hold 'em or fold 'em????

xredshoesx · July 06, 2023, 06:14:12 PM

hey group- i need to get some ideas from the hive mind here.

in my job IRL folks in my profession are subject to highly subjective evaluations every year. i've had two admin COME AFTER MY JOB for speaking the truth about the workplace conditions and another admin praise me to high heaven in meetings, to the shareholders/ stakeholders and board, and then back stab me on paper. i'm in a different place place in both my head and location now but an issue has popped up where mutliple people have had large chunks of data left off their eval- like we are scored out of 100 points but when you skip this particular section, only a max of 80 points is possible, so a lot of people, got downgraded in their effectiveness rating. my other scores were high enough it didn't pull it down, but it's the point.

i have a difficult admin and it's only in the last two years we've come to respect one another more. last year she missed a deadline and my rating was default/effective. this year, she didn't submit her end of one of our data sessions on time and the scores that went with it are missing and may possible raise my rating to exemplary....

the staff member she started picking on when she realized i wasn't prey left and knowing how she is, i am wary of challenging the evaluation. i don't need to audition for that newly opened scapegoat role, kwim?

so here i am, would you hold 'em and keep playing poker, or fold them knowing that i could win the battle but lose the war because we'll be working together for the foreseeable future and more animosity is not what i need in my workplace. does it make sense to just let this one go???

my basic instinct is to dig my heels in and fight fight fight because this is INJUSTICE which is part of the reason i got stuck where i was with my ex for as many years as i was stuck. more healed me sees the system as flawed and sure i could get this error fixed, but also open myself up as a new target.

what do all y'all think?

SonofThunder · July 06, 2023, 08:27:10 PM

Hi Xred,

Sorry but not understanding the process and hierarchy you are describing is slightly difficult for me. What is the benefit to you of the newly opened position you are considering?

I will add that peace has a high value and therefore the lack of peace, a high cost. If the new position is purely monetary, it may not justify the loss of value of peace.

SoT

notrightinthehead · July 07, 2023, 12:21:10 AM

Is there any way you can safely bypass her and address the issue with people above her?

xredshoesx · July 07, 2023, 05:12:22 AM

we get no benefit for a higher rating- and i think the process is crap to begin with bc it's a dog and pony show put on to meet unobtainable standards. without going into too much detail it would be like rating dentists by how well the patients brush their teeth after each 6 month appointment........

unfortunately for central office to 'check' the rating we have to have something in writing from our immediate supervisor.

it's a problem company wide and our union FB group is organizing- apparently multiple members had the same issue. i did email the general company hotline bc i have data missing.... but it looks like our recourse is to contest each evaluation.

i'll see my boss next week and i'll have to ask- our evaluation results were already delayed 2 weeks because of a 'system issue'. i'm also emailing my union rep to see how many other folks in my workplace location had the same issue. it can't just be me.....

SonofThunder · July 07, 2023, 02:43:11 PM

Quote from: xredshoesx on July 07, 2023, 05:12:22 AMit would be like rating dentists by how well the patients brush their teeth after each 6 month appointment........

🤣🤣

SoT

bloomie · July 07, 2023, 02:57:55 PM

xredshoesx - it seems to me you are taking this one step at a time and contacting supporting entities to see if this is something a union, say, could move on for those this is happening to. When you see your boss next and ask will it bring a correction and inclusion of the missing data?

xredshoesx · July 07, 2023, 06:20:12 PM

we were able to confirm with our FB group this is a problem district wide so i texted my boss to see if she had a few minutes to talk before next week. she asked me to email her the concern and i did. our building rep is a patsy for the admin and she advised me to notify admin as well. we'll see. they owe me enough points to have the highly effective rating by my math.... we're supposed to get some kind of auto response by monday if we can appeal- i think central office forgot that everyone can appeal the eval so that will be monday's task i guess.

so much for having the whole summer off.....

bloomie · July 08, 2023, 09:36:46 AM

Aha! So, you all can appeal as a group, hopefully to get the rating you have earned!

xredshoesx · July 08, 2023, 09:53:45 AM

i'm surprised it hasn't hit the media yet- we are the biggest branch of this type of employer in the entire state.

one of my other coworkers reminded me that some employees will not get their annual raise bc of this error. in my profession admin are also known for using the evaluation process to bully and intimidate staff. based on those two reasons we have to fight because a rising tide lifts ALL boats and i know there are folks too traumatized by admin to speak up/ out.

i think me not wanting to make waves is bc i feel safer at my job then say when i started 5 years ago, and it's put us in a good place financially so i don't want to do anything to mess that up and bring extra unwanted, negative attention on myself so i carefully worded my BIFF email to my admin team reinforcing that it's a DISTRICT error and outside the control of anything we did or can fix at the building level.....

