Joyce Richman: Fix your behavior, keep your job
Joyce Richman: Fix your behavior, keep your job
Just because you are fortunate enough to have a job in this economy doesn’t mean you have to love your job.
But as tight as this market is, do what you can to keep your job until it gets a little easier to find another. Employers need to cut costs, so don’t give them an easy reason to question your value by drawing unnecessary attention to your bad behavior. The following conversation is a composite of those I have had with several callers who have found themselves on a slippery slope.
I’ve been told that I don’t communicate well with my colleagues. When I go to work, I don’t ask people about their weekends because then they’ll tell me and, frankly, I’m not interested. Socializing is a waste of time better spent producing results. That’s what I’m paid to do. There isn’t anything in my job description that says I need to be nice. If my employer wants me to communicate what I need and answer when something is asked of me, I’ll do that, but nothing more. If they want me to smile and look at baby pictures, it’s not going to happen.
How’s that working for you?
Apparently it’s not. I just got a performance review telling me that my social skills are terrible (not their exact words, but close to it) and I have a warning in my file that says I have 60 days to turn myself around or I will lose my job. I have been with this company for 10 years. My reviews have all been above average. Now they’re telling me I’m going to get fired because I’m not nice enough.
Have your employers given you this feedback in the past?
Sure. There was always something in a review about needing to be more of a team player, but business results were good so I guess it wasn’t a big deal. At least it didn’t sound like a big deal. Now no one’s results are good and it is a big deal.
What is your strategy to turn this around?
I know I’m supposed to say I will be a better communicator, but that’s just not me. I’ll start looking for another job.
Hello?! You are going to be competing against job seekers who know what to do and how to behave. They’ll have good references because they’ve had good relationships. You have 60 days to turn this situation around. Start today.
They’ve probably already decided to let me go. It’s pointless to try turn it around.
Do you want to?Sure I do. I need this job. I’ve invested in this place. I just don’t like a lot of people and they probably don’t like me.
You don’t have to hug your co-workers to get along with them. Your company wants you to be a team player, so be a team player. Engage with your co-workers and involve them in what you do. Be approachable, build rapport and get candid feedback about what you need to do differently to change the negative perception others have of you. Get over yourself, and do it now. Or you will, indeed, be let go.
Joyce Richman is a career coach and author of “Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job” and “Roads, Routes & Ruts: A Guidebook for Career Success.” Read her blog at www.richmanresources.com and watch her latest career advice Wednesdays at 6:35 a.m. on WFMY News 2. Contact Richman at 288-1799 or JERichman@aol.com.
