If you are a manager, what would you do with this employee

[CrawleyJ]

You hire someone full time (37.5hrs) to do a job which has always taken previous employees 37.5hrs to do.

New employee changes processes/way of working and the job gets done in a quarter of the time and to a higher standard (we can measure the metrics). Employee then requests other work to do as now under employed.

However, other employees are not happy to hand over their responsibilities as its part of their job role. When employee went on annual leave colleague covered their job role. Even accounting for new process put in place they couldn't do it in the same amount of time as new employee can.

We now have the problem of a) this job only takes a portion of the time so job role is changed to reflect that, employee leaves as needs full time hours and job cannot be done by someone else in that time. b) find other work/projects for employee to do, however other staff reluctant to hand over their responsibilities to someone else. c) Tell employee they are under employed and maybe would want to seek work elsewhere (we have no promotions coming up)

Employee was given a project to do, delivered 3 days before deadline to a v high standard.

I am at a loss as to what to do with this person (disclaimer I am not the line manager, but a line manager across and up from her iyswim!)

Someone else on this thread has already said they've been in a similar position. This sort of stuff happens all the time, I'm sure, so it's probably nowhere near as outing a people are implying. Personally I have been in a situation where lots of my work was taken away from me and given to a colleague, then I was told off for not doing enough work

I was asked if I was a manager what would I do? And that’s what I answered.

I love being called Billy Blue Balls though - that’s hilarious!

You really have given quite a lot of identifying information over all, OP.

Can you make them part time but pay them full salary? They are after all worth it by a demonstrable metric.

But I wouldn't, I'd get them to process improve the whole company piece by piece, and you managers need to manage the situation of existing employees refusing to comply. Employees who ring fence "their" jobs and information are dangerous if they go sick or leave.

I never fail to be amazed when people post on Mumsnet looking for advice about work from a management perspective. This is Mumsnet ....

So they've improved one of your major processes? Thus reducing costs at the same time?

Ask them to look at other processes to see if they can do the same?

I wonder if it's Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings?

Allow them to work less hours but on the same salary or let them study for a qualification (if they have a degree then an MA perhaps).

Make one of the lower performing employees redundant, give their work to new employee and give them a pay rise.

I think Id pay for them to do further training and allow them to study during their working hours.
^ Agree
@StrictlyAFemaleFemale : Nancy Kwan in Flower Drum Song? Love that musical...wasn't she charming?!

I always laugh when people say that threads are very identifying. Ffs. We don't know any of the following:

What business / trade
What type of job
Is the person male or female
What country are they based in

Yeah OP you have given away everything. You should get this thread taken down before someone sues you 're privacy..Jesus wept

if people aren't willing to hand over responsibilities it may well be because they are underworked too and just more complacent than new employee. if you are in it for the money i'd be reviewing everyone's roles and making some savings.

Why not pay the employee the equivalent full time hours for the reduced time they can do their job in? After all, they've pretty much revolutionised the processes and nobody else is as competent/fast?

@DamnYankee I'll confess I only know the Miss Piggy version

Can you ask them to review the rest of the companies processes and procedures? You could save so many hours if they redeveloped it all.

This has upset me that you’ve allowed office politics to get in the way of this woman’s progress. She may have applied for a junior role but has swiftly shown you that she is definitely not at junior level. Create a new role and promote her above the others.

This is a situation I had to deal with a long time ago in a science based industry. Basically you have to individually tell people what they are going to do and make them do it. Times change , things move on..its tough on management and staff will leave , but sometimes managers have to earn their money and manage.

D) Continue to pay them the agreed rate and hours, and find another way to use them.
Ask her to review various procedures and create a training program for each one.

The fact that you are even considering letting her go just shows how so many businesses end up being inefficient and badly run.

This sounds like the last place I worked , employee good at job always looking at ways for efficiency other employees reluctant to change, management supportive but unwilling to make changes , employee left.
A good manager should always encourage efficiency in a business after all more efficiency = more business = more profit .
The reluctance of the staff needs shaking up , they are happy plodding along .
I think the answer is obvious but it depends are you a good manager to implement these changes .

Promote them.

As a shorter term measure , while you find a suitable position, I would offer them lots of high quality CPD to fill the surplus hours.

I would under no circumstances consider cutting their paid hours.

It sounds to me like the other staff members might be taking the p*ss a little bit and the new employee is showing them up. I'd be having conversations with them tbh.

I've been the manager in this situation. The old guard relentlessly bullied the new person who was threatening their comfortable status quo.

You need to shake everything up. COVID is a perfect opportunity.

I've been in this situation too.

This person is highlighting how inefficient the rest of the employees are. The big giveaway is them clinging on to their own work and not being open to learning new, better or more efficient ways of working.

I'll guess it's a local authority. Unfortunately these public sectors are full of dead wood. They don't work well in teams and have odd characters who hide how little hey actually do.

This is a test for management. If they don't sort the situation, the good employee will leave. Either due to boredom or bullying, which will come as others feel threatened by the quality and speed of her work.

Manager should do a role review and productivity measure.

Pay them the same salary for a quarter of the week.

Half-joking, but they've done their job and I hate presenteeism. Wish more companies would let you do the hours you need, rather than the prescribed 37.5.

The employee and their work isn't the issue. Its a management issue. You cant allow your staff to dictate what work they're willing to hand over - that's a managers role. Even when DDA is involved, you can still change peoples work/role etc, it just takes more effort to do it properly.

Most organisations will be doing some kind of "Covid review" right about now. Its an ideal opportunity for you to do the same and to stress to your employees that your business needs to work efficiently.

I'd also sit this excellent worker down and ask about their ambition for the future. What excites them, what motivates them - I have been in this persons shoes a few years ago when I did well on a couple of projects. The company embraced my enthusiasm for sorting out issues and streamlining processes and they frequently then "sent in the fixer" to inefficient departments. I made a career of this, and I only left that company because there wasn't much left to fix and I got bored. If this person is as good as you've outlined then another business would snap them up.

Ive been this employee.

My employer subsequently has given me some of their work to do and im taking more resposibility by being in charge of continuous improvement within our team.

Is that an option?

This happened to my oldest Ds. He took on a new job the person who had it before him was working 5 full days (2 from home) and just getting about everything done. He did 5 from the office and got it all done in a lot less time each week. Turned out the other person doing 2 days from home was having 2 days off, and trying to cram it into three office based days.
So he has done some study at work and slowed himself down a little and enjoyed his work days more.
Now working 5 days at home he's done at lunchtime each day but getting loads done.
I'd say let the employee study at work for further qualifications if possible and then promote them.

I never fail to be amazed when people post on Mumsnet looking for advice about work from a management perspective. This is Mumsnet ....

… and you don't believe there to be any current or ex managers who use Mumsnet? Which sites would you feel less amazed about this question being posted on?