Jolie40 · July 08, 2023, 02:00:39 PM

one of my siblings always has excellent reviews but this year, the reviewer was very nitpicky & harsh
my sibling was very upset!
sibling felt blindsided as reviewer never said anything was wrong before review
it makes no sense to me when people are doing their best & working tons of overtime, that a reviewer is nitpicky

she did meet with reviewer & said her peace

sorry THAT happened to you!

xredshoesx · July 10, 2023, 07:57:29 AM

i really appreciate everyone's input and feedback. admin emailed us today- they are aware of the error and are trying to see where it originated, be it user error or system error (it's system wide bc hard to believe that many admins all made the SAME EXACT MISTAKE on that many people's files....)

ty ty ty ty

xredshoesx · July 14, 2023, 05:09:47 AM

update- no staff brought it up at the board meeting, it was a topic of the union meeting but currently in my state anything about evaluations is prohibited in a collective bargaining agreement- so as of this contract no language exists to formally grieve the subject. our state laws JUST changed so next contract they would be able to help us but now.... not so much. union pres advised us all the protest/ appeal as that was the only way to make our collective voice heard.

i went to a training and spoke to a cross section of employees from almost all 106 locations and ALL of them save one had the same issue so i am going to email the super/ board my questions and at least get it on public record. what seems unfair is apparently we can only protest/appeal our evaluation a specific number of times and many employees with abusive admin are AFRAID to say anything because next year could be worse and they've already appealed in the past with no change in the results. my point is if it's a mistake from central office...why do we have to use an appeal attempt to fix it when it's CLEAR something got messed up somewhere.

it really grinds my gears that one of my fellow colleagues is going to be on an improvement plan to keep their job all bc of a missed data point- that they proved they had the data for and it was IGNORED by whomever input the information downtown. in our state you can lose your credentials if you are put on an plan and don't 'improve'- it's a tactic that has been used for the last several years by admin to bully staff out bc as you can see, there is little to no recourse.

anyways thanks for motivating me to not keep my head in the sand. one of my nicknames is 'norma rae' for a reason.

SonofThunder · July 14, 2023, 08:48:38 AM

Xred, you wrote:

"it really grinds my gears that one of my fellow colleagues is going to be on an improvement plan to keep their job all bc of a missed data point- that they proved they had the data for and it was IGNORED by whomever input the information downtown. in our state you can lose your credentials if you are put on an plan and don't 'improve'- it's a tactic that has been used for the last several years by admin to bully staff out bc as you can see, there is little to no recourse."

This is very similar to divorcing a PD; yes, covert tactics with little to no recourse. Peace's value is higher.

Wishing you the best and toolbox-always!

SoT

xredshoesx · September 16, 2023, 07:20:55 AM

update- i did appeal and my appeal was denied.

what had happened- towards the end of the year central office changed the parameters of what would be used for our evaluations. so ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL the local data i collected for two rounds of mandated curriculum dept developed tests was pointless (and since we have to make growth goals on it, the goals were pointless) and a complete waste of my time/ effort bc you collect data ALL YEAR to show you are meeting the metrics of a certain percent of students making a specific growth amount on each test. we also have to cross reference it with attendance data....

i found out i can take a 'partial' retirement at 60 (8 years) but i want my full check so 15 more years it is....

this should be the LAST year that we can't grieve the evaluation process. my state just revered the statutes that prohibited evaluations from being negotiated as part of a collective bargaining agreement.

i'm still glad i advocated for myself and with the other employees that did the same by contesting, i hope we sent a strong message to the board and super.

bloomie · September 16, 2023, 08:31:29 AM

xredshoesx - that must be so frustrating! I am scratching my head how parameters change mid year?

Quote from: xredshoesx on September 16, 2023, 07:20:55 AMi'm still glad i advocated for myself and with the other employees that did the same by contesting, i hope we sent a strong message to the board and super.

I am thankful you and others stood together and showed you are not willing to accept this without contesting it while you can! That took courage and does send a powerful message. Bravo!!!

SonofThunder · September 17, 2023, 07:27:40 AM

Quote from: bloomie on September 16, 2023, 08:31:29 AMxredshoesx - that must be so frustrating! I am scratching my head how parameters change mid year?

Quote from: xredshoesx on September 16, 2023, 07:20:55 AMi'm still glad i advocated for myself and with the other employees that did the same by contesting, i hope we sent a strong message to the board and super.
I am thankful you and others stood together and showed you are not willing to accept this without contesting it while you can! That took courage and does send a powerful message. Bravo!!!

SoT