4 ms·

While we're on this topic, managers don't invite your direct reports for one-on-one meeting out of the blue with no agenda. I've heard multiple people tell me

While we're on this topic, managers don't invite your direct reports for one-on-one meeting out of the blue with no agenda. I've heard multiple people tell me they assume they're about to be fired.

Hamuko 6y ago
I once had this happen to me. My manager asked me to stay behind after a meeting. Can't really remember the exact way that I reacted, but I imagine that I at least looked befuddled. My manager quickly added "Oh don't worry, it's nothing bad." Turns out that it was a promotion.
greenshackle2 6y ago
This goes for HR too. HR at an old job invited me and a colleague to a meeting with a nondescript title. I thought my colleague must have some issue with me. But no, they wanted us to draw our vision for the company with colorful markers.
- olau 6y ago
  Haha, reading this made my day.
  - greenshackle2 6y ago
    You have to imagine the scene. I walk to the meeting. Sweaty palms. I re-play every interaction I've had with that colleague in my head, trying to think of what I could have done that offended her. I can't think of anything, which is somehow worse, because I have no idea what I'm walking into. Then HR rep shows up with a box of markers, paper, and are like, "we're doing drawings!" and I'm just like, "we're what now". After talking to her, my colleague also thought she was in trouble somehow.
Aeolun 6y ago
Conversely, I've had a total of two employees request a one on one meeting with me directly, and it was always because they were about to resign :(
dhd415 6y ago
Yes, shocking how many managers make this mistake. I've seen this happen most recently right after the covid-19 market drop and the company announced hiring and salary freezes. A sudden team meeting with no agenda and titled something along the lines of "Team changes." How much worse could that be? That said, it is a "management smell" when someone who is fired is surprised about it. There should definitely be preceding feedback to the employee that things are not working well and an opportunity to improve them first.
SamuelAdams 6y ago
That goes for random phone calls too. About two weeks ago I get a call on my office phone from the CIO at 4:45 PM on a Friday. There's about 50 people in the IT staff and there's one manager between me and the CIO. I might chat with her once a quarter as I pass her in the hallway, but due to COVID I haven't heard from her informally in quite a while. I guess she really did just want to chat about how things are going. But for a quick 10 seconds I really did think "oh crap, I'm fired."

While we're on this topic, managers don't invite your direct reports for one-on-one meeting out of the blue with no agenda. I've heard multiple people tell me they assume they're about to be fired.

Hamuko 6y ago

I once had this happen to me. My manager asked me to stay behind after a meeting. Can't really remember the exact way that I reacted, but I imagine that I at least looked befuddled. My manager quickly added "Oh don't worry, it's nothing bad." Turns out that it was a promotion.

greenshackle2 6y ago

This goes for HR too. HR at an old job invited me and a colleague to a meeting with a nondescript title. I thought my colleague must have some issue with me. But no, they wanted us to draw our vision for the company with colorful markers.

olau 6y ago
Haha, reading this made my day.
- greenshackle2 6y ago
  You have to imagine the scene. I walk to the meeting. Sweaty palms. I re-play every interaction I've had with that colleague in my head, trying to think of what I could have done that offended her. I can't think of anything, which is somehow worse, because I have no idea what I'm walking into. Then HR rep shows up with a box of markers, paper, and are like, "we're doing drawings!" and I'm just like, "we're what now". After talking to her, my colleague also thought she was in trouble somehow.

Aeolun 6y ago

Conversely, I've had a total of two employees request a one on one meeting with me directly, and it was always because they were about to resign :(

dhd415 6y ago

Yes, shocking how many managers make this mistake. I've seen this happen most recently right after the covid-19 market drop and the company announced hiring and salary freezes. A sudden team meeting with no agenda and titled something along the lines of "Team changes." How much worse could that be? That said, it is a "management smell" when someone who is fired is surprised about it. There should definitely be preceding feedback to the employee that things are not working well and an opportunity to improve them first.

SamuelAdams 6y ago

That goes for random phone calls too. About two weeks ago I get a call on my office phone from the CIO at 4:45 PM on a Friday. There's about 50 people in the IT staff and there's one manager between me and the CIO. I might chat with her once a quarter as I pass her in the hallway, but due to COVID I haven't heard from her informally in quite a while. I guess she really did just want to chat about how things are going. But for a quick 10 seconds I really did think "oh crap, I'm fired."