OP - You are going to be fired. Soon.

Anonymous wrote:My office requires a detail log for telework days but I just give a report at the end of the week. Could this be an option?

The log sounds like a good idea. Wish they did that in our office; too many lazy cheaters, including the higher ups.

My office requires a detail log for telework days but I just give a report at the end of the week. Could this be an option?

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. The reason I don't want to do the daily report is that he doesn't really understand how long it actually takes to get various things done (agreed by everyone at work) so I'm afraid it will be just another thing for him to use to attack me. However, I now agree that I'm not really in a position to refuse his request.

I agree with the advice you are getting and would add that it is HARD to rebuild trust, so you need to see this process as lengthy and not get impatient.

You've said twice that the case is complicated and its complexities are hard to communicate. You need to get over this and stop thinking in this way, because I'm sure that attiude is showing in your reports and discussions with your boss and it's setting you up in a vicious circle (he's thinking 'you're whining and slacking,' and you're playing right into that thought process 'it's really complicated...')

Your reports will need to be at a very granular level to SHOW the complexity. Good news for you, these reports could be a great way to SHOW the nuances of the case without actually explaining. So, if I were you, I'd write out:

30 minutes - interview X. X asked about X, Y, Z. explained X as follows. responded to Z as follows.
1 hour, 15 minutes - researched Y by reviewing case precedent, pulling file on blah blah, re-reading the blah blah report.

But you seriously need to get off the "pity me" theme and believing you cannot explain what you are doing. You can, you must, and if you want this job, you should see this as a chance to get on that long road of trust-rebuilding.

HR Bitch here: You need to send him those daily reports. I would suggest you include how long each task takes you, so that he can see how much total time you're putting in as well.

The nature of work is that you have to work all the time, each day. You can't work hard, and then coast on the hard work you did previously. That's just how work is.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone. The reason I don't want to do the daily report is that he doesn't really understand how long it actually takes to get various things done (agreed by everyone at work) so I'm afraid it will be just another thing for him to use to attack me. However, I now agree that I'm not really in a position to refuse his request.

I realize this may just add to your workload, but if you are worried about that, you could do an hours breakdown of your activities.

I feel your pain. I once had a boss that would give HUGE time consuming projects, act like I should be able to get them done in 1/4 the time required, etc

I would think you would WANT to send those daily emails. Document all that you are doing! And keep copies for yourself.

If the personal issue is something people are typically sympathetic to - family member dying of cancer, serious illness, etc - you may want to tell boss, depending on whether or not he is a nice person. But frame it as, "Im trying my best not to let this affect my work but just wanted to let you know I am dealing with this."

Thanks everyone. The reason I don't want to do the daily report is that he doesn't really understand how long it actually takes to get various things done (agreed by everyone at work) so I'm afraid it will be just another thing for him to use to attack me. However, I now agree that I'm not really in a position to refuse his request.

You need to oversatisfy him right now in order to make up for undersatisfying him. Set up your calendar so that you complete this email report at a certain time every day. Some of it can be "filler" that is the same every day (Returned phone calls, emails to client, etc.) Make sure he knows how much you are doing so that you get credit. Why WOULDN'T you want to do this?

Anonymous wrote:Tread carefully. He is documenting to possibly fire you.

+1 Does your company/employer have an employee assistance program? I would use it, look into it. That will actually help to protect you by establishing that you are having personal difficulty and seeking assistance. It will at the least make it a little more difficult for your supervisor to fire you.

I would absolutely NOT refuse to do what he is asking. You would be giving him grounds to fire you. You need to comply, but you also need to protect yourself. I would document all of your efforts, especially document whatever it is that makes the particular case you are working on difficult.

Again, I would definitely look into an employee assistance program, if available. You want to make sure that HR is engaged before your supervisor reports any issue, especially if the personal troubles are legitimate.

Those programs are designed for people who are dealing with personal issues that any reasonable person would expect to impact the person's entire life, including work life. It's not an excuse to work less or not work hard, but it will help to establish that you recognize there are some things going on and want to resolve them and get back on track. It also gives you an opportunity to be pro-active, as opposed to being reactive by giving excuses after the fact.

But I definitely agree with the PP, your boss is building a case to fire you, OR he is trying to make you so unhappy that you quit.

Tread carefully. He is documenting to possibly fire you.

A boss here: Right now you have lost trust. Someone once defined trust in this way:
good behavior + time = trust.

You need to engage in good behavior over a period of time. How long that period is depends on how badly you went off course. You are not in a position to refuse a directive. Just put your head down and get your work done. Do it well and do it on time. Do not complain or whine or make excuses. Just do it. That's what good behavior looks like. You can control that. The one piece of the equation you cannot control is time. That simply has to pass. But you need it to rebuild trust.

I wouldn't refuse. You need to show you are being productive. This is a red flag. This will give you a chance to regain his trust because he will see all that you do.

Does your supervisor know you're having some issues? I'm not saying you need to go into details, but without knowing something is going on it's hard for a boss to sympathize/cut you any slack.

I've been working for one boss in a small office for 12 years, working pretty much independently and with a good relationship with him. Recently I have been distracted with some personal issues and I admit that my productivity has dropped, but I am trying to get back. Obviously the boss has not been happy with me and I understand. I am also currently working on a case that is much more time consuming, complicated and challenging, but he also doesn't understand the challenge I am dealing with and views this as my continuing drop in productivity despite of my explanations. I have been starting to get headaches and losing sleep whenever I receive emails from him pressing me and he's not satisfied with my reports and explanations/excuses. Today he asked me to start sending him daily reports of what I'm doing in extensive detail. This is one last thing that I really want to refuse. I'm tempted to tell him that I never disobeyed his orders for all those years but this is one thing I refuse to do, and I could better focus on my job if he stops sending those emails, but I feel like somehow this is not a good idea. Can you please give me a reality check? I'm now really trying, but it is not easy to regain the trust once it's lost. Any suggestions? Thanks.