Avoiding the Axe…Part Two — by Jenn S.

Here are a few more tips for keeping on the straight and narrow at work and avoiding many of the common pitfalls that I have seen result in many lost jobs…

DON’T gossip. It’s hard, I know. I have a hard time following this one myself. Gossip is just so fun. Though talking about other people’s faults and foibles can be great entertainment, it can also cause a lot of problems. Generally speaking, people don’t like to be gossiped about and when word gets around that you’re one of the folks spreading other people’s business to all parts of the office, you might become the target of some unpleasant commentary yourself. Office dramas and rivalries often begin with what some might characterize as harmless gossip and end with someone losing a job or at least being moved or demoted. And be especially leery of the boss or supervisor who pumps you for the office gossip and information on coworkers… You might think that you’re scoring points with management but ultimately, you are demonstrating a lack of loyalty and integrity. Best advice: Steer clear of the juicy gossip mill.

DON’T get sucked into the cancer crowd. Cancer, as an illness, usually starts out small. But those cells multiply and the disease spreads until it overtakes its host OR the host eliminates it through treatment. Same goes for an office “cancer.” One unhappy employee starts grousing about how mistreated they are and how rotten management is and then goes around trying to get other employees to join the grousing. A small group of grousers may then emerge, bitching and complaining about the workplace but not really confronting management on any certain issue. And their negativity spreads and spreads, ultimately affecting employee morale and productivity. Sound familiar? Well, let me tell you that these little cancer groups do not go unnoticed by employers and the treatment of choice is often termination. Instead of being part of the cancer, try being part of the cure. Said another way, if you are unhappy about something at work and know that others are, too, try to actively make a difference, instead of just letting things fester and brew. If you are viewed as part of the cancer crowd, you might just find yourself jobless when management seeks to stop the spreading negativity.

DON’T be the office jokester. There is always one, isn’t there? That person who always has some new joke or story to relate that is highly inappropriate for work but who shares it, anyway? Get this – Save the joking for your non-work friends. Learned a great new joke about some racial minority? Save it. Think it’s funny to shove two oranges under your shirt and pretend that you’re the supervisor who just got breast implants? Do it after work at your apartment, preferably alone. Acting out in the workplace is a sure way to get attention from your coworkers but you may also garner attention from management, who will not likely be amused. Inappropriate behavior in the workplace paves a road right out the door so keep a lid on your inner comedian.

DON’T let your guard down. This tip goes right along with the previous one. Do not let yourself get too comfortable at work. It is tempting, especially when you’ve become very friendly with your coworkers, to let your professionalism slide. In a fashion that is alarmingly reminiscent of high school, we want to be “cool” and part of the crowd and are willing to lower our standards of conduct to fit in. But the bottom line is this…you may feel safe in your work environment to “be yourself” or “be real” but you’re not. Do not drop your guard and think that because you are “friends” with everyone at work that it’s cool to drop f-bombs or pinch your cube-mate’s butt. The familiarity that is created at work can be a good thing, certainly, but it can also backfire…badly. Best advice: Do your best to maintain a professional and friendly demeanor at work and avoid crossing lines into unprofessional conduct.

Podcast #6: 10 Tips for Anyone Facing Termination, Including Negotiating a Severance Package

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If you want to listen on your iPod via iTunes, you can use this link (will open iTunes and take you to the podcast): http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=284065741 You can also listen through this website using the player below.

The primary message of Episode #6 of the Hostile Workplace Podcast is “You Are Not Powerless When Facing Termination!”  This episode shows you how to fight back and try to keep your job, PLUS, we cover how to negotiate a severance if you decide to leave.  Negotiating a severance would also apply to anyone who is facing layoffs at their company.

Tips 1-3:
Fight Back by utilizing protected classes and turning the tables on your supervisor.

Tips 4-7:
Slow the Process Down by knowing all your due process rights and using all of them.

Tips 8-10:
Even if You Decide to Leave, don’t just walk away; you have the power to get something out of the company, and ease your transition to your next (better) job.

The ever-popular “Quick-Tip” feature comes straight from our forums.  A community member who is facing termination at his own job has a great tip for anyone dealing with an abusive boss.

10 Steps of Walking the Plank Toward Termination: STEP 4 Your Boss Switches From Harassing You In-Person to Harassing You In Writing

When your boss goes to Human Resources and asks “Can I fire this employee right now?”, do you know what the H.R. Rep always answers?  H.R. says, “What documentation do you have that shows your employee is not doing their job?”

You know what happens next?  Your boss looks down at his or her own feet, and their face starts turning red.  Then they look back up at the H.R. Person and say something like “Goddamnit, don’t we have at-will employment in this state?!  It used to be if someone didn’t do their job they got fired!  Plain and simple.  How come all you ever say is ‘no’?  Why don’t you ever help us get things done around here, instead of just putting up road blocks all the time?!”

