My favourite piece of feedback for improvement I got from a (former) boss was: your work is always good enough, but sometimes it's excellent, and you need to work on being more consistent.
I was told my desk was too tidy and it looked like I didn’t have enough work to do.
My colleague was told her desk was too messy and it made her look like she couldn’t keep on top of stuff.
Sometimes you just can’t win.
I was called into HR once bc I "looked too calm" while doing my job, whereas my predecessor was apparently constantly in an anxiety spiral. They said since I looked calm, they didn't think I was taking my job seriously enough.
Meanwhile, that job was so stressful, I developed an eye twitch.
Related: I used to train people in deescalation and crisis management. Maybe there's a reason I don't outwardly demonstrate panic in a crisis situation and it has nothing to do with how seriously I take the situation.
I got a talking to for that too. Too calm during a busy and stressful period. I was working in a family business with my father. It bothered him that I was not visibly anxious as that would lead to employees thinking they didn't have to work hard.
When I first started my job I had to make a 5 hour round trip commute to get to work. After I was there for a year, I asked my then manager to go full remote (which was a thing) and he told me no because me being in the office was “good for my coworkers’ morale”.
Them: No, you're a vital and important part of this team and we love seeing your face every day.
Also them, 2 weeks after you leave: We need to replace whatshername...
I got lectured because I was putting my water bottle down on the desk too loudly after taking a drink.
That was also where I got lectured a but for asking too many questions of the person training me when I started, and the coworker who found it rude that I didn’t leave the room to sneeze.
One of the most apt times to drop a "That sounds like a You problem." I've heard in a while.
"Stop worrying about appearances and worry about results. If I'm getting it done and done well the only thing you should call me in for is to ask what you can do to help me keep it up. Respectfully."
Heard that from a software company one time. Too calm, like I don’t care enough. Left there to go answer phones at a place where some of the callers were being shot at. Never heard them complain I was too calm.
Yeah, after you've worked in a hospital, words like "emergency," "urgent," and "crisis" take on very different meanings. It's like "is someone's DEATH imminent? No? Then let's stop screaming for a second."
Ha! I remember a new girl coming up to me once and asking how I was so relaxed when she was constantly on the verge of a panic attack.
I told her ‘Sarah, I just don’t care.’
(I actually ended up on SSRIs from panic attacks at that job)
Geez that is enept HR
"Taking the job seriously" is not a metric.
Do they do the job within the alloted timeframe?
Do they abuse anybody or anything while doing so?
If it's yes to the first & no to the second, that's enough. A person looking calm is a FREAKING bonus.
Well, there had also been complaints that I didn't watch The Bachelor, so one of the women I worked with had "nothing to talk about with me." HR recommended I watch The Bachelor in order to "better immerse myself in company culture."
I didn't work in TV or media fwiw. I was working at a museum.
Ages ago, when I was drinking alcoholic, HR sent me to the company doctor who asked me to switch to vodka, because then the smell would not be noticeable.
