Please help me line manage this member of staff

[Pleeby]

I’ve recently taken over a new team, I was forewarned about one member of staff. Not so much about her work but her attitude and behaviours. Since I started one member of staff has handed in their notice as they can no longer work with her and another one indicated they are looking for another post due to her.

Examples of her behaviour:

Arguing about everything with me. If I send out a “team actions” email, she will return it to me with red font reasons about why she shouldn’t have to do/can’t do something. Each point followed by a stream of !!!!!!!!!!

Constant loud huffing and sighing, banging desk drawers closed and files down on her desk

Eye rolling and sighing during meetings

I called a quick huddle and she sat at her desk not turning around. I asked her to get involved and she slammed her paperwork down, turned around and said “I’m busy”

Work rate is half what everyone else’s is. This is because she says the work is unfairly distributed. I asked everyone to give me a list of all of their responsibilities, it isn’t correct that she has more to do than other people at her level.

Gossiping and bitching about who ever is working from home that day (they are on a rota)

Refuses to sign into teams every morning when working from home. I have to call her and tell her to sign in each day.

It is ruining the office to be honest. My 1-1s are just people complaining about her. Her 1-1 she has cancelled the last 3 times.

Please give me some advice

[MissLucyEyelesbarrow]

@Soothes

I disagree with most posts here. It's not about coming down hard, it's about finding out what agrieving her so much and working with her, letting her know you're both on the same side and you want to get the best from her.

I once took over the management of a notoriously difficult member of staff who had really not got on with the previous incumbent of my role. It turned out a lot of his hard feelings were justified and he was expecting me to carry on where his previous boss had left off. It took about 3 months of "kindness" but eventually he became one of those team members who would literally have done anything for me.

As for the other team members, be careful that you're not setting to much store by what they're telling you. That may be part of the problem.

That is great, when it works. The trouble is that, 90% of the time, it doesn't, unless there are very specific, amendable reasons for poor behaviour.

The OP is already losing team members. If this goes on, she will lose all her best staff, because they are the ones most able to find alternative jobs. Personally I wouldn't take the risk of losing more good staff, in the hope of being able to redeem a toxic team member, when the odds of doing so are against you.

[Babyroobs]

My manager is a new young manager. I'm surprised I haven't been sacked for some of the things I say to him, but he doesn't manage well. I just go past the point of caring really.
Hope you manage to get things sorted op.

[Babyroobs]

@Babyroobs

My manager is a new young manager. I'm surprised I haven't been sacked for some of the things I say to him, but he doesn't manage well. I just go past the point of caring really.
Hope you manage to get things sorted op.

I should add I do work very hard though !!

[Ylvamoon]

I'm not sure if this has been said, no read the whole thread.

Please don't have any meetings with her on your own.
Talk to your manager and arrange meetings accordingly. You should not be left on your own with her while going through attitude/ performance management.

[JeanClaudeVanDammit]

Oh god, I worked with someone like this before (thankfully not when I was in management). She was moved from team to team and fucked up the morale in every single one. Eventually it took massive swingeing budget cuts and redundancies for her to leave. I wish there had been a manager who had properly dealt with it (or at least tried to) by going through the disciplinary/performance management process before that.

[MrsPaddyGrant]

As people have said you need to start pulling her up on her poor behaviour privately and as soon as you can. Follow this up in writing to confirm the conversation you've had. All performance management policies will have an informal stage before you move to formal. Schedule in the one to ones and start addressing the behaviour and the performance. And why are you allowing her to cancel these and not reschedule? I would pick up with them as soon as they cancelled, asking the reason why and for an alternative date. You need to assert yourself as her manager that this isnt acceptable.

Read and understand your companies policies on performance management etc - and seek advice from HR if you need it. In my company its up to line managers to manage with advice and support from HR.

[littlepattilou]

@Pleeby

Are sure being a manager/in charge of people/having to tell people what to do, is the right job for you?

Not being horrible, because I couldn't do it/WOULDN'T do it, but you don't sound right for this position.

[EmbarrassingMama]

You're her manager. Manage her, or get rid of her. She sounds like a ghastly person to work with.

[MrsR87]

For me, I would use the firm but fair approach. So firstly I would set up a one to one meeting. If she cancels again then simply pull her aside into a private space at some point the next day. I would then essentially go down the “these behaviours are showing me that you not happy, what needs to change for you to feel more comfortable at work?” This gives her the chance to air any grievances she has and feel listened to and for you to potentially be able to offer simple solutions. It also offers you the chance to reinforce that those behaviours are unacceptable in the office.

