Losing My Job...Help Please

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I'm desperate for some advice.

I've been in my job for about nine months. Thought everything was ok. A month ago the boss calls me into his office and says he is unhappy with my performance at work. I get a new supervisor and a long list of tasks that must be completed by the end of the month. On top of that, there is a daily list of tasks I have to complete (and check in with my supervisor twice a day every day to make sure they are done). Another meeting with boss last week, who says that my performance has improved but that I need to work faster, and complete everything, even if it means staying back late. (BTW, I work in government community services, not in a factory.) He also mentions that I might be better suited to another line of work.

As you might imagine, I'm kind of s***ing myself at this point. I'm in the middle of a six month lease on my apartment. I have some savings but I don't know how long they will last if I lose this job.

Should I start cleaning out my desk?

It's not a good situation, but it's probably not the end of the line. If you want to keep your job, just stay late as needed and get everything done. Even if you can't work any "faster", making the effort to stay late at least shows the powers that be that you're dedicated and doing literally everything you can to stay on top of things.

Look at it this way: If you lose your job, which you have been at for upwards of a year, they have to train someone new. That person probably will not be able to work as quickly as you for quite some time, at least until they have the routine down, and your bosses know that. Plus, there's no guarantee that the potential replacement has the dedication to be sure and stay late to complete everything, and the bosses know this as well.


If you take the time to get all the necessary tasks done, and just do what they ask of you to the best of your ability in general, I would be very surprised if you lost your job.

Anna,

I'm sorry to hear that you're going through all of this. Have you spoken to anyone in HR regarding your situation? Perhaps they can find something within the organization that will preserve your job, yet get you out of your present situation. Having something on record may help to keep your job.

Good luck

First, some honest assessment and questions.

1. How long is your "probationary" period (after which, you can only be terminated for some cause they document)? Have you passed it yet?

2. Are you formally diagnosed with AS or any other "disability?" Does the employer know of this, and if the answer is "yes," has the employer made reasonable accommodations to deal with it?

3. Are the performance issues at work in any way related to your AS and how it affect your ability to do your job?

4. The employer says that they are not happy with your performance at work? Did they give specifics of what they are not happy with? For example, is it a matter that you are not working as fast as other co-workers with similar tasks? Is it a matter of the quality of what work you complete? Is it a matter of how you are fitting in with the office dynamics (dealing with other people)?

If this is a matter of your AS (or whatever precise diagnosis you have) affecting the speed and quality of your work (you do low quality if you work fast/you need more time to produce the quality they desire) or if it is about how AS affects your working with others, then the ADA (presuming you are in the USA) should offer some protection against termination. If you have a disability, allowing you more time to get a task done is not an unreasonable accommodation. This is very true if you are salaried and putting in extra hours will not cost the employer anything since you are not paid by the hour.

***

If I were you, I WOULD NOT start cleaning out my desk. Government jobs are hard to obtain, and if you have AS, I'm sure you had to work hard to get where you are at. Presuming you are in the USA, there are laws to protect you, and you have everything to lose if you DO NOT act to protect your job.

Work harder. Work faster. Try to accommodate what they expect of you, but if the problem is that your AS is an impediment, don't hesitate to file a complaint with the proper outside authorities. Once your complaint is filed, they can't terminate you without it looking very suspicious. If they have an internal anti-discrimination department, file internally AT THE SAME TIME as your external complaint, but NEVER trust an internal process to solve the issue as a first step because you could be terminated, your complaint evaporate into thin air, and then YOU have to prove you filed your complaint. If they resolve the matter internally, you can always withdraw/close your complaint with the outside agency by letting them know the matter was resolved.

Having so many tasks can be difficult, but maybe you should start with looking at your tasks and other work related things.

You could start by compiling a list of things you are doing during the day. When there are jobs that are not on the list of the boss, you should consider them. Do they belong with you, than ask your boss to put them on the list. Can they be done by someone else, let someone else do them!

When you look at the task list of your boss, ask him to give priority to them. Which things should be first and what things are not important? When there are ten items, my boss is happy when I do the five most important ones. Work the list with prioritizations!

Take enough breaks, but do not hang around too much. A break for ten minutes can be good to get your mind clear and start on the next task. But do not dangle too much on the toilet or with co-workers (small talk is fine, but not too long).

Maybe you could finish your tasks faster with a different way of working? I started using a notebook with certain tasks to put thoughts to paper. Most people do not do it, but it works great for me. For some tasks I have made a schedule, during that time I do not accept other tasks. But that depends on your way of working and is personal.


Well be strong. And do not be afraid to put in some evening hours or start early.

Thanks for the advice and support guys Much appreciated.

Zer0netgain, I appreciate the detail in your response. I'm not on my probationary period, so that's one thing. Unfortunately. I don't have a formal diagnosis of AS yet. Unfortunate cos I think some of my disorganization and 'slowness' at work has to do with poor executive functioning. I get on fine with everybody (always make an effort to join in with the group stuff,even when I think its kinda stupid) so I don't think its that. My boss said basically that I'm not finishing paperwork as quickly as coworkers. He said he was happy with the quality, but that it was taking too long to get finished. Also prioritization, that I was doing this task when I should have been doing another that was more important.

Sounds like your AS is largely to blame. No problem with quality, just speed of production and how you prioritize tasks. It really would not be in their best interest to terminate you over these issues.

I will share with you my legal knowledge. I am not giving you legal advice as I am not an attorney.

You have two basic options.

1. File a complaint with EEOC and your company's HR department/person who handles these issues.

2. Talk with your HR department/person about this but don't file a complaint with EEOC.

The advantage of #1....protect your job and best chance of getting results.
The disadvantage of #1....can create an adversarial work environment for the next year or so...depending on how your boss responds to the incident.

The advantage of #2....may resolve the problem with no bad feelings.
The disadvantage of #2....might provoke your termination and then you are burdened with proving that is why you were terminated.

In your area, there should be at least one attorney who specializes in representing victims of workplace discrimination. Most lawyers will spend an hour at no charge helping you understand not only your rights under the law but the odds of a complaint/suit going anywhere (they know how the courts handle such cases). Even if you have to pay a consulting fee (usually under $100), it is worth it to have some professional insight before making your choice.

I do know that the letter of the law says that once you establish a prima facie case (you prove all the elements of the charge), the employer must prove there was no discrimination against you. In practice, that isn't what happens. I've only seen people protected under Title VI (race/color/religion) and the ADA if they had their complaints filed BEFORE they were terminated. Once the complaint is filed, termination is presumed to be retaliatory, so filing often protects your job unless an employer can make an airtight case for your termination.

Not being formally diagnosed with AS might be a glitch, but I don't think you need formal diagnosis for the issue to be valid. There are so few professionals in the US who are qualified for diagnosing AS that it's not uncommon for most AS sufferers to be self-diagnosed.

If all you need is more time than the average worker and better executive organization (clear instruction as to what tasks have priority), that should not constitute an unreasonable accommodation.

Keep working to do your job better, but go see an expert on how the law does (or does not) protect you in your area. You know how hard it is to get a job in your area, and you know how easily you can expect to find employer if you were terminated. Don't wimp out when it comes to protecting your interests because nobody else is going to do that for you.