Help me deal with a tricky colleague?

[mydogisabeauty]

Our department is small, really a team of 4 with occasional support staff.
My colleague M and I are senior to J&L who support our role and report to us.
On the whole we all rub along well and due to the nature of the jobs we do it's essential that we work well as part of a team.

J&L do work really hard and are very efficient but sometimes make too much of smaller jobs. For example the printer ink has to be stored in specific way, on a particular shelf and if we use one we're supposed to email them to let them know. This usually happens but M & I have forgotten occasionally and not sent the email for a couple of days.

Recently my co-worker M has been getting snide emails from out HOD suggesting that she's not pulling her weight. This is really strange because I work closely with her and really don't see this at all.
She is stressed (teenage kids having problems) but as far as I can see this hasn't effected her work.

Anyway it turns out that either J or L have been complaining about her to HOD and playing some sort of oneupmanship games. The stuff of the complaints is very petty and does not impact on our work.

I feel very sad that our small team has been fractured and I'd like to understand some strategies for getting us back on track. M feels the trust has gone.

Sorry for the ramblings but any advice would be welcome.

M needs to speak to HOD.
Not in a complaining way, just friendly to ask if what the problem is.

HOD implied that either J or L had been making minor complaints and that she should be seen to address them.

These are minor irritations that should have been bought to our attention rather than escalated. I think I understand that it makes them look important but it's at the expense of trust and a happy team.

Sounds like bad communication all round. Trust works two ways, if you're meant to email team members about a specific thing then you should just do it and not forget. And I don't think saying "it makes them look important" re escalating an issue they've noticed indicates the right attitude really. I'd be looking at why they might be choosing to go over your heads.

Thanks, I see your point. How would you suggest we approach it?

Hmm, it sounds from your post a little bit 'them & us'

I think you need to have a team meeting to see what's going on, if you don't really know what the issue is you're never going to be able to resolve it.

If there’s sone kind of unit meeting or meeting with the HOD id raise the issue in a positive way saying everyone works very hard here particularly H. You feel that that the group needs to support each other more

It has become a bit 'them and us' which isn't healthy for any of us. We do have regular team meetings and until recently I thought we were all working really well together.

This sounds like somewhere I used to work...

Anyway, I would have a meeting with J&L + M and yourself. Suggest to J&L that they share the issues / items that are not working correctly as far as they are concerned, and have a discussion about it.

You refer to them making' too much of smaller jobs'. I understand this can be annoying but if they are in support roles, it's their duty to make sure all large AND small things are attended to.

Have a chat, let them air their grievances and see how you can fix up the situation. It may be nothing at all, and has been blown up beyond a sensiblel level, or it could be a big issue for J&L.

Us minimising small jobs is a fair point.
J and L don't know that HOD has told us about the complaints.

Am I right in thinking honesty is the best policy? 'She's told us that you're unhappy with X & Y and we'd like to find a way to move forward?'

I am sad that they've been telling tales about my very committed work mate.

@mydogisabeauty

Yes I would do exactly that. Tell them you've heard from the HOD that they are unhappy, and invite them to a mtg to share and/or vent.

If everyone lays their cards on the table, that has to be a good start (in my book, at least!).

People want to be heard. Even if it’s not really relevant they want ther idea/ view/ opinion heard. -a nd acknowledged.
So everyone at meeting talks, Hhave some positive things so it is not all whinging. Is there anything going on i n Home lives which could be affecting the staff. Which it might be useful for them to my toon?

Know

J&L obviously think M at least is being inconsiderate, so work on correcting this misconception.

And your HoD needs to grow the fuck up. Snide emails are not the answer.