Reference no: EM132231898

Sonia Broderick has been a laboratory technician in a medical group practice for two years. When she took the job, she reviewed her job description and has since used it as a basis for judging her own performance. Since she started employment, she has come to work on time, had few absences, and feels that she is doing a good job. She has received only a few minor complaints from her manager and occasionally from a physician in the practice. Sonia believes she is always responsive to complaints and takes corrective action when there is a problem. In fact, she feels she helped improve the functioning of the lab by making several suggestions to reduce the time it takes to get results back to providers. Her coworkers respect her because she was willing to voice many of their concerns about the quality of work in the lab. Like Sonia, her supervisor is busy and has little time to discuss job performance. Sonia understands, and she has always believed that no news is good news. She was told a month ago that the practice would start doing regular performance reviews. Her supervisor, Carolyn McCalister, scheduled a time for a review but cancelled it one hour before they were supposed to meet. She gave no reason. They had difficulty finding an alternative time, but eventually Ms. McCalister found a 20-minute slot in which they were both available. After the review, Sonia stepped out of Ms. McCalister’s office, and (as one coworker reported) she was shaking and had clearly been crying. When she discussed the meeting with her coworker, Sonia noted that she was commended for her excellent attendance and punctuality. Her supervisor was happy with the quality and accuracy of her work. However, when discussing Sonia’s attitude, Ms. McCalister described Sonia as aggressive, insubordinate, and pushy and said she involved herself in things that were none of her business. When Sonia asked for examples, Ms. McCalister indicated that she should keep to her job responsibilities and not get involved in the management of the lab. She also accused Sonia of “abusing the use of the phone, wasting money, and endangering patients.” While Sonia acknowledged that she frequently had to phone her babysitter because of problems with child care, she explained that these calls never interfered with her efficiency or effectiveness. Nevertheless, Ms. McCalister suggested that Sonia leave the practice, indicating that she “didn’t fit in with the way we do things here.” At the end of the review, Sonia was told that she would be ineligible for any pay increase this year because of her attitude and other behaviors. What advice do you have for Sonia? How advice do you have for Sonia’s Supervisor, Ms. McCalister? Should Sonia request a follow-up meeting with Ms. McCalister? If so, what should Sonia plan to discuss?