A former coaching client received some negative feedback from her manager and the feedback was a surprise. Nothing negative about her performance was shared with her over the last few months. A week ago, she even received compliments on a presentation from her manager.

Now the manager said there were some things that needed to change and gave her three options: (1) stay in her current job and go on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), (2) find another job within the company within two weeks, or (3) resign and get six weeks of severance.

So, what shifted?

Did the employer ask managers to find ways to reduce headcount quickly?

Is the manager someone who avoids conflict and they finally decided to share the negative feedback?

Did my coaching client do something they are unaware of that triggered this change?

We will never know for sure.

I recommended that she focus on what she can control. She likes the company and would like to continue to work for them. So, she is networking internally in the hope that there is a job that is open that she can step into. (Unlikely, because she would have to do this in two weeks.)

Reality = Much of her time will be spent ramping up her outside job search. She will network, update her resume and LinkedIn profile, and try not to let her disappointment and lack of trust in her manager impact her attitude.

It’s disappointing and not effective when a manager fails to deliver negative feedback in a timely manner. It is even more disappointing when they make up something negative to share with you to push you out the door.

#performancefeedback #jobsearch #humanresources #rewards #compensation