Yahoo Lifestyle What To Do When You Think You’re In Trouble At Work
Your boss calls you in for a meeting – and asks you to close the door
As soon as you hear those words, you imagine the worst-case scenario – and that’s not a great start, says Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness At Work. “You’ll walk into that room already feeling defeated or insulted,” she says, “so first remind yourself that you don’t know what they want privacy for, and make sure you keep breathing.” But, advises career coach Tina Monk, “if you know you’ve done something wrong, be prepared to take the rebuke and be ready with a way to fix it if you can”.
Whether or not you know what to expect when your boss summons you, take in a pen and paper – not only will it help to have notes for later, when your head has stopped spinning, but having a prop will help hide your nerves.
You receive an email that’s not for you, but about you
After you’ve taken a deep breath, respond with this suggestion from Monk: “I believe this email was sent to me by mistake and wanted to let you know that it has possibly reached the wrong destination. If this message was intended for me, let’s set a time to discuss the matters raised in it.” That, says Monk, “gets it out in the open in a gentle, polite way – meaning there’s more chance of resolving it”.
Your manager calls you out in front of your colleagues
Feedback is a good thing – just not when the negative kind is delivered in front of the whole team. But, warns Monk, “don’t try to defend yourself, as it could escalate into a conflict, but make sure you talk to your boss after the event. Say something like, ‘When I hear that I have messed up in front of the whole team, I feel humiliated and the team are embarrassed. What would work better for everyone is for us to discuss this in private; is there a way that we can do that in future?’”
A round of redundancies is due and you suspect you’re on the list
To press pause on your anxiety, Salzberg suggests “making a list of what’s in your hands, like job performance and communication skills, and what is outside of your control, like a worldwide economic downturn or new company ownership. Take care not to blame yourself for what’s not in your control or you won’t have the confidence and energy to see what might come next should you actually get laid off.”
You said yes to that project and you just realised you’re way out of your depth
“Don’t muddle through; you could make yourself look even worse,” cautions Monk. “Ask for help from a colleague by saying that you’ve analysed the task and it calls for some extra skills that the other person has, if they would be willing to share their expertise.”
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