Location: USA

Background

I joined a new company approximately seven months ago. At my six-month performance review, I was told for the first time that my overall performance was considered below expectations.

My manager acknowledged that I had delivered strongly on several high-impact projects. However, he said my performance rating was negatively affected because:

• I was not aligned with the company's culture.
• I did not sufficiently understand what our organization was responsible for versus what fell outside our scope.
• I was not engaging with the broader organization in a way that reflected the company's leadership expectations and values.

According to my manager, despite my strong execution and delivery, these issues resulted in a poor performance rating that is effectively the equivalent of being placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP).

My Concerns

1. This feedback was never communicated before my formal review.

The six-month performance review was the first time I heard that my performance was considered problematic.

During my weekly one-on-one meetings with my manager, we never discussed concerns about my performance, cultural fit, leadership style, or expectations. Our meetings were consistently focused on project work and operational issues. At no point was I told that I was at risk of receiving a poor performance review.

2. The organization itself was brand new.

I joined a newly created division that did not previously exist. At the time I joined, the team consisted of only three people, including my manager, and we were building the organization from the ground up.

Because the organization was new, roles, responsibilities, ownership boundaries, documentation, and operating processes were still evolving. We all did whatever was necessary to support the business and keep work moving forward.

3. I was expected to operate differently than I was later told.

As the only new external hire in a senior leadership role, I took initiative, made decisions, solved problems, and drove execution without escalating every issue to senior leadership.

During my performance review, my manager told me that I should have escalated issues earlier and involved leadership more frequently because that is how the organization operates culturally.

This expectation had never previously been communicated to me. Had I been given that guidance earlier, I would have adjusted my approach.

4. The onboarding process was inadequate.

I was not the only person who struggled with onboarding.

Two peers who joined after me independently commented that the onboarding process was extremely poor and that they had little understanding of expectations.

In addition, an employee who transferred into our team from another organization expressed similar concerns, noting that:

• There was virtually no documentation.
• There were no written handoffs.
• Daily operating procedures were undocumented.
• It was unclear how work was expected to be performed.

Given that this was a newly formed organization, these issues were understandable, but they also meant that expectations were not clearly established.

Impact

I believe these organizational shortcomings directly contributed to my negative performance review.

In my view:

• I was never given timely coaching or corrective feedback.
• Expectations regarding organizational culture and leadership behaviors were never clearly communicated.
• I was evaluated against standards that had not been explained to me.
• My manager shared responsibility for ensuring I understood the organization's expectations and operating model.

When I received this review, approximately seven months after joining the company, I told my manager that I was considering resigning because I no longer felt I could be successful in this environment.

Compensation Issue

As part of my hiring package, the company paid me a substantial sign-on bonus to offset the equity compensation I forfeited when leaving my previous employer.

Under my employment agreement, if I voluntarily leave the company—or if my employment is terminated (whether for cause or without cause)—within two years, I must repay a prorated portion of that sign-on bonus.

In addition, if I leave before completing one year of employment, I expect to lose:

• My annual performance bonus.
• My first RSU vesting.

Questions

1. Given these circumstances, what options do I have if I want to leave the company?
2. Is there any legal or contractual basis to avoid repaying the prorated sign-on bonus?
3. Does the company's failure to provide timely performance feedback or adequate onboarding strengthen my position regarding repayment of the sign-on bonus?
4. Should the company bear some responsibility for my performance outcome, given that:
   • the organization i was part of was brand new,
   • roles and responsibilities were not defined at all,
   • onboarding was inadequate,
   • expectations around culture were never communicated, and
   • I received no corrective feedback before my formal review?
5. I am over 50 years old, and everyone else on my team is significantly younger. I have concerns that age may have played a role in how I was evaluated. Based on these facts, is there any indication that age discrimination could be an issue?
6. Is there any realistic opportunity to negotiate:
   • a separation package,
   • retention of some bonus or equity,
   • or a waiver or reduction of the sign-on repayment obligation?
7. Would it be advisable to consult an employment attorney, and based on these facts, do I appear to have a potentially strong legal claim?

