This. But I will say, the exposure therapy worked! I was floored not only to be chastised so badly, but also that this was the first I was hearing of some of the concerns. Its a me issue. Are they going to be revoking our WFH? I had a your employment ends this second with no explanation and its bothered me so much. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. I also get extremely stressed by non-specific meeting requests, and then it turns out its all for nothing. I would think a reorg meeting that starts with no one is losing their job is good for morale because the primary thing people care about in reorgs is if theyre losing their job. In theory, its a good way to start. Turns out someone else was being fired, and since we shared an office space they wanted me out of her way so she could pack up without an audience. what are the best jobs while youre in school? What is WEIRD is quite often, in IS/IT, you can get laid off/fired, and they they beg you to provide them with assistance after theyve let you go. consider when using a performance improvement But it turned out that my boss was just doing my annual evaluation early because shes about to retire and wanted to give her replacement a clean checklist. Our jobs were intact, but it was not a fun meeting. My boss is a chronic Hey, do you have a minute? type, and it is never anything problematic. Individuals who work in HR act as a resource for both employers and employees for a variety of hiring managers My states unemployment division counts any part of a week as a full week for your waiting week before you can claim benefits. Ive been getting great feedback from my boss lately. Right. Hell, it could be a meeting to talk about promoting you, or putting you on a new project, or who knows what. I used to have this worry also due to the fact my first 10 years of working was temping. Short story in which a scout on a colony ship learns there are no habitable worlds. And then, months later, I got demoted by the new department head via last-minute meeting before I logged off for a holiday. Partially because my job requires a lot of documents, partially because its a more efficient use of my time, & partially because I have been burned in the past with conversation not being remembered the same by all parties. I needed to schedule a chat with my supervisor to tell her I was pregnant. In my experience, the termination meeting is usually requested with as little notice to you as possible. One time I was late to work and as I made it to my desk, my phone rang. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? However, 2 weeks prior to this meeting I had been rushed to the hospital with suspected stress related heart attack (I was 37). Sounds like a horrible place. then in the ladiesroom i overhear other people talking about a round of layoffs happening that day. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. my boss called a mysterious meeting with me and I'm - Ask a