Re:Ask HN: What should I say to my manager when my performan...
by brutus1213 on Tuesday June 29, 2021 @09:02AM
(#27675194)
This is really helpful. What if the engineer says "well .. this is complex and I can't really provide an estimate/depends on availability of an HPC and I have no idea how long the job will be stuck in the queue, etc."? When faced with this type of response I try to dig into the detail but it feels to me the employee gives me more molasses. Any suggestion on how to deal with this situation?
Re:Ask HN: What should I say to my manager when my performan...
by sshumaker on Tuesday June 29, 2021 @09:46AM
(#27675693)
Coach:
“What’s the real challenge here for you?”
“What do you need to get to an estimate?”
Offer help: “What do you need to get unblocked?” “Let’s sit down together and see if we can figure this out.”
Hold them accountable: “I understand, but we need to be keeping our partners up to date.” “Can you give me a date for a date?”
Teach: “Here’s what I recommend…”
Etc. You as a manager should be actively helping your employee work through the issue - whether it’s external or internal (growth for them).
Also make sure to qualify this with actual examples of underperformance:
“In March you gave a three-week estimate for roadmap item X, but it wasn’t completed until June. Amy from team Y reached out to me several times with questions about its status, so communication hasn’t been up to your usual standard.”
If the manager doesn’t give the report something concrete to reflect on, they will only create more vague angst and frustration that will accelerate that person’s exit plans.