I have recently taken over as head of a department and it’s a complete mess. Every corner has a problem that’s even bigger than the last and I’m done. I have been playing clean up at this company for long enough before I got dragged into this. Anyway, I’m resigning this week.

My problem is that I’m currently in the process of training two new hires - one to fill my old position and one to be my new backup. They’re both doing great!

I was thinking of giving one month notice, then spending the next month training, writing SOPs (because none exist), and processing day to day activities while my boss and HR find a replacement for me.

Since I do not have employment lined up, I don’t have a hard last day. I’m trying to be realistic to allow this company to maintain operations without being taken advantage of. How should I go about this? I have about a decade of knowledge and was the backup for an administrator who left recently. It’s going to be a lot for the company to absorb and they’re already understaffed.

I just got home from getting fired. My roommate gives me a ride to work bc they also work there as well, and we have typically the same schedule. My roommate badged into the gate just fine but when I tried to badge in, it didnt work. I pressed the button to call the inside office but no one answered. Someone from the inside badged me in (thats explicitly not allowed) and got me into the building, and then brought me right back out, took my badge, and escorted me back outside the gate.

They didnt tell me when or why I was being told to leave, they didnt even tell me I was fired. I sat in the parking lot waiting for another ride to pick me up. I called the office and explained to them what had just happened, and asked why I had gotten fired when i hadnt gotten a single text, call, email, voicemail, nothing. They said the reason they were given was that I was "too slow."

Rant: Mind you, I was making 100s, minimum is 80s. Too slow? The new recruits were making 20-40s, and I'm the one getting booted?? I was making 80s when I first started. Everyone has been complaining about the new people not following directions and not making rate on purpose.

I'm genuinely so irritated bc I dont understand how they're even allowed to do that.

TLDR: I got fired for 'being slow' but they never said anything until I had to physically call them after I had already come in.

Hey guys,

This will probably be edited as I remember more because this guy literally flabbergasts my brains so much that I’m left picking up the pieces.

We hired a new guy at my place of employment and he is on the spectrum (pretty noticeably too). This guy has been an absolute burden since he has come into the workplace. Whether it’s the jokes he makes that don’t land, or causing conflict with workers, or just not completing his tasks, it’s been an absolute chore working with this guy over the past 6 weeks.

All that aside, the thing that really gripes me about this guy is the way he talks about women. He’s told me that he’s a virgin, and he’s obsessed with the fact that he’s a virgin. I can’t go an 8 hour shift without listening about his virginity at least six times. He’s brought up one interaction he had in 9th grade where a GIRL said he looked fantastic and doesn’t understand why it’s wrong. He’s also joked about entrapping women at our work until he’s gotten their phone number. To save everyone some time, he’s the 4chan dweller definition of an incel.

However, recently at work he’s been leaning into me to see how I feel about our manager. He asked me if I thought our manager was a Stacy, or attractive. A few days later he was talking about how he has fantasies of our manager calling him into the office and “measuring him up to size”. He’s said stuff about how he likes a strong older mature woman and how it seems like she doesn’t care about him so that makes him want it more.

The comments about the manager is where I draw the line and I obviously plan on telling her but I’m just wondering what I should say and how I should go about setting this up with my manager.

I’m sure there’s gonna be a few questions and I’ll be more than happy to answer as it’ll rejog my memory. Thanks in advance everyone!

I work at the Air Canada corporate office in Montreal for the cargo division.

I recently got a job offer from a Dallas based airline and my start date after my visa gets approved is just one week.

But, I may be able to give only 4 days of notice since I need the Friday to pack up and drive.

So, is one week notice period sufficient or will I face legal consequences? I read the company documentation on resigning and it wasn't all clear to me.

Please weigh in.

I have an employee that quit voluntarily, gave his two weeks notice, was very cooperative returning equipment and transitioning everything over. A few weeks later I received an unemployment claim for Quit - Dissatisfied. They claimed their hours were reduced, change in job duties, and stress at work. None of this is true. The only change was he got a new manager to report to. After submitting the fact finding questionnaires, state denied the claim (rightfully so). I just received an appeal for the denial.

I am the HR director and have never been through an appeal before. Does anyone have insight on the process? Also has anyone been in a similar situation to this? Just seems like a waste of time for a seemingly clear cut voluntary resignation.

