How can I deal with a manager who gives an unfairly negative appraisal?

Question

A manager (a little higher than my direct manager in the food chain) who I worked with for 1 month ruined an entire appraisal result of mine, and nothing's stopping them from doing it again.

This score leaves me way below my peers, even though my outputs were superior than theirs.

I know for sure that all the feedback I received from rest of my peers was positive.

Is there a way to deal with this, other than leaving the company?

How sure are you that your peer reviews were positive and that your manager is leaving due to this senior manager's behavior? Higher output doesn't necessarily mean better rating. What does the senior manager have to gain by sabotaging you someone who is much lower on the food chain? It just seems to me there is a lot of possible hearsay in your description. — jcmack, Oct 29 '18 at 20:04
I took the liberty of editing your question to try to make it on topic. For the now-removed extra question you were asking, see How long is too long of an unemployment gap? and Why is quitting without having a new job lined up seen so negatively by employers? Also, if you think there's no way for you to grow in the company with your manager gone, that alone might be a reason to find another job. — Bernhard Barker, Oct 29 '18 at 20:07
Did you get to see the reviews to actually know what they said? — paparazzo, Oct 29 '18 at 20:28
@jcmack 100% sure I for a matter of fact know my numbers, think of it as I've seen my numbers before and after, and the gain you say he's trying to shift the blame as that project did not go that well. I am not much lower I work at a startup and he's like a level 2 manager to me — Uday Krishna, Oct 29 '18 at 21:44

score 7 · Answer 1 · answered Oct 29 '18 at 20:12

7

Is there a way to deal with this, other than leaving the company?

Yes there is. You could ask this person his reasons for scoring you the way he did, so you can learn in what aspects you could improve or adapt.

Perhaps your did an excellent job according to your peers, but upper management may have a different view or important aspects to consider when scoring a project that you could have missed (and your peers as well).

Try scheduling a meeting with this person, or go to their office when you see they are available and ask him. Best case, this person realizes they indeed scored you lower that you should have, and correct the mistake. If not, you now know what things to change so next time you get a better score.

answered Oct 29 '18 at 20:12

DarkCygnus

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and then update your resume, and prepare to leave – Old_Lamplighter Oct 29 '18 at 20:47
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If this was based on a limited past experience what makes you think manager will change their opinion? – paparazzo Oct 29 '18 at 20:49
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@RichardU still would be wise to prepare and, if the problem seems without solution, start job hunting – DarkCygnus Oct 29 '18 at 20:51
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@paparazzo exactly because of that. This was a single incident, and OP didn't mentioned past situations like this. The manager could still change or this could have been a misunderstanding from his part. We would need to know more past experiences to be able to conclude that the manager surely won't change – DarkCygnus Oct 29 '18 at 20:52
Thanks for your feedback @DarkCygnus, To be honest I don't think anything would change, the manager has quite a reputation of being an a**hole. And as for the job change I did have a few offers, and my linkedin is usually filled with recruiter inmails, but I was planning on taking a break this company has literally drained me out of my will to work. – Uday Krishna Oct 29 '18 at 21:37
@TheNeverLander I see then... Good luck with whatever you decide to do. How long have you worked there so far? In case you just recently were hired, I suggest that you analyze more thoroughly the offers you get from now on, to avoid having a similar episode. – DarkCygnus Oct 29 '18 at 21:52
@DarkCygnus yes, this happened to be the first company I worked full time. Thanks for the advice, TBH, within 6 months of joining the firm I realized how important it was to screen a company before applying/joining there. This was one of the reasons I stayed for so long thinking "known shity firm >> better than an unknown shitty firm" but i think sometimes you simply have to say screw it and leave, and i believe that better offers would always be waiting. – Uday Krishna Oct 30 '18 at 16:16
@TheNeverLander the good thing is that you have at least 6 months there, in case there is something worth including in your resume – DarkCygnus Oct 30 '18 at 16:18
I was with this firm for more than an year now and got promoted for my performance in the last cycle, during the past few months a the entire chain of managers (down from my direct manager to the COO) who I reported directly to left the firm leaving me with people who are technically illiterate but think that they have the highest authority over the subject. Also, I don't really have many regrets I got quite a bit to put on my resume due to all the cool stuff we did back when the previous management was present. – Uday Krishna Oct 30 '18 at 16:28
@TheNeverLander GET OUT NOW, before it makes you sick.... if you need encouragement READ THIS – Old_Lamplighter Oct 30 '18 at 16:36

How can I deal with a manager who gives an unfairly negative appraisal?

1 Answers1