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Original poster

Tricky situation with employee

26 replies

PablosCat · 16/11/2019 17:27

I’m going to be a bit vague but will provide as much detail as possible!

I started a new job around 3 months ago, directly managing around 60 employees with an assistant manager under me and then around 3 tiers of staff.

The first few weeks I made an effort to go around and meet each employee/office and try to match faces with names/roles. One member of staff (2nd from bottom tier) wasn’t at her desk and when I asked if she was on leave I was told by her colleagues that she was doing work for my managers manager.

I thought this was a bit strange as he has no involvement in managing staff and more “overall” responsibility for the organisation as a whole.

I didn’t see this person for two weeks and mentioned it to my counterpart in another division. She filled me in that this member of staff often works for this person and outside of her job role. Might not seem strange but she is doing work which would traditionally be done by someone much senior than her.

I was new so didn’t make to much of it. However 6 mths down the line it is causing problems with my ability to manager this person and her workload. If I ask her to do something she can’t as she’s already working on something else for him. She turned up at a senior managers meeting the other day on his say so (I had no idea she was coming and it was slightly embarrassing for me to have a junior member of staff from my division turn up and for me to have no idea what she was doing there). I need to do her performance review soon and I feel quite awkward about it. It should be the assistant managers job but he won’t do it as he doesn’t feel like he wants to as to all intents and purposes she seems to report to our bosses boss.

I almost wondered if they were related and it was a bit of nepotism but I’ve asked around and that doesn’t seem to be the case. I wondered if there was something going on but if there is everyone is very tight lipped about it!

It is affecting my ability to manager her and I don’t know what to do. In over 20 years I haven’t encountered a situation like this. Any advice?

OP posts:
Original poster
PablosCat · 16/11/2019 17:29

Should add, she is very good at her job. I have no arguments with her work. She does seem to have more leeway with everyone else re annual leave and times she comes and goes but if my assistant manager raises this with her it has already been agreed with our bosses boss!

OP posts:
ForTheFew · 16/11/2019 17:31

Well you need to speak to the manager, surely, to see what’s going on?

NoHummus · 16/11/2019 17:31

They're shagging. Wink

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Employment advice
Original poster
PablosCat · 16/11/2019 17:34

I have spoken to him before a few months ago when I was working on something and asked him for some feedback. He emailed two days later to say employee had already finished and apologised for not telling me she was working on it!

It was not something in her remit and she hadn’t mentioned she was doing it. Half the time I don’t even know where she is or what she is working on.

Shagging has been considered! But a very big age gap and he is married. Also as I said, no gossip and it’s a very gossipy workplace!

OP posts:
tectonicplates · 16/11/2019 17:37

But a very big age gap and he is married.

Doesn't mean they're not doing it!

Original poster
PablosCat · 16/11/2019 17:38

Well she isn’t getting much out of it if that’s the case! She’s doing work she should be paid a lot more for doing? It doesn’t make sense

OP posts:
NoHummus · 16/11/2019 17:40

It does sound very odd. But good that her performance review is coming up, can you give her more responsibilities related to her actual job? Either that, or suggest she goes for a promotion/sideways move out of your team, so her extra curricular work becomes another managers problem.
I would suggest managing her much more closely and trying to crack down on her work for the big boss, but that's unlikely to be successful as she would just go over your head to him.

srah21 · 16/11/2019 17:46

Hmm, I personally would speak to my manager and explain how it's becoming difficult for you to manage this situation. You've been appointed as a manager to manage these people. But if you have your managers manager giving her responsibilities then it needs to go through you first.
Maybe try speaking to your manager that it's ok for her to be given extra responsibilities but you need to know about it beforehand. It's not fair on you as you can't split responsibilities and it undermines you. Also, if I was this girls colleague and worked on the same level as her, I'd be annoyed that I'm treated differently and not given a chance to grow within my role.

annielouise · 16/11/2019 17:49

If you want something done about it and to be able to assert your control of her as one of your members of staff you need to say something soon. No point in accepting it now and hoping it'll turn out ok. It won't. You either turn a blind eye or you bring it out in the open fast.

How you do that I don't know apart from emailing your manager and his manager (i.e. the one using her 'services') and ask what is going on. You could maybe couch it that it's wonderful she's able to do this necessary work for him but it's not optimal that only she is the one able to perform this 'service' for him so you'd like to train up a range of other people to aid him, ensuring there are no major gaps in her not being present in her paid for position, that he doesn't miss out on this necessary work when she's not around (on holiday or off sick) and to avoid dissension among the ranks as some rumblings of favouritism are being heard as well as unsavoury gossip, which I'm sure you'll both appreciate must be nipped in the bud. Haha, good luck!

wowfudge · 16/11/2019 17:49

If she's doing work for your boss's boss then you need to speak with him surely and ask him to let you know when she's doing that work in order for you to plan around that? That way you're not in danger of treading on toes, but it might make them think before they give her work to do that takes away from her actual job. It's a really crap way to treat you and her as 1. a member of your team is unavailable but you are never pre-warned, never mind consulted; and 2. she's doing work she could get paid more for elsewhere. There's a strong chance she doesn't feel she can say no. You can ask her about it at her review.

annielouise · 16/11/2019 17:50

srah21 has it spot on - her work colleagues can't be happy.