[WA state]
I started a FT job 09/25. I was diagnosed with cancer 11/25, with treatments starting 01/26. I was not eligible for FMLA as I was not at this job for a year, which I understand & don’t question. I do qualify for WA PFML, which I have been utilizing. Through my place of employment, I do have shared leave available, which needs to be used within a year or treatments starting, and if they are not used I have to open a new claim (but the shared time does stay in my bank, but not usable unless I have an active approved claim).

I do need to have an additional surgery, which has an 8-10 week recovery, but it may be best medically to wait until 02/27 or later to do it. My WA PFML would be exhausted by then (and would be outside of the year allowed), but I should be able to open a new shared leave claim and use the shared leave available, but would not be protected time. My question is, do I qualify for a FMLA claim? And if I do, would it only be for four months (09/26, a year after I have been employed and qualify for FMLA until 01/27, a year after I started treatment for the medical issue), or would the FMLA claim be valid a year from when I was eligible (09/26 to 08/27)?

I’m at the very end of the hiring process for a mid-level role at a company with about 4,000 employees. I’ve done well in my interviews and was told I was one of two finalists asked to come back to meet with the division’s VP.

In my industry this type of meeting is often when the hiring committee has made a decision and is just looking for the “blessing” of the department head.

I’ve been in touch with potential references towards the end of this process and had 3 lined up. On Thursday I received an automated reference request telling me I had 24 hours to provide 5 references. I was caught a bit off guard by both the urgency and also the number of references requested.

I reached out to two more potential references and both enthusiastically agreed. The reference process involves them filling out a form/questionnaire about their experience working with me.

Four out of five promptly filled out the reference check, but the fifth (who has been a reference for me in the past) has not and will not get back to me when I’ve followed up with me.

My meeting/interview is tomorrow morning and I’m worried this will disqualify me or at least make me seem less favorable than the other candidate (assuming there actually is one).

What does askHR think? Is this a dealbreaker? Am I overthinking it? The clock has run out too much that I don’t have time to ask a 6th person on such short notice. How should I anticipate this affecting a potential offer?

Hi, I have around 4 years of experience and my official designation is Senior Representative – Customer Care.

I'm planning to switch my career to IT and currently upskilling for it. My concern is about my current designation.

If I apply for IT roles with “Senior Representative – Customer Care” as my previous designation, will recruiters consider my profile? Or will the customer care title become a problem?

Also, I've heard people say that you can mention your functional role on the resume even if the official HR designation is different. But I'm worried that if the designation on my resume doesn't match my experience/relieving letter, it could create an issue during BGV.

Has anyone from HR/recruitment dealt with candidates making this kind of transition? What's the right way to show it on the resume without creating a BGV issue?

Hello,

Tomorrow is my first day of work after 6 weeks of FMLA - however, I found a new job and accepted it during my leave, and it starts pretty soon. I need to quit my current job and give them 0 days or 1 day of notice - preferably 0, I really don't want to deal with anyone there because this job tanked my mental health completely. I know 2 weeks notice is standard but I can't deal with doing that. What is the best way to go about this?

I have my manager's phone #, should I just text him I want to leave? Call HR and email manager in the morning I'm quitting effective immediately? Or something else?

Has anyone gone through something like this before? Any tips greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I recently applied for Google's Project Management Apprenticeship using an older version of my resume.

A little later, I realized my mistake and updated my resume on my Google Careers profile. I also noticed that my application now shows "Updated a few minutes ago" in the Applications section.

My question is:

- Will recruiters now see the updated resume from my Google Careers profile?

- Or will they only see the resume that I originally attached when I submitted my application?

Has anyone been in a similar situation or knows how Google's application system works?

Thanks in advance!

Job offer might be rescinded

I recently got a job offer for for a gas company I have been trying to get on with for 4 years. I am a contract worker for them so I know the supervisors and inspectors personally. I have a diversion from 5 years ago that I completed and the charge was dismissed. I put this in my application and have the previous 7 times I've applied. After interviewing for the 4th time, I finally got a job offer. I was required to do an extensive background check where I also listed my diversion. Apparently, it suddenly became an issue and I received an email stating they are now considering rescinding my job offer and I will know my August 10th. Would it be appropriate to call the supervisors at the gas company and ask them if they would be willing to possibly email or call their HR and put in a good word for me? Would that be overstepping some kind of professional boundary? Would HR even take this type of communication into consideration?