I think you need to do this sooner rather than later because if this doesn’t work you will need to get HR involved. Me personally though, I’d want to be able to offer evidence of strategies I’d tried first when I went to HR.

[Allwokedup]

Performance plan. There is no other way.

[dapsnotplimsolls]

@OnePinaColada

Lots of great advice here. It's a difficult situation to manage.

I would:

1) Document everything
2) Speak to her privately regularly (at least twice a week) explaining what you believe is appropriate and expected and why (eg no eye rolling, huffing, and to log into Teams as it is unprofessional behaviour)
3) Follow up every private 1:1 with her with an email outlining what was discussed
4) Do tell her what you think has gone well. It's easy to focus on the negatives only and acknowledging the good things may motivate her
5) Outline clear consequences (e.g. disciplinary, performance plan etc)
6) Seek guidance from HR. They are happy to advise before formally having to go down the disciplinary route
7) Protect yourself. By doing nothing she may start grievances against you or one of your valued team members

All the best. As horrible as it is, it is better to get this dealt with as early as possible as people like this just make the situation worse in time, not better.

Excellent summary here. I'd also let your manager know what steps you're taking.

[FrippEnos]

Pleeby

You need to keep kicking this upstairs to your line manager and HR.
It is ultimately their job to sort this out.

[FrippEnos]

Pleeby

and keep a record of everything.

[FallingStar21]

[quote Pleeby]@UhtredRagnarson, I’m not going to escalate staff issues to my manager at this stage[/quote]
Well it's either that or you can start giving her formal warnings till she gets fired.

[flowery]

@FrippEnos

Pleeby

You need to keep kicking this upstairs to your line manager and HR.
It is ultimately their job to sort this out.

It really isn’t. A manager who has to run to their own boss or to HR to deal with a behaviour or performance issue is ineffectual and has no authority.

It absolutely is a line manager’s job to deal with both performance and conduct issues, with the support and guidance of HR and their own line manager.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

@devildeepbluesea

You have to start pulling her up on everything.

Email returned? Quiet word _"I'm not going to argue with you, please do what I asked". If she doesn't, you meet with her again, ask why and give her one last chance. Explain if work not done you may need to start disciplinary action.

Huffs in public - quiet word in private. Please don't behave like that again, it's not appropriate behaviour for the workplace. Explain consequences if she continues (disciplinary).

Do all your quiet words in private. But follow up on everything. Warn before going formal. But go formal if you need to.

This.

Every time.

Point out you aren't asking her to do XXX - you are telling her to do it, and that you aren't prepared to argue the matter.

Keep ALL e-mails which confirm her disruptive behaviour and unpleasant attitude. You may need them for back-up with HR.

If other people are prepared to confirm why they are leaving, ask them to do so.

It's a horrible situation, but a manageable one.

[PegLegAntoine]

Wow this is crazy. It’s gone on so long that staff are leaving because of her, so they are leaving due to poor management too.

Call her out on everything and make it specific each time. You have done X, you are expected to do Y, make sure you do Y in future.

[RB68]

She needs managing full stop - so 1. research disciplinary procedures for management with HR make sure they have some first, make sure they are available to everyone, then in next review lay out exact things you need her to do (and do the same for everyone in the dept), e.g signing in to teams. Be very clear these will be monitored and if not adhered to will form part of a disciplinary procedure. Then monitor she will fall over eventually, use the process to manage her out effectively. She is not performing and not behaving she is way more trouble than she is worth

[Confusedandshaken]

You say you were forewarned about her. Did this warming come from the individual or team who appointed you or was it just gossip?

If it came about as part of the recruitment process I would think they were actually warning you that sorting out this tricky staff member was an important part of the job. You need to do it not just allow her to continue being disruptive.

I can understand that you don't want to go to your boss and seem needy or incompetent before you have proved yourself in this new role. I suggest you formulate a plan yourself, using your own knowledge and the advice you've been given in here. Put the plan in writing to your line manager along the lines of "as you know X hasn't been working well in the team for some time. I've been monitoring her and have identified x issues and plan to tackle it in accordance with y procedures by doing the following..... I plan to implement this from xx date. Let me know if you have anything to add or suggest before then. '.

