Employee gets written warning from HR, demand he tells disorganized manager whenever he spends 30 minutes away from his desk: ‘It seems extremely micromanagerial’

Is it the boss or the employee who is to blame for the circumstances?

Underperforming at work can prove to be awkward for everybody involved. Either the manager is out for revenge, or they feel kind of bad about taking action, and the employee is either blissfully oblivious or all too aware of what is coming next. Whatever perspective everybody takes on the situation, it is rarely a pleasant situation to be in.

As a worker on the receiving end of an official criticism about your work, there is often little that you can do. While you may improve and think more carefully about your workflow, often the decision has been made before you are even pulled up about your behavior. The world of business is pretty brutal like that. Just like with most bad situations in the workplace, the best response is often to start looking for another job sooner rather than later. Even if you manage to hold on to your role, there is no guarantee that it will start to be rewarding or comfortable. If a manager still has built up resentment towards you, it is only a matter of time before more problems come to the surface.