The H.R. Rep responds to this tirade with something like, “I take it you have done no documentation of this employee’s performance? You know, like I taught all the managers to do in that little half day seminar last month?”

“I prefer verbal feedback and coaching.  The more informal type,” your boss says.  He’s referring to the last time he yelled at you.

“Well,” says the H.R. Rep, “did you document in your performance log the date and time of each of these verbal feedback and coaching sessions you had with your employee?”  The H.R. Rep says this with a slight grin, because they know what the answer is.

This is where your boss blurts out something like “F*ck! I’ll get your f*cking documentation,” and then stomps back to your department to start writing an email to you about your performance.  And the H.R. Rep?  This is when they cooly open a notebook and jot down the date and time your boss swore at them and admitted to not doing proper documentation.

Then the H.R. Rep calls a friend who is a H.R. Rep at another company.  They meet at a nearby Starbucks and sip lattes and complain about how everybody at their company hates H.R people.

Really, this is not an exaggeration.  Not at all.  This what happens between managers and H.R. Rep’s every single day, especially know that managers are under pressure to start cutting payrolls and reduce labor costs.

Watch for meetings between your boss and someone from H.R.  If you can see into the office, does your boss appear agitated?  Does the boss leave the meeting and immediately start writing?  And most important, does your boss send you a terse, or even angry letter about your performance soon after your boss met with H.R.?

These are all signs that your boss wants to let you go, and is trying to get it approved by H.R. first.

If you are not in a position to observe what meetings your boss has, and with whom, never fear.  There are other ways to tell.

• Does your boss send you emails, particularly about some aspect of you doing your job, with increased frequency?
• Does your boss send you a written memo about a deadline you missed (probably for good reason) instead of chatting with you and letting you explain?
• Does your boss ask you to sign or initial any memo that has anything to do with your performance, or any project you’ve been working on?

10 Steps of Walking the Plank Toward Termination: STEP 3, Your Good Work Gets No Rewards

A law firm partner who wanted me fired used to sing my praises, calling me a “golden boy” and going on and on about how I seemed to have a “magic wand” that would solve all the partner’s problems.  Now, this partner’s inability to remember to take all their pills each morning was not my doing, but it was nearly my undoing (ever had a boss like this?).

One day I had obtained an especially good result for a demanding client in a challenging case.  I was exuberant as I bounded into my boss’s doorway and blurted out “Did you hear how the judge ruled on our Rule 11 motions? Granted! We got them!”  I fully expected my boss to jump out of their chair and hug me, or at least shake my hand and offer to call the client and give me credit for the victory.

Instead I got a cold emotionless stare, and a partly sneered question, “When am I going to see your draft of the summary judgment motion for the Kline case?”

The question didn’t hit my hears, it hit my gut.  It took my breath away.  “We won,” I said meekly.

“I heard you.  I’ll inform the client.  I want to see your draft before I leave today.  I wanted to see it yesterday.”

This exchange depressed me for days.  It was obvious my formerly skyrocketing career working under this boss had fallen back down to earth and crashed.  I knew I was NOT going to continue to grow and move up if I continued working for this person.  When I got over my shock and depression, I started trying to make a lateral move so I could work for a new boss at the same firm.

Luckily for me, this boss also alienated their own boss, and their own management level co-workers.  My boss was asked to leave the firm before getting an opportunity to totally “get” me.  Not long after, I learned that my former boss had wanted me fired.  Given my boss’s total 180 toward me and my accomplishments, I wasn’t surprised to hear it.

Does your own boss act like you can’t do anything right, even when you are bringing him or her great results?  Are other employees getting pats on the back for the same things you do, but you get no rewards?

This is the heart of “The Third Step of Walking the Plank Toward Termination”: a boss that no longer gives you any credit for your accomplishments, especially if he or she used to praise you regularly.

A close cousin of this scenario is when your boss gives you no credit for accomplishing something, while lavishing praise on your coworker for doing nearly the same thing, or less.

In either case, you should be aware that if you were a little doll, your boss would be walking you across the plank of the toy ship on his desk and smiling at the thought of dropping you down into the trash can.

What can you do?  You can try to move away from the boss, like I did.  I got lucky, and the Executives at my firm dropped my boss into their own trash can.  Your boss probably has enemies too, but I wouldn’t rely on them to save you.

Another option is that you can leave your job and look for a new one.  In this economy, I would not recommend that path to anyone.  It’s hardly even an option anymore.

Or, you can learn to fight back by using the tools that the law provides employees — and which mostly go unused.  The knowledge of how to fight back, and the friendship and encouragement you need to actually do it — those are the things this website and forum are all about.  But even if you don’t choose that path, it’s good to be able to recognize the path you are on.

So now you know: when your boss gives you zero credit for accomplishments that used to get praises, it’s time for you to start thinking through your options.

You do, however, usually have a bit more time.  In most cases their are other steps yet to come before the termination axe falls.

We’ll reveal another one of those steps right here on this blog tomorrow.