Professional life has its ups and downs. It is not a straight line. In this chapter, we tackle the tough stuff. We cover PIPs, layoffs, reorgs, and dealing with toxic behaviors. We talk about navigating through management chains, owning up to mistakes, coping with burnout, and handling being singled out.
Chapter Contents
- 9.1 PIP
- 9.1.1 PIP Reasons
- 9.1.2 PIP Results
- 9.2 Layoff
- 9.2.1 Navigating Layoffs
- 9.2.2 Signs of Layoffs
- 9.2.2.1 Reorgs
- 9.2.2.2 Executive Changes
- 9.2.2.3 External Pressures
- 9.2.2.4 Decreasing Stock Value
- 9.2.2.5 High Burn-down
- 9.2.2.6 New Funding Round
- 9.2.2.7 Top Talent Leaving
- 9.3 Manager Change
- 9.4 Toxic Behaviors
- 9.4.1 Symptoms
- 9.4.1.1 Feeling Less Empowered
- 9.4.1.2 Carried Over Work Stress
- 9.4.1.3 Lack of Trust
- 9.4.1.4 Good People Leaving
- 9.4.1.5 Gaslighting
- 9.4.1.6 Gossiping
- 9.4.1.7 Controlling
- 9.4.1.8 Blaming
- 9.4.1.9 Bullying
- 9.4.1.10 Lack of Transparency
- 9.4.1.11 Unhealthy Relationships
- 9.4.1.12 Gangs or In/Out Groups
- 9.4.1.13 Targeting
- 9.4.1.14 Office Romance
- 9.4.1.15 Unacceptable Interactions
- 9.4.1.16 Harassment
- 9.4.1.17 Retaliation
- 9.4.2 Handling
- 9.4.1 Symptoms
- 9.5 Handling Management Chain
- 9.5.1 Communication
- 9.5.2 Set Clear Expectations
- 9.5.3 Seek Feedback
- 9.5.4 Be Proactive
- 9.5.5 Build Relationships
- 9.5.6 Chain of Command
- 9.6 You Lied
- 9.6.1 Reasons
- 9.6.1.1 Delayed Project
- 9.6.1.2 Research Results
- 9.6.1.3 Project Failures
- 9.6.1.4 Awkward Situations
- 9.6.1.5 Concealing Mistakes
- 9.6.2 How To Fix
- 9.6.3 How To Catch
- 9.6.1 Reasons
- 9.7 Burning Out
- 9.7.1 Reasons for Burning Out
- 9.7.2 Symptoms of Burning Out
- 9.7.2.1 Mental Symptoms
- 9.7.2.2 Physical Symptoms
- 9.7.3 Preventing Burnout
- 9.7.4 Overcoming Burning Out
- 9.8 Being Singled Out
- 9.8.1 Detecting Singling Out
- 9.8.2 Dealing With Being Singled Out
- 9.8.2.1 Engaging HR for Support
- 9.8.2.2 Engaging Legal for Mobbing
- 9.9 A big mistake