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Sounds like a crazy and poisonous environment that you are in. I would plan to leave that employer as soon as you can.
I agree with this. I’ve read all the comments and many have merit even if at opposite corners. On one hand it appears you could be more professional but on the other hand it also appears that these other employees are not as detailed as you are and make errors or fall behind on projects, then blame you for it and act like you have an attitude and are a problem. Also the supervisor blames you when you’re pointing out errors in someone else’s work. Very toxic environment, you can’t win.
Yes supervisor could’ve already fired you but today one needs to have a trail and proof that they tried to work with you to improve the situation. At the same time you’ve overheard this same supervisor and other coworkers complain about the company and their own work and that they’re looking for new jobs. What a rats nest!
I would be searching for a new position diligently but still ride it out. Don’t quit, February isn’t far off and perhaps you can have a new job starting right after this one.
The other day things were looking up. The manager actually smiled at me at the end of the shift and showed me something she knew I liked.
Today was the opposite. To comply with her directive to CC her on every email I send to clients, colleagues, suppliers, etc. , I was feeling the pressure to make messages concise yet friendly, flawlessly executed since I know I was being watched. Well I slipped up with a minor typo on 1 message and guess what happened? Two minutes later the manager emailed me asking didn't you mean (such and such) and then lectured me about not asking a client to clarify something I was unsure about in their order when in fact the same manager previously told me that I should never assume what a client wants, I shouldn't be afraid to ask. It seems like a no win situation and I felt like I was walking on eggshells. It was definitely slowing me down - counterproductive to her goal of me becoming more efficient. Ok it was a small mistake but did she have to "punish" me right away?
Anyway later in the day I got shafted with a suddenly heavy workload with clients calling me, a sudden urgent assignment was dropped on my lap that had to be done immediately and there were problems. We had a software and hardware problem that slowed me down (PC was freezing and software had false info) that ended up delaying my completion of the work, plus there was a key employee who usually works 2-3 hours after the 9-5ers clear out who was out sick and I was simply overloaded. I even had a couple of clients and employees call me about some projects that were a few weeks or even in one case, 3 months away, the latter client emailing first and when she didn't get a reply within 15 minutes (I was alone in the office at that point fielding multiple inquiries), she called. As if it couldn't wait. Whole time the manager was watching remotely while I was trying to fight fires without the proper equipment to do so.
And then it happened. Despite my efforts to make tonight's deadline, I missed it and it will cost the company and the clients more money than was originally budgeted and quoted. And my manager, supervisor and other colleagues get to discuss and deal with the fall out in the morning, so I'll have to face whatever consequences that come my way. I thought things were improving but after today they're pretty bad. I don't know if the manager and her sales team will go up to bat for me but I doubt it. My days are numbered once again. And the timing is bad because I was about to make some major financial commitments for housing and transportation.
Oh and to answer someone's question about schedule and breaks - when it gets really busy, I don't even have time to take a 15-30 min meal break and my shifts are much longer than the standard 8 hours. We're expected to eat at our desks and even then, how can you go to the lunch room and heat up your meal when it's so busy?
Oh geez, I missed this comment while I was typing. It is getting worse, so sorry. You’re right that you may not make it to February at this place. Good luck with job hunting.
Keep your head down, do your job to the best of your ability, and start looking for other work. There is nothing wrong with or anything to be ashamed of to move from one job when it is not working out. None of us needs to stay in a toxic work environment, especially when our efforts at improving things are not effective. When you leave, if they do an exit interview (usually HR) you can give them a heads up about the atmosphere there, if you want.
I worked for 8 months in a position I wound up really not liking and which was not good for me. I was trying to be the professional I thought they wanted when they hired me (I was a supervisor) but there were cultural and disciplinary issues that no one would back me on and I think they wanted me to just be quiet, go along with the status quo, etc. After a subordinate poked me in the chest with his index finger after I tried to speak to him about an issue, I decided it was time to go (no one took this incident seriously). I let them have it in my exit interview when I quit. The HR manager (not the person in my exit interview) was eventually let go for other things that came to light after my complaint. And a supervisor who used to say stuff to me like "these women are afraid of you because you are competent and strong..." (really??") was demoted because it turned out he was actually not even qualified for the position he held! Turned in to a sh*t show for sure, but I didn't care other than to the extent that it might be a better environment going forward. Never looked back.
And then it happened. Despite my efforts to make tonight's deadline, I missed it and it will cost the company and the clients more money than was originally budgeted and quoted.
Sorry to hear that. Missing a deadline can be huge, not only in costs, but depending on what the client needed, could have multiple impacts on many people and other related companies.
I knew one employee that survived making a bad call that caused hundreds of missed deadlines. As he moved through the company over the years, everyone knew the epic story and when they met him said, "Oh you're the guy that did that?"
Let us know what happens. And if you get another chance, expect other people to know about it. If they say something, don't get mad, just say you know and it was a horrible busy day.
Just look for a new job, but you are overreacting. Also, unless your pay gets docked, you always accept the blame simply because refusal to do so = insubordination. Logic?
Welcome to corporate America where you are guilty until proven..nope just guilty. When a manager says you got an attitude problem you say, "could you give me some examples and how can I improve? " If boss doesn't give specifics 9/10 personal. You could simply request that you don't CC every email and inquire if IT department could just give her access to your email account.
Wow OP i feel for you. I went through something very similar with a boss that made me cc her on every email and blamed anything that went wrong on me. The pressure was so great I was a complete and utter mess.
Good luck in the job search, I hope something comes your way quickly!
Okay, reading your OP and follow up post, it's clear you're the type of person who never takes responsibility for their own problems, so nothing we say here will truly help you. So my short term advice is to blind copy the manager on emails going forward, and start looking for a job, yesterday. Might as well get a head start on having the upper hand when the inevitable happens. I'm sure you know the contract won't be renewed.
Good luck in your next role!
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