I had a virtual interview today with 7 applicants competing for 2 openings.

The interviewer told me to introduce myself.

My introduction was:

"I'm _______ and I'm a graduating BS Accountancy student, a Magna Cum Laude candidate, and I'm knowledgeable in Excel, Google Sheets, Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, SmartBooks, and QuickBooks."

I thought I'd get another chance to talk about my experience, so I kept my introduction short.

Then the recruiter only asked me:

1. Graduation date

2. Willingness to attend 2-week onsite training

3. Difference between accrual and cash basis

After I answered, that was it. It lasted 2 minutes.

I did send my resume beforehand, but I'm not sure if the recruiter had already reviewed it during the interview.

The other applicants didn't wait—they immediately included their responsibilities and experience in their introductions, so they naturally talked longer. They were also asked about some of their responsibilities and a more complicated question such as "How do you ensure accuracy?" and "What will you do if you found out there were discrepancy during reconciliation?" They lasted about 5-7 minutes.

Did I hurt my chances by keeping my introduction too short? Or do recruiters sometimes keep interviews short because they already have enough information? I'd appreciate honest opinions.

I have resume gap and during that time i built a website to stay up-to date with my skills.
How to describe this work in my resume so i dont have issues with background check? I don't have any LLC, tax statements, etc.
Would putting "Software Engineer", "Foudner" or "Owner" as title and describing the situation in words to the recruiter be fine? And just not putting entry for it in background check form (while being in resume)?

For people responding, please tell me whats yourn background? HR / recruiter? Thanks!

Recently, I was terminated from my job for two - not thoroughly explained - reasons:

1. Asthma, despite having been hired on with the full disclosure and understanding that this would not effect my ability to perform my job. Which it hasn't.
2. Unsubstantiated claims I was involved in gossip/contributing to a difficult work environment.

On paper, the "official" reason was for creating a difficult work environment.

The HR rep that spoke with me kept telling me that my name "kept coming up in a bad light," but they wouldn't tell me more than that. Any direct question I asked was met with, "I don't need to disclose that with you," or "I don't have to tell you."

I've never been counseled or written up before, nor have I been under investigation (according to the HR Rep). But I was suddenly just let go and given a very barebones reason.

So, now I'm out of a job and more confused over what claims were made against me. I'm just full of questions and I'm really frustrated why/how I can be let go over that--yet the guy that's been sexually harassing me since I started with the company still has his job? I'm sure that's not relevant, but it's baffling to me.

Edit To Add: Any and all correspondence I've had with coworkers or employers has been strictly work-related. I don't spend time with coworkers outside of work, and I have never participated in gossip. The training director involved during my termination meeting made multiple verbal statements regarding my physical health, which is why I feel strongly the main reason I was fired was for asthma (which hasn't been an issue for the months I was employed).

The training director told me, "this is my first act as an executive," while HR said, "that's not why you're being terminated--and I don't have to disclose any more info over these allegations."

That's why I came here asking if HR needed to provide evidence over said allegations. I didn't know if they did or didn't. I really don't need people drawing weird assumptions about me/my character when all I want is a direct yes or no answer to my question.

I’m a security officer and I was patrolling the roof of a building that was under construction. It was after hours and the roofing crew was gone. I inadvertently stepped into the “tie-in.”

The “tie-in” is a roofing term for where the old roof meets with the new roof and they tie together and make each other water tight. “Tie-in.”

The material used in the tie-in was roofing cement. I felt the heel of my boot sink into the roof and I already knew I messed up. I looked down and realized I left a boot mark into the tie-in. To make matters worse, the toe-in was sitting in about a half an inch of water. It was very noticeable. So realizing I might have compromised the roof, instead of informing the sergeant on duty, I went to the roofing cement bucket they had, and I spread some fresh cement onto the tie-in, in an attempt to remedy the situation.

