I'd appreciate some nonjudgmental perspectives on the Tall Poppying phenomenon for high performing employees who are cut down for any number of reasons, assuming the identified Tall Poppy is personable, respectful, sensitive to different personalities as work, wanting to blend in, and is noncompetitive? Should/how this be addressed in interviews where forced attrition has ruptured previous positions? How might they navigate entry into a new position and team? Thank you!

This is highly valuable feedback. I appreciate yoiu taking the time to share your very thoughtful response. There's a great deal if food for thought.

Sorry, I must have a duplicate account because I can see this on my phone but not computer.

Two places you could do a quick review to learn more are a) The Tallest Poppy (an HR paper) and shorter, b) Tall Poppy Syndrome on Very Well Mind.

In a nutshell, it refers to a person being cut down because they are perceived as too ambitious, successful, talented, cheerful, or otherwise stand out.

Some describe it as social pruning. In workplace environments, it can manifest as gossip, exclusion, undermining, bullying, harassment, or other forms of psychological aggression directed at high performers or highly visible individuals.

It was complicated. I was hired by a larger firm as a senior tax compliance technician from the other side of the country as a remote, so was the new kid on the block. One of my duties was reviewing returns before heading to the partner for sign off and efiling. Unfortunately, there were significant errors and omissions in a handful of files which had not been detected by A&A or previous reviewers in the previous six years (we handled the clients' professional corporation bookkeeping, filing and personal filings). I just happened to be the fresh set of eyes who picked them up and reported them to the appropriate partners. Unfortunately, this resulted in a number of technicians and one CPA getting called to the carpet by the managing partner because it was tens of thousands of dollars of E&O. I also received commendations from clients, which came down through the partners, for my handling of difficult filing such as deceased returns, citing me as professional, thorough and compassionate.

I had an excellent CPA partner from a different office who mentored me as I was set up and framed by one particularly nasty intermediate technician, and trying to fit in. He asked me if I'd ever considered taking management training which I hadn't because I'm always trying to keep my head down. My managing partner was super supportive of me, extended my contract, liked my long-term goals, and very kindly praised me to the team several times, while I was cringing internally because positive feedback can trigger some folks.

In the end, because of my compliance and fraud background, I had documented, screenshotted and was able to tell the investigator which calls to pull to listen to, my contract was paid out and I was gobsmacked to see a senior partner who was the patron of the technicians who reported to her how unbearable they found me, was demoted out of her c-suite position.

I wouldn't dare share any of that in an interview, and while the investigation saw the sabotaged client files, internal compliance breaches by the technicians, etc., I went from finally having excellent mentorship and a managing partner and his partner wife happy with me and my work, and willing to cultivate me long term (the final straw of the angry technicians who wanted me gone), to being deemed by the firm to have been constructively dismissed and paid out.

The firm handled it impeccably and workplace harassment investigations usually result in a push out, and this one was handled impartially and with a great deal of respect. I'm so sad about it because I really loved that firm.

In a job prior, I had two dozen+ corporate client and two commendations from the Minister of National Revenue for service excellence, an integrity award and others - not because I was trying to be special, but because I put my heart into my work and solve problems. In that job, I was groped by a collections manager in my cubicle, then forced out for having disclosed. Deemed constructively dismissed.

Really? I like to listen to understand, not to judge.