They probably won't come back to you but if they do, take their advice. Follow it up with another confirmatory email. Than do what needs to be done.

Good luck.

[5128gap]

Sadly these types are so common they run training courses about them. The general consensus is they don't change, so you need to manage them out.
You have plenty in the post above alone to start disciplinary proceedings.
Gossiping negatively breaches dignity at work policies as does rudeness and eye rolling.
Failure to turn around and participate is failure to comply with a reasonable management instruction.
Half the productivity of the rest of the team is serious underperformance.
You need to be working through the warning stages with a view to dismissal.
Talk to your HR, decent HR is there to help you get what you want, within employment legislation, so just explain the issues and that you need her gone.
The ACAS website has useful information on process too.

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

My manager is well aware of her, she was the one who forewarned me about her. They’ve been sitting on it for a year hoping she will just decide to leave

Then they're idiots As so many have said it's your job to manage her, but HR's to put the systems in place so you can do it properly

PPs have already given great advice, but either HR will be inspired by your approach and get their own act into gear or they'll scapegoat you, which is why the most important thing for you personally is to document everything

I suspect, though, that the chances of the employee improving are about nil and that higher management will do so not much better, so overall it might be easier to look elsewhere

[Kit19]

Point out you aren't asking her to do XXX - you are telling her to do it, and that you aren't prepared to argue the matter

This absolutely! you're at work - its not a democracy, you didnt get voted in to be manager by a vote amongst the staff. She has a job description and provided what you're asking her to do falls within it, it's not a request

but yes agree with most people here, i doubt she'll change and you'll have to go through the gruelling process of managing her out :/

[goldenlilliesdaffodillies]

I worked with someone like this. Unfortunately, she was my line manager for a time. One by one really good staff left, soon to be replaced by new people who would also leave because of her behaviour. I loved my job and hung for as long as I could. Her line managers could see what was happening and wanted me to make a formal complaint. However, this person knew how to play the system, would turn it round that she was bullied (even though she was the bully) and kept going off sick with some mystery illness, only to return and do the same thing again. I was given a new line manager, but because I didn't make a formal complaint they didn't support me and it backfired. I ended up leaving in the end because of her which was devastating as I loved my job. She made me life hell until the day I left. I recently discovered that she now longer works there after a change at the top. Karma perhaps.

[ginnybag]

Seconding a lot of previous advice:

Speak to HR, asap.

You need to know her exact length of service and when she hits 2 years.

You need to check that thee are no disability or health issues that they are aware of, that you are not.

Then, with that in hand, schedule the 1 2 1. Record it (with her permission, of course) or at least take VERY copious and thorough notes.

You need to raise all of the issues in your OP, as they amount to a conduct issue.

Make it clear its completely unacceptable and that you want to see an immediate, significant improvement.

Give her a timeframe of, say, a fortnight, and schedule another meeting for the end of it.

If she behaves, great.

If she doesn't, disciplinary time.

How quickly you can progress from there does hinge on the length of service, but make sure you include HR ad your own Manager in writing, so that your own arse is covered when she kicks off.

If she's really only been there a year (and there's no disability issues etc) then she's not hard to manage out and there's little she can do.

Begs the question of why she wasn't terminated during probation, though.

[timeisnotaline]

@Pleeby

My manager is well aware of her, she was the one who forewarned me about her. They’ve been sitting on it for a year hoping she will just decide to leave (she has a number of short term posts on her CV).

Advice when I started was that it’s up to me what I do with her. I decided to go in with no preconceived ideas and judge on the way I witnessed her behaving. She absolutely needs performance managing - but there is no silver “you didn’t do this piece of work” bullet. It’s all low level behaviour issues but constantly

I don’t regard any of these as low level issues. Refusing to attend team meetings, citing too busy ( responsibilities were reviewed and found to be fair ie highly comparable to other team members), refusing to log in on wfh days, requiring a personal phone call each day, underperforming with work rate half that of other team members, refusing to take on requested work (action emails returned with excuses) bad attitude and failing to adopt company culture, highly critical of management decisions re bitching about others wfh, re responding to emails.

List each one, have a word with her about them with hr in the room and monitor. (Check with hr on their preferred approach)
Maybe all those short employments are because her previous managers actually managed her and she will sit here forever making your and everyone else’s life miserable until you do the same.