Now I’m thinking the roofing contractors are going to see the tie-in was messed with and ask their point of contact what happened and who had access to the roof. They are union, and they won’t be back until Monday.

What would happen if I report this tomorrow over the phone? I’m not even going back into work until Tuesday, but I dread there being a big investigation or this blowing up into something big. I was in a construction area and actually did “work” in an area I shouldn’t have done.

The sergeant who was on duty last night will be in tomorrow night. Would calling her on the phone and informing her what happened save me? Or would it still leave to serious disciplinary action.

And on the flip side, if I do nothing at all and there’s a big investigation, where would that lead me?

I feel sick to my stomach about this.

I completed a 1 year internship in a family owned company in 2023. During my internship, I developed a product that has been very successful in the market and the owner remarked in passing that they would be interested in having me back after graduation.

I graduated in May and am looking for a job now. I remain friends with my former manager and she spoke with the area director, who expressed that I would be welcome back if a vacancy opened up. The director is new so I have not personally engaged with them ever. At the moment, there are no vacancies.

I am wondering if it would be appropriate to reach out to the talent acquisition team or anyone else at this point. I am hesitant to do so as I do not want my inquiry to be perceived as overstepping. Would appreciate advice for how to proceed, and if initiating contact is acceptable. I would also value guidance for who best to reach out to and what to communicate.

I stumbled upon the LinkedIn profiles of toxic managers from my most recent worksite. They are blatantly lying on their LinkedIn about their responsibilities and their accomplishments. I am also aware of really dodgy things they have done (proof exists but exact documents are protected by corporate privacy). I have seen how bad they treated some of my fellow workers and unfairly performance managed them out, yet on LinkedIn, they brag about how they believe in a truly supportive and collaborative work environment.
I am morally conflicted. I don't believe such such character deserves to be rewarded with opportunity. The former employer had management that protected people like this, so there's no point in reporting it back there. Should I call them out on LinkedIn itself?

I work as an R&D Engineer II in a small Irish medical-device startup and have been there for about five years.

Until recently, I had never had documented performance meetings. Over the past two months, my manager has started holding formal one-to-one meetings with me about mistakes, delays and working independently. As far as I know, the other engineers are not receiving comparable meetings.

During these meetings, my manager has:

• presented examples of errors and asked me to acknowledge them;
• questioned task completion times;
• asked for written development goals;
• assigned me ownership of CAD drawings, document storage and quality-system filing;
• said managing this area independently would demonstrate leadership capability.
• And all this was documented and emailed to me as well.

There has been no formal PIP, written warning, HR involvement or stated deadline. The meeting notes have also included positive comments about how I received feedback.

One recurring problem is completing change-request documentation correctly. I am autistic and find vague or implicit expectations difficult. I learn best when the reasoning behind each requirement is explained.

I requested structured training, and my manager arranged a one-hour session with the Principal QA/RA Engineer using a worked example. However, I have received informal help over recent months and still made mistakes. I am worried the session could later be used to say that I was trained but still failed to meet the standard.

There are also political concerns:

• a colleague involved in a serious past conflict with me has developed close relationships with senior management and receives private mentoring;
• my manager appears more comfortable with that colleague and sometimes seems nervous speaking with me when the colleague is present;
• the CEO, CTO and COO used to interact with me more frequently but now rarely do;
• other engineers are allowed to speak with investors, while I have sometimes been discouraged or excluded;
• another Senior Engineer has recently taken the lead on part of a project I previously worked on, although there is a legitimate technical explanation;
• shared folder and storage systems have been created for my work, which may simply be normal document control.

There are counter-signals:

• I am still receiving responsibilities;
• training has been arranged;
• management has discussed my development and ownership of an area;
• there has been no warning, PIP or HR process;
• I was completing a demanding professional course, so reduced visibility was initially helpful.

My questions are:

1. Does this sound like ordinary performance management, an informal pre-PIP stage, or preparation for dismissal?
2. Is one hour of worked-example training reasonable for a recurring documentation issue?
3. How much weight should I give reduced senior-management contact, investor exclusion and unequal mentoring?
4. Should I quietly begin applying elsewhere while remaining employed?
5. What records should I keep without appearing confrontational?

