Manager Made Me a Scapegoat to Save Face with His Manager

[Screwed_32nwf43]

My question involves defamation in the state of: xx

I received an odd review, one which I was rated poorly, but given no direction to improve. In fact the text of the review is nothing but favorable. Just the grade was bad. I was told that it was because I had only been there a short time and the bad grade would be overlooked for that reason. During the review he said that as a team there needs to be better communication but did not mention any specific example. After the review the manager snuck in a comment about needing to be a better communicator, but still cited no specific example.

Prior to this review, one day my manager got in trouble with his manager over a project I was working on. I was not one of the original people on the project. About the time I joined the project it was discovered a large requirement was missing. This requirement was communicated to me via my team lead.

In a meeting with the customer I informed them that there was a missing requirement I knew few details about, and that I was told about by my team lead as he handed the project off to me. The customer went up his chain-of-command with the new problem.

The requirement problem came across to my manager's manger. He reprimanded my manager to some degree over the fact that such a major requirement had been overlooked until that time.

In the added on comment to my review it says that I failed to communicate something to my "project management team." As stated before I had never been cited a specific example of this communication failure.

Now that the manager is no longer with the company I have been reporting to his manager lately. The new manager has a bias against me based on my past performance. In trying to figure out what has caused such contradictory review, I have come to the realization that I had been made a scape-goat. The only thing that makes the review make sense is that my manager told his manager that I failed to communicate the over looked requirement. A requirement that was part of the project before I was even hired. A requirement expressed to me by my team lead who was part of the project team.

I have enough hard evidence to cast doubt on the fact I did a poor job. This includes the text of the review as well as awards given to me as a result of my work on the project.

If I can connect the missing dots, and I strongly believe I will be able to, do I have a good case against the former manager? Because of these actions I have a bad (though I am going to get the opportunity to repair it) reputation, have been passed over for a performance bonus (it wouldn't have been much), and am ineligible for a raise for a year (which I am going to try to appeal.) Are his actions considered more than negligent?

[Betty3]

I see no type of case against your former manager. If he believed you did a "poor" job due to lack of communication and/or only being there a short time, that is not illegal even if you didn't agree with him. Based on your post, I see nothing illegal done by the mgr. whether you agree with his assessment or not & no matter if you believe it was unfair. Unfair is not illegal.

[grecord]

Why isn't it illegal? I'm really lost. Seems to me the man's reputation was on the line. Am I missing something? The more I read this forum, the more I'm under the impression the laws were setup to protect the boss.

[cbg]

It isn't illegal because there isn't a law that says the manager's opinion has to be favorable or match the opinion of the employee.

Do you want the government to tell you what opinions YOU are allowed to hold? Isn't that why we broke away from England 200-odd years ago in the first place?

[grecord]

Let's hypothetically say that the person is a police and let's assume there's no police union, and the cop was fired for other reasons, but it is noted that there were many wrongful accusations against him, in fact, one was that the cop robbed a bank. Let's assume that this is at will employment.

The cop suffers from lost wages, lost opportunity to be promoted, or even to get another job outside of his department in the same company, because of the false allegations. Let's assume also that it can be proven that the cop did not rob the bank.

Is this fair?

It isn't illegal because there isn't a law that says the manager's opinion has to be favorable or match the opinion of the employee.

Do you want the government to tell you what opinions YOU are allowed to hold? Isn't that why we broke away from England 200-odd years ago in the first place?

[Dogmatique]

Let's hypothetically say that the person is a police and let's assume there's no police union, and the cop was fired for other reasons, but it is noted that there were many wrongful accusations against him, in fact, one was that the cop robbed a bank. Let's assume that this is at will employment.

The cop suffers from lost wages, lost opportunity to be promoted, or even to get another job outside of his department in the same company, because of the false allegations. Let's assume also that it can be proven that the cop did not rob the bank.

Is this fair?

Let's also assume that "unfair" does NOT equate to "illegal" .

[cbg]

No, it's not fair.

But it's also not illegal.

The law does not give one hoot if it's fair.

[grecord]

emm.. we are living in a society that is indeed very scary..... I was never told of this when I was in high school or growing up. What is all this moral bs that they've been feeding students? Wish I had found this forum when I was younger.

No, it's not fair.

But it's also not illegal.

The law does not give one hoot if it's fair.

[Dogmatique]

emm.. we are living in a society that is indeed very scary..... I was never told of this when I was in high school or growing up. What is all this moral bs that they've been feeding students? Wish I had found this forum when I was younger.

There's really no answer to that which would take less than a few hours and a few hundred years of history.

[cbg]

You mean you needed someone to tell you that life isn't always fair? Most people learn that while their ages are still in single digits.