Colleague who won’t retire but also won’t train

[Putthepanback]

WWYD?

She’s got markedly slower over the last few years (think taking 3 seconds to press each button on the phone when dialling a number kind of thing). We spoken in very casual conversation about retirement and she is very much of the “oooo I’d have nothing to do with my time” school of thought.

We are having a big problem now though as our software is all being changed and we are retraining on the new stuff over the next few weeks.

She got very flustered in the training this morning and left after an hour as she said the trainer was going too fast. We’ve made arrangements for her to have 1 on 1 training instead. She is completely adverse to any kind of change at all. Very negative and “oh it won’t work it works fine now”.

I have to admit I snapped at her today because she’d spent all morning complaining how busy she was but wouldn’t accept any help. I really needed some figures by 3pm which I asked her for this morning. It was easily a 10 minute job for any other member of staff. At 2.30 I walked past and she had only just started. At 2.50 I realised she was counting them up (the columns) with her finger on the spreadsheet and then doing the sums on paper. I very gently said “oh x did you know if you just grab that little cross and drag it across you can add them like this”

She snapped back at me that she knows what she’s doing and she still had 10 minutes.

I had to leave the room before I snapped back at her. She’s been on excel training at least 3 times but just doesn’t retain the info.

What the hell do you do in this situation?! I’m not her manager, just one step above her and they are loathe to do anything and just whisper that she’ll have to retire soon surely! But from what she says she has no intention of going anywhere

[Putthepanback]

Sorry should have said I snapped at her when I came back in the office and she gave me the figures written on a piece of paper

[AllFourOfThem]

You have two options. You either accept it and stop letting it bother you. Or you put in a grievance to her manager and she should then go on a performance plan which will see her dismissed and retirement enforced.

Regardless, you need to stop snapping at her before you end up with a grievance against you for unprofessional behaviour and harassment/bullying in the workplace.

[Loveoddthings]

Well you can’t do anything as far as I can tell
Other than work on your patience and not snap at her

[Woopdewoop]

@AllFourOfThem exactly this

[NotJustACigar]

It is an extremely difficult situation as even for the manager to suggest retirement could become age discrimination. I'm watching this thread with interest as we have a similar situation where I work also. No advice for you, just sympathy for both you and your colleague.

[ScreamingValenta]

If her lack of skills is affecting her performance, can her manager address this through a formal performance management process? If she doesn't want to retire, which is understandable, might there be other options, such as moving to a different role?

[Putthepanback]

The reason I snapped is that having the figures handwritten on a piece of paper was no good to me as they needed emailing to other teams. I ended up just doing it myself.

She’s very reluctant to change roles, a job came up which would have been perfect for her. We were all looking through the jobs (big organisation lots of posts) and someone said oh x you’d be good at that. She wasn’t interested.

[shiningstar2]

How old is she? Is she past state retirement age? Does your company have any kind of contract system in which people over a certain age have to have their contracts renewed yearly?

[Loveoddthings]

Still - not on to snap at her, and you risk your own position.
Fact is your managers don’t seem particularly bothered

[Switcher88]

I don't blame you for nearly snapping at her OP, I'd feel the same. I've worked with people like this before and it's so frustrating.

[Aridane]

You really shouldn’t be snapping at her and do yourself no favours

[Putthepanback]

Yes past retirement age.

Well no because they don’t have to work with her on a daily basis. They are well aware we are picking up her slack beyond what would be reasonable. We are a lovely team and she has been supported over and above what any other member of staff would expect.

Training today for example. Two members of staff asked if they could do it another time and
were told no, we all had to do it today whilst the trainer was there. She got up and left at 10.30 because she couldn’t keep up. We are now paying for the trainers to come back in and work work her 1 on 1 before the new software comes in.

[GeoffreyAndBungle]

You need to flag your concerns to her manager. Her manager needs to be working with her to improve her performance at work in line with your company's capability process and/ or the ACAS code.

[MrsWooster]

All you can do is deal with the impact on you; if it’s giving you extra work, make sure your manager knows. If it affects your ability to deliver your stuff, make sure your manager knows. They get paid the big bucks to manage problems like this in the workplace; you’re going to end up in trouble.

[thedevilinablackdress]

I feel your pain. If this affects your ability to do your own job, raise it with your manager to address with her's. If it doesn't, try to stop getting involved, helping or even seeing what she's (not) doing. Easier said than done but necessary for your own sanity.

[leghairdontcare]

Oh, god. I used to work with one of these and she was married to the boss. Super awkward. Unfortunately, I just had to add extra time to any task that involved her as it would inevitably be wrong and corrections needed.

I think you have to accept that she's not going to change and adapt how you work. Obviously you can't snap at her.

[Singlenotsingle]

It sounds as though it could be redundancy -ie a situation where "the needs of the business for work of a particular kind have ceased or diminished, or are likely to cease or diminish".

The work which you have all been doing has changed, and you have to use the new software. If someone can't or won't do it, that could be described as redundancy.

[MrsJoshNavidi]

Does your company have any kind of contract system in which people over a certain age have to have their contracts renewed yearly?

Surely that's illegal?

[Disfordarkchocolate]

Do you have an appraisal and performance system, if not you need one? She needs to work in line with her job description the same as everyone else. If not she needs to be carefully performance managed out of her job the same as anyone else who can't do their job.

[quincejamplease]

I read that as you both took turns to snap at each other?

You do need to be careful here, but bullying and harassment are "course of conduct" issues and snapping at somebody once is not within that. If she paints a picture that you're unfairly targeting her that becomes a problem.

You need your managers in side with anything you do and the wider situation.

People who use excel like it's an electronic piece of paper - adding up columns on a calculator then typing the sum in - drive me slightly mad.

[misspiggy19]

Get her dismissed on capability grounds. Her age has nothing to do with anything.

[quincejamplease]

The work which you have all been doing has changed, and you have to use the new software. If someone can't or won't do it, that could be described as redundancy.

Not if you need someone in the team to do that role and will be replacing them. Roles becomes redundant not people.

It's a capability issue.

[Aridane]

Dismissal on capability grounds requires a process!

[Aridane]

That was to misspiggy19

[Robs20]

I would raise it with her manager. It sounds like she isn’t able to do the job and needs to have some performance management put in place.