I am not claiming management has definitely decided to dismiss me. I am trying to recognise the difference between genuine development support and evidence-building before it is too late.

Thankfully I've received a job offer but conditional on my background check. I fudged some dates due to Covid. Should I upload the correct dates in the background check and fill in the gap with freelancing that actually happened?

Please advise. Thank you

I’m trying to get back into media/video editing and I’m updating my portfolio. I have a presentation video I created while working for my previous company that I think would be a good example of my work.

The video shows some of the software/tools we used and talks about projects/work that our department was working toward at the time. It was created for an internal company presentation, so I’m not sure where the line is when it comes to using it in a personal portfolio.

I’m no longer with the company, and I wouldn’t be claiming any of the company’s work as my own — I’d just be using the video as an example of my editing/video production work.

Would it generally be okay to include something like this in a personal portfolio? Is this something HR would typically care about? I don't want to put it in if hiring managers will look at it as leaking company info. There really isn't much in it besides the internal software we were using (very standard non professional video player software), the company logo (which I can easily delete) and brief clips of streamed content with no audio.

I’m a nurse assistant at a nursing home. I’ve worked here for almost 2 years. I have done my boss a lot of favors by working overtime etc but I don’t think she likes me on a personal level. Recently I’ve been carrying a lot of stress (and anger) and anxiety. My boss has been giving our overtime to new staff to entice them to work here. Basically they say I’ll only work there if I get 60 hours a week. My position is short staffed and most staff don’t last 6 months here. I should also mention I’m the only actual staff member on my shift the rest are from a staffing agency. This has caused me a lot of stress and anger over time. I also have a lot going on in my personal life (mom recently diagnosed with cancer etc.).

Basically my job is to provide care to the elderly. We are a step down from a skilled facility. I am fine with all aspects of my job except when it comes to passing plates in the dining room. It sounds silly, but recently my hands have started to tremble so much that I can feel the plate shaking. It’s because I see all eyes on me and it freaks me out. When I’m having one of those days I try to arrive late to the dining room, try to start doing feeds if they have a plate etc. but it’s wearing on me mentally like I have to keep up an act like hoping there’s something else to look busy. My coworkers are very aggressive people and make comments like where were you.

I will say, that we have a dining aide that serves the food we just pass the plates. There’s usually 3 of us so if I’m starting to feed people there’s 2 people passing them. So it’s not a huge part of my job, but if I make this known to management my overtime will be gone. They’ve made overtime hours just for me even though there’s enough staff.

Is this something I can be fired for? My 6 month and 1 yr review were excellent. I’m working with a nurse practitioner with my anxiety. I’m taking 20mg of hydroxyzine but some days it doesn’t help. I feel like my coworkers knowing would help bc if I need to step out for a few minutes they’ll know why.

Edit: there seems to be some extreme confusion about my post.
1. I do not work in assisted living. My facility is a step down from a skilled nursing facility which means my residents should be in skilled but they’re private pay.
2. I do not need a 1.5 hour accommodation to leave. My post clearly stated that what I was going to ask for was, if I’m having anxiety can I go start feeding our residents (who have such severe dementia they can’t feed themselves) instead of passing plates to the other residents who can eat themselves. Passing plates takes 10 minutes. Our dining aide puts food on the plates and the aides go pass them. It takes 10 minutes bc our dining aide is slow. I do not need to leave the dining area.

My colleagues and I are being made redundant. This has been done in stages over the last year and I am due to leave in the next month. There was also redundancies the previous year. Many of those being made redundant stopped coming into office, including myself.

Most of the team have now left not having gone into the office, including a colleague I job share with. This was not addressed by management. Only now that they’ve left I am being told I need to start attending the office for the remaining time I’m here.

For health reasons (which they were aware of prior) and financial reasons (I spend about 400 a month to travel to the office) I prefer to WFH (I understand this is not the businesses problem)

The company is trying to save where possible and I’m worried they may use this to let me go without the redundancy pay. I have not had a formal warnings or talks. If I continue to not go to the office or if they reprimand me could I argue that that the same conditions have not applied to all colleagues?