employment help: Does this manager have contempt for me? - Help.com

well, i don’t think i’m experienced enough. but i can try to be careful with my advice lolz. i have some stuff i wanna say and maybe it will help organize my thoughts if i can list them out.

1. an employee training system, ideally, should employ a performance evaluation system. this measures your progress in an objective way and makes sure that all your activities are congruent to corporate goals. usually this system should have both a quantitative and qualitative part. it highly depends on the job description and since you haven’t shared much about that part, i’m assuming it has both. for sales the quantitative is usually accounts closed, revenue targets met etc. for operations maybe percentage savings on procedures, efficiency etc. seems that you are not getting TIMELY feedback from your manager and if this is so, you can refer to the quantitative part of your performance evaluation. this should tell you if you are meeting your targets/goals or not.

2. consider what others of your same designation are doing differently from you. ask about THEIR feedback from your manager. at the same time, consider what the higher-ups are doing too. if possible, interview someone who came from your position (maybe he/she was promoted) and ask about the skills they have to develop and the training they had undergone. this should serve as another credible source of feedback about your work.

3. well i know many other factors are at play. and i haven’t met your boss so i don’t know what type of person he is. but based from your post alone, you should appreciate this extra effort and attention he is putting into training you. the way i see it, there may be two scenarios. one is, that you are not improving fast enough and he decides to help you out. OR, he sees potential in you more than the others and is motivating and pushing furthermore, so you won’t become too complacent or possibly ‘arrogant’ with your progress. either way, i think his intentions are good. and at the end, you win because you get more training than others.

4. lastly, there are many management styles. it varies from one manager to another. it is thus important for you to recognize what kind of person your manager is - what does he value? what are his goals? HOW does he work toward his goals? with these info at hand, you can at least determine what will satisfy him and what he needs from you. if directly asking him from feedback doesn’t work, then maybe it’s not his management style. maybe he wants his team to develop their own ‘radar’ so to speak. so he equips you with training and resources, but let’s you gauge your own progress.

hope it helps!:)

You have to focus on what your idea of a great job is….So that any reward or recognition comes internally….You sadly can not depend on bosses or workers to give you the feeling of pride or accomplishments….

But you also have to listen, to how you can do your job better, so as to show your passion to constantly improve…

But there is so many possibilities as to what managers really mean and why they criticize…

The key is to take it with a grain of salt, listen and pay attention, but then make up your own mind if the advice makes sense…

This is exactly why the difference between managers and leaders…managers give orders, leaders inspire…and motivate…

Thank you for being objective.

1. The job is in a…

*** good to hear about the qualitative and quantitative goals. this way you yourself can gauge your progress easily. so for example your target is 20% success rate and you are operating at 25%, shows that you’re good at work. but if he says it isn’t enough, then at least it will be easier for you to do something about it. simply do 26% or better.

2. Not to sound high-headed…

*** i think from his question we kind kinda tell what he thinks about you (unless he asked EVERYONE the same question). maybe he thinks you are not doing your best and you are not operating at full potential. it can be purely based on perception (a bad impression perhaps) or can be factual too. if it’s the former, it can come from many sources like bias against your age etc. and it sucks. but if this is something you want to do then you have to prove otherwise. if it’s the latter, remember that he has more experience than you do and maybe he does see something in you that makes him think that you don’t put your best foot forward. personally, i find it flattering if people think i’m still not doing my best even if to me, i believe i am. it just means they value me and my potential more than i value it myself. and who knows, what they think may be true more than how i know myself.

3. The boss is quite sarcastic…

*** seems like his personality is really that way. and i’m glad that you’re not upset/taking it personally. i think for the call center industry, listening to the call is part of the training. there are even instances that calls are recorded to ensure optimum quality. and i agree with the good points too. i just hope it doesn’t rattle you moving forward. additionally, demanding perfection for me is good. as long as he executes it correctly. this may be questionable as you think he may have contempt against you.

4. He values different things…

*** this is simple company policy. information is valuable and security should be emphasized. i’m pretty sure you understand why he turns off your computer, it’s because you forgot them. as for the three-minute grace period, it just means you have to get back earlier after a break right?:) btw, those are not values, coz values are consistent. i think what you meant is his approach to people. that should be right, people (team members) should be approached differently. you say you learn faster than your older colleagues. and it’s why he’s more patient with them and less patient with you.

i think at the end of the day, it is all about intentions. i admit, many of the ways of your manager is detrimental to your motivation rather than helpful. but it can be a completely different scenario with another person. like for me, i find mean bosses more motivating. because it challenges me to surpass their expectations. it will surely be different to others.

i think another important factor is you being young. i have been there. i am always the youngest in work, even in school! i have had staff who are 5-8 years older than i am. it can be a source of problems. but things always become better in time. the first three months would always be a power struggle for me. but later on they realize that i AM qualified for the position and have the expertise. eventually they will accept you.

i guess that is where our difference starts though. i don’t believe in across the board “fairness”. i believe people should be treated differently. not in terms of discrimination or favoritism or whatnot. people ARE different from each other, and therefore have different strengths and weaknesses, potential, expectations etc. i don’t expect to approach all team members in the same way. some need more discipline. others need more motivation. others need spanking lolz. and some can be left alone to work independently.

i’m glad though that you’re still doing your best in this job, despite this amount of pressure on you. best of luck! :)

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Not reading that.