Document Efforts to Set You Up for Failure
I think many workers have experienced the angst that is associated with suspecting that you are being set up for failure by a supervisor, manager, project leader, etc. You just get the gnawing suspicion that you don't have all the resources, facts, etc. that will help make your work effort successful.
If you're the victim of race-based mistreatment, you may have an even stronger suspicion that you are being targeted at work. Often, that targeting includes being targeted to miss deadlines, make errors or to encounter many other problems at work.
For instance, a supervisor may sit on assignments and give them to a worker at the last minute--ensuring that the work will be sloppy, incomplete, and/or will be submitted after the deadline has passed. Or, a manager may not give a targeted employee all of the instructions they need to properly complete an assignment. As a result, the work may be incomplete, fraught with errors, and have many other problems.
Setting employees up for failure is a common tactic used in the workplace. Someone who is determined to discriminate against a Black employee or who is trying to create a hostile/offensive work environment for that employee may see engaging in a set up as a legitimate means of lodging complaints against the worker. Or, someone may see engaging in a set up as a good cover for retaliation against a Black worker, who has complained of race-based abuses at work.
Regardless of the cause, there are some things you can do, whenever you suspect you are being set up at work:
1) Don't remain quiet. You only increase the success level of the set up by suffering in silence!
2) Address your concerns by email--FIRST. Don't speak to the individual about the problems with the work because they will likely sell you a crock of crap that will shut you up, while enabling their plan to continue. Just drop the person a quick email reading something like, "Do you have a minute to discuss the assignment? I have some concerns about how effective I can be in completing this new assignment, since the deadline is tomorrow and there's about a week's worth of work to be done." Or, "I have concerns about completing this work because it is clearly a two-person job..." Try to arrange a meeting as quickly as possible to show you have serious concerns that you'd like to discuss ASAP!
3) Document the impact of the set up--that you are being set up for failure. For instance, you want to make sure that you are clearly expressing that it is highly unlikely you can complete whatever task you are being asked to do. For instance, you might write in an email, "...even if I worked all night, there's no way I can get this work done, since I just received it and it's due tomorrow." If you have inside information, you may want to document that in writing as well. For instance, "I'm aware that the client requested this work last month. I'm not sure why I am just getting the assignment, but the loss of time to work on the project will negatively impact the quality of the work and will likely cause me to miss the client's deadline." Show what the result of the set up is. Don't wait for the huge negative impact that will be blamed on you! If you know that you will miss a deadline, a week ahead of time, document it--a week ahead of time. Say that you can't get it done, you will make a good effort, ask for assistance, etc. Think things through and cover your a**!!
4) Document that you are ready to offer solutions. For instance, in an email stating you have concerns, you might write something like, "I believe Cristina is looking for work. Since this is clearly a two-person job, is there a possibility she can assist with the assignment?" Or, you can ask if part of the assignment can be given to junior staff, while you focus on the main pieces of work. Think of solutions that will work for your circumstances. Don't set yourself up to look like a whiner or complainer, which may be the resulting attack against you!
5) If you are told you can't have assistance or any remedy for the issue and you know you will likely fail in areas related to quality of work, deadlines, etc., speak to someone with more authority and ask for assistance.
6) Save all emails and voice mails addressing the issue. Send copies of the emails to your personal email account for safekeeping!
7) Provide updates about where you are on the task. This stops the argument that your supervisor, manager or task leader had "no idea" that you were falling behind, might miss a deadline or were having issues with the work.
8) Do the best you can on the task, but don't drive yourself crazy or into the hospital. If you are being set up, the point is that it is impossible for you to get the assignment done in the first place! Don't kill yourself. Document everything!
9) Get ready to be blamed. Keep your documentation in order. Save hard copies of everything, including instructions.
10) Get ready to defend yourself. Show that you identified issues--early on--and that you asked for assistance. Show that your requests were denied.
You can only do but so much to stop a set up. Sometimes all you can do is document it and defend against it. Be on your toes and keep writing. Just keep shooting off emails indicating the issues and offering solutions, such as requests for extensions, assistance from staff, etc. This will play in your favor, if you are written up for any performance deficiencies or if the incident creeps into your yearly review. If you can show that you did everything right and were ignored, that's going to go a long way in proving you are without fault on the issue.
If the problem continues, contact HR.
If you're the victim of race-based mistreatment, you may have an even stronger suspicion that you are being targeted at work. Often, that targeting includes being targeted to miss deadlines, make errors or to encounter many other problems at work.
For instance, a supervisor may sit on assignments and give them to a worker at the last minute--ensuring that the work will be sloppy, incomplete, and/or will be submitted after the deadline has passed. Or, a manager may not give a targeted employee all of the instructions they need to properly complete an assignment. As a result, the work may be incomplete, fraught with errors, and have many other problems.
Setting employees up for failure is a common tactic used in the workplace. Someone who is determined to discriminate against a Black employee or who is trying to create a hostile/offensive work environment for that employee may see engaging in a set up as a legitimate means of lodging complaints against the worker. Or, someone may see engaging in a set up as a good cover for retaliation against a Black worker, who has complained of race-based abuses at work.
Regardless of the cause, there are some things you can do, whenever you suspect you are being set up at work:
1) Don't remain quiet. You only increase the success level of the set up by suffering in silence!
2) Address your concerns by email--FIRST. Don't speak to the individual about the problems with the work because they will likely sell you a crock of crap that will shut you up, while enabling their plan to continue. Just drop the person a quick email reading something like, "Do you have a minute to discuss the assignment? I have some concerns about how effective I can be in completing this new assignment, since the deadline is tomorrow and there's about a week's worth of work to be done." Or, "I have concerns about completing this work because it is clearly a two-person job..." Try to arrange a meeting as quickly as possible to show you have serious concerns that you'd like to discuss ASAP!
