I work in a large tech company in Ireland and recently had a performance review where my manager referenced personal health issues related to pregnancy—specifically dizziness and fatigue—as part of his justification for rating my performance lower. He said I lacked a 'can do' attitude and my part of the project was lagging behind another.
I also experienced a miscarriage during this period and shared that with my manager in good faith, thinking it would provide necessary context for temporary performance fluctuations. However, he made no accommodations and instead included those periods in his negative evaluation. At one point, when I mentioned health-related struggles (e.g., lack of sleep, difficulty commuting), he replied, “I expect 100% from everyone every day.”
I feel that referencing these personal and protected issues in a performance review is deeply inappropriate and possibly discriminatory.
My question is:
What steps can I take to protect myself and ensure this doesn’t impact my career long-term?
I’m trying to remain professional and objective, but I feel emotionally unsafe and unsupported. I’d appreciate guidance on how to navigate this while protecting both my health and career.
