Some years ago I made a deal with a fellow columnist. If he thought my work was going downhill, he promised to take me aside and tell me so. Equally, if I thought there had been a falling off in the standard of his columns, I would do the same for him.
The reason that such an ad hoc arrangement between colleagues seemed necessary is that you can’t always rely on your employer to tell you hard truths. The way the system works in most companies is that there are no nudges or hints dropped that you aren’t doing well, especially when you get higher up the pecking order. You only find out when it’s too late.
So far, neither of us has taken the other to one side to deliver this awkward truth. But now it seems we might never have to. The UK government said last week it was planning to change the rules to make it easier for employers to tell people they are aren’t up to scratch. My boss would be able to summon me for a “protected conversation” and tell me just how bad my performance was without fear that I would respond by seizing the phone to call my lawyer.