A couple months ago I got dragged into a performance meeting by my boss. He said I wasn’t doing well and that I need something with less critical thinking skills. Now, I work in finances and I’m someone who went to college and got a bachelor’s in English. I’m a bit out of my element here but I am trying my hardest to make things work. He tells me I have 3 options, “1. I can continue working in my current department and prove him wrong, 2. I can move to a different department and work there, or 3. I can be unemployed.” I tell him I want to be in another department and he says he will see what he can do.
At this point I go on vacation for a couple of weeks and then come back. I schedule a meeting to let him know that I want to go to a different department. We sit down and I tell him this and when I am finished he crosses his arms and with a blank expression on his face goes, “Yeah, we don’t do that here.” I was furious but he kept going. “I forgot that the company updated its policy from a couple years ago. Management is to make sure that their employees either improve in their position or are cut loose. People with performance issues cannot be transferred.” Well, what was even the point of offering that option to me then? That’s what was going through my mind, before he went on about me having issues getting up to go to the bathroom a lot and being away from my desk. Now, I drink a lot of water throughout the day and the chairs are uncomfortable so I do get up to stretch my legs and go to the bathroom a lot.
The plan he made for me was that every time I got up to leave my desk, I was to message him when I left and when I got back. If I went to the bathroom, I had to tell him. If I was going on break, I had to tell him. If I sent an email out, I had to blind copy him on everything. If I took a phone call, he would be listening in on me. I’m stressed, anxious, and annoyed because I feel like I can never get anything done on my own. I feel like i’m always being watched. Even with all these parts to his “plan”. I’m still doing poorly and I keep getting dragged into meeting and having my “critical thinking skills” insulted. The last meeting I had my boss said he would help get me a job at Home Depot because he thinks I’m not cut out for this and that I’m just going to keep getting written up for poor performance. I’m ready to cleanse myself of my place. I’ve been applying like crazy to everywhere and have barely heard anything back. For the sake of my mental health I hope I find something soon because I can’t do this anymore.