Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of the business and time management books TimePeace: Making peace with time – The Book of Answers: 105 Career Critical Situations – and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management, and work-life balance strategies.
This question came from a business professional.
My boss threatened to fire me because I usually leave work at 6pm and don’t stay until 8/9 like other employees. How should I handle this?
My one recommendation is to not allow it to get this far. Once at this point you have a couple of options.
Start One-on-One weekly manager’s meeting
Take the initiative to setup frequent one-on-one meetings with your manager. Use these meetings to be proactive and provide:
- Status on your current projects
- Review your current work estimates, schedules and delivery progress
- Solutions to upcoming challenges and issues
- Provide assistance to sibling departments
- Ask for feedback on current performance
- Share your career development plans
- Ask for additional responsibilities such as team leads or management
- Continually to illustrate that your job is to make your manager successful and you can do that within the normal work hours
- Become your supervisor’s right-hand person, and offer to assist with his executive status reports, etc.
In these weekly meetings, continually illustrate your expert time management skills such that you can accomplish more in your normal work hours than others can accomplish working additional hours. It will uncover the real reason for your bosses’ displeasure. Once you better understand the real reason for your boss’s dissatisfaction, the sooner you can correct it.
Make sure you understand your responsibilities and work
Make sure that the “threat of firing you” is actually work-hours related. Make sure you are performance above expectations on your specific responsibilities. Make sure you are completing your work on-time and are managing your time extremely well.
His issues could be legitimately performance related. If you are not completing your work on-time, he may be suggesting that you work late to complete your assignments. If that is the case, he isn’t exactly firing you because you are leaving work at 6pm. He is firing you because you are not completing your assignments on time.
Become an expert in estimating, scheduling and project managing
If you are not completing your assignments on time, then become an expert in work-estimating, scheduling and project managing. Become a better time-management employee and assist others in doing the same. If everyone else is having trouble with their time-management skills (requiring them to work extra hours to complete their assignments), share your training with them.
Find another job
If (after several one-on-one meetings with your manager) you have determined that your job is still at risk, use this time to update your resume and research other job opportunities. Take your new time management skills as well as your one-on-one management meeting strategies with you.
If you need want to discuss in more detail, please setup a one-on-one consult session.
To participate in a confidential One-on-One Laser Coaching Session with Coach Laura, just click the link below, pick the session time that works for you, and sign up. Each session will include 20 minutes of Laser Coaching with time afterward for a few questions. Take advantage of this opportunity to experience coaching. Sign up now and come ready to chat. One-on-One Laser Coaching Signup