Is this some small family-run business or a large organisation?

Untamedtoad · 16/11/2019 17:50

They're banging.

GeorgiaGirl52 · 16/11/2019 17:52

Maybe ask to have her transferred out so that the one giving her jobs is her actual manager.
Or give her a poor review, since she is never able to complete any tasks you assign because she is always doing outside work. If she kicks up a fuss she will bring it to light herself. If she stays quiet, you can slowly ease her out of the job with bad reviews.

ControversialFerret · 16/11/2019 17:54

Sounds like they are shagging.

I suspect there is no gossip because he's senior and people don't want to get drawn in.

You need to speak to him, face to face. Explain it's making things difficult because you don't know where she is and what she's working on. Suggest that if he needs her so regularly that her role be changed so that her reporting line goes directly to him. Make it his problem to address.

HollowTalk · 16/11/2019 17:59

How would she have even been drawn to his attention (if they're not having an affair)?

MrsMaiselsMuff · 16/11/2019 18:01

A woman being given additional responsibilities means she must be shagging someone, and even called a girl? What a shitty attitude. How about she's very capable and is being mentored to fast track her to a more senior position?

Your problem is not with the employee, it's with managers that are happy to bypass you. Contact the relevant manager and explain that you have her performance review coming up and would be grateful for feedback so she can be fairly assessed. Also suggest that her secondment is formalised, so her role can be clarified for all involved.

AnchorDownDeepBreath · 16/11/2019 18:05

You need to talk to the manager. The employee is doing what she's always done, for someone senior.

HugoSpritz · 16/11/2019 18:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BubblesBuddy · 16/11/2019 18:12

I would ask for her to be shipped out and work for the boss’s boss! That should be her role and then you could recruit for the vacancy. I’m rather surprised you have responsibility for 60 staff but have put up with this. Talk to your boss and work our a strategy. If this employee is being mentored you should know.

I wouldn’t have hearsay feedback as part of an appraisal process. It’s not evidence based. However that gives you a way in to discuss the issue. How are you going to do her appraisal when she’s not worked for you. You also owe it to your other staff to get this sorted.

ChateauMyself · 16/11/2019 18:19

She might be between a rock and a hard place (as it were) - unable to tell the manager “no”.

Or, she might want to do these other tasks to plug holes in her CPD/CV - which is fine, if she has the time.

If she’s falling behind, both the manager & her need to be told to put on hold/stop the extra tasks.

Talk to her - she might benefit from a course or extra internal training. Even if it’s assertiveness rather than job related.

Original poster
PablosCat · 16/11/2019 18:26

Her actual job is up to date. She is very capable even whilst doing the extra work, which seems to be one off projects and not an actual secondment.

I have no idea how she came to his attention as this was already in place before I arrived. There was a promotion she could have (and I thought she would have) gone for but she didn’t. Which makes it even more strange.

I don’t think it’s an issue with assertiveness, she’s very personable and a good employee (when I know where she is!).

I do have a side project I could approach her with and couch it in terms of “as you do work for BB I thought you may be interested in this” and see what she says. If it’s a case of him mentoring her I would have thought she will jump at it, if it’s just a case of her doing extra work for him only I presume she won’t!

OP posts:
JaniceBattersby · 16/11/2019 18:26

I’d strongly suggest to the senior managers that there clearly needs to be some rethinking of roles within the department and try to get her shifted to work directly under him, but junior to you in terms of jobs title. In this kind of situation, it’s always easier to shift the problem to someone else because in all likelihood there is something fishy going on.

Original poster
PablosCat · 16/11/2019 18:29

No problems have been brought to my attention from her other colleagues, it’s just accepted she does this work for him occasionally.

Another thing. A few weeks ago I couldn’t get hold of him and needed him to sign off on something as a matter of urgency. He wasn’t answering his phone but I knew he was in the building. Assistant manager said it might be worth asking employee if she knew where he was. I called her to my office and asked her and she said oh I’ll give him a call. He answered the phone and she passed it over to me. I feel really quite undermined!

OP posts:
BlueBirdGreenFence · 16/11/2019 18:35

The fact that there's no cheeky banter or gossip at all about the situation speaks volumes. They are definitely banging.

If it was me, I would turn a blind eye to it like everyone else and as long as she's fulfilling her role. Let sleeping dogs lie. If they are having an affair or have a close connection, you kicking up about it will likely have worse consequences for you...

NoHummus · 16/11/2019 18:38

Your update about the phone call makes it sound even more likely that their relationship isn't just professional.