3) Document the impact of the set up--that you are being set up for failure. For instance, you want to make sure that you are clearly expressing that it is highly unlikely you can complete whatever task you are being asked to do. For instance, you might write in an email, "...even if I worked all night, there's no way I can get this work done, since I just received it and it's due tomorrow." If you have inside information, you may want to document that in writing as well. For instance, "I'm aware that the client requested this work last month. I'm not sure why I am just getting the assignment, but the loss of time to work on the project will negatively impact the quality of the work and will likely cause me to miss the client's deadline." Show what the result of the set up is. Don't wait for the huge negative impact that will be blamed on you! If you know that you will miss a deadline, a week ahead of time, document it--a week ahead of time. Say that you can't get it done, you will make a good effort, ask for assistance, etc. Think things through and cover your a**!!
4) Document that you are ready to offer solutions. For instance, in an email stating you have concerns, you might write something like, "I believe Cristina is looking for work. Since this is clearly a two-person job, is there a possibility she can assist with the assignment?" Or, you can ask if part of the assignment can be given to junior staff, while you focus on the main pieces of work. Think of solutions that will work for your circumstances. Don't set yourself up to look like a whiner or complainer, which may be the resulting attack against you!
5) If you are told you can't have assistance or any remedy for the issue and you know you will likely fail in areas related to quality of work, deadlines, etc., speak to someone with more authority and ask for assistance.
6) Save all emails and voice mails addressing the issue. Send copies of the emails to your personal email account for safekeeping!
7) Provide updates about where you are on the task. This stops the argument that your supervisor, manager or task leader had "no idea" that you were falling behind, might miss a deadline or were having issues with the work.
8) Do the best you can on the task, but don't drive yourself crazy or into the hospital. If you are being set up, the point is that it is impossible for you to get the assignment done in the first place! Don't kill yourself. Document everything!
9) Get ready to be blamed. Keep your documentation in order. Save hard copies of everything, including instructions.
10) Get ready to defend yourself. Show that you identified issues--early on--and that you asked for assistance. Show that your requests were denied.
You can only do but so much to stop a set up. Sometimes all you can do is document it and defend against it. Be on your toes and keep writing. Just keep shooting off emails indicating the issues and offering solutions, such as requests for extensions, assistance from staff, etc. This will play in your favor, if you are written up for any performance deficiencies or if the incident creeps into your yearly review. If you can show that you did everything right and were ignored, that's going to go a long way in proving you are without fault on the issue.
If the problem continues, contact HR.
Labels: false allegations, hostile work environment, supervisor, tips and strategies
posted by S. Mary Wills at 10:05 AM
6 Comments:
That's great, But what if setup for failure is directly from the top exec of HR?
I work in an HR Dept. I was formerly a Director of HR until new management came in and swept us all out to bring in their own staff. After seeking a job for nearly a year, I accepted a job in an HR Dept. for a good company handling one aspect of the Dept. I very quickly found out that NOTHING had ever been done right and have had to correct every aspect of my area and set up job procedures to make sure they were done correctly in the future. Now I am given "goals" that are not only trivial but impossible to meet. I am over 50 and it is evident that my management has risen in the ranks past their level of competence (true Peter Principle). In this economy I feel I am stuck and can't afford to quit since there aren't many HR jobs available. But I hate having to teach my manager how things should be done, and have been held back for promotion and am not being paid for my competence. I don't know how to remedy the situation!
My supervisor came to me with things that did not make sense. First, his desk & drawers were rummaged through according to him, next day his lock had a piece of tape across it which doesn't make sense either. I work at night, the only one in the building except for workers coming in for equipment and we have cameras all over the place so I suggested that he check the cameras. He said "that would take hours of watching video", hmmmm! I'm convinced that he's trying to set me up but why? My work ethics far exceed anyone else who's worked in this position, as he's said in the past,
"you've gone above and beyond", so why this? I'm wondering what's next, he asked that I keep everything confidential which I hear is the worst thing to do when you're being set up. There is a new woman(white) that was supposed to be here for 6mos. but after one month she has been referred to as a Temp., they would receive resistance if they hire her as a secretary but if I were out the way they could hire her as a laborer and move her up from there. If they try to do it while I'm there, I could file a grievance and a discrimination claim against them and they already look bad for promoting three white women w/o posting the jobs which prevented two African American men at the same job level from having the opportunity to apply.
It seems that if you are a minority and not "in the group" or you are white in a mostly black company these same situations occur. Why is that? I am sick of this type of treatment against people who are qualified.
My girlfriend was promoted by Court order but before her filing a complaint after an 'employment action' and winning a part of her case, she was harassed and games played on her almost every single day. It seems with all the waste, fraud and abuse in updated Workplace Law/ethics; nothing has changed.
I would like to see an OIG who actually investigates claims internally but usually the 'big cover up' exists in every company.
My advice; 'never give up'. I read once that you have to be hated to achieve success. I guess that I am hated since I have filed 2 eeoc complaints. The first time I had a alcoholic for a lawyer, the second time we believe the lawyer made a side 'deal' with management.
Remember this, Federal Judges look for egregious acts that rise to a certain level, along with juries and Federal Judges look at 'employment actions'. Let this fire you and sue the hell out of them girl. I am white and I am telling you this. God bless.
how can I prove that I was purposefully not trained on the job. I was called into what they told HR was training meetings. The meetings were bullying meetings each week lasting about 5 to 10 minutes. No training about my job occurred. How can I prove this.
I was set up for something that I did not do. However, I got the worst end of it. ALL OTHERS directly involved got off.
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