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

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Your own manager is a wuss who is expecting you to do the job that she can't and get rid of this woman.

I totally agree with going to HR and discussing the situation with them in terms of how far you can go with performance management and disciplinary action - you don't want to cause a constructive dismissal case or any complaint against you.

I also recommend that you email everything to her - including a précis of any conversations you've had with her, as a written record of what was said, so that you have a complete paper trail and she can't later deny/fabricate anything.

I'm intrigued that you feel you "have to" call her to join the Teams meetings. What would happen if you just didn't? If she failed to join the meeting, then she'd be failing to do her job, really, wouldn't she - and you could add that to the pile of other failures. So maybe stop calling her?

You do need back up - or you will take the fall for it when it continues to be a massive SNAFU.

[Whiteclaw]

Can you say if you are in the Public, Private or charity sector? The best approach may depend on that as they tend to have very different attitudes to risk and the level of walking on eggshells that will be expected of you.
I really feel for you, it is a horrible situation to be in. I have a friend who has been dealing with a similar situation and the organisation are so focussed on pandering to the challenging staff member that they have lost 2 good managers who won’t tolerate not being backed up by the organisation.

If you can fix this by managing her up or out, you will be a hero, but the company culture will determine how much shit you will have to deal with to accomplish that. (And you have to decide if it is worth it if you don’t have the support you need)

[starfishmummy]

Why on earth not discuss with your manager. I don't think anyone is telling you to ask your manager to deal with it instead of you; but two heads are better than one and sometimes it is your job to escalate things rather than trying to deal with them.

[starfishmummy]

Sorry I should have read on. If you have a useless manager go above them!!

[SuperSange]

If you start to manage her properly, she'll probably leave.

[SarsonsWine]

@UhtredRagnarson

Speak to your manager? Honestly! That should be your first port of call. Not MN! Why do you not know this?

^ This. I think posting about work situations to do with staff that you manage is the height of unprofessional behaviour. If I recognised an employee of mine on here doing this then I would lose all respect for them. You should be capable of being a line manager without having to ask for advice on social media.

[CustardySergeant]

@Oblomov21

Do you really not know what to do? Have you not been trained? Got no experience in handling difficult members of staff? Then ask for help. Get your manager and HR involved immediately to try and stop all her awful behaviour.
Stand up and manage! As you are being paid to do, as a 'manager'.

I agree 100%. In fact, even reading the thread title made me think "You can't be serious!"

[TheSunIsStillShining]

close her role and make her redundant. This is the quickest way to get rid of someone so disruptive.
I don't get this very british attitude..... She is not being problematic or needs help. She is behaving like a stupid brat. And you (and the company) are not her mother and in a workspace this is not tolerated. Full stop. I would not be walking on eggshells. Give her one warning that her position is at stake in a 1-1 meeting and that's it.
And also - cancelling 1-1 meetings.... you are her boss. What you say goes. so if you say monday 2pm, then it has to be monday 2 pm.

[OverTheRubicon]

@TheSunIsStillShining

close her role and make her redundant. This is the quickest way to get rid of someone so disruptive.
I don't get this very british attitude..... She is not being problematic or needs help. She is behaving like a stupid brat. And you (and the company) are not her mother and in a workspace this is not tolerated. Full stop. I would not be walking on eggshells. Give her one warning that her position is at stake in a 1-1 meeting and that's it.
And also - cancelling 1-1 meetings.... you are her boss. What you say goes. so if you say monday 2pm, then it has to be monday 2 pm.

You literally cannot take this approach in the UK, you'd end up at tribunal. There's a reason that people do performance plans etc, there are steps you need to take.

[KingdomScrolls]

If you're a manager surely you know this? It's very basic people management. Maybe if you don't know how to deal with this age had a reason to eye roll, huff and challenge what you say.

[UhtredRagnarson]

You can’t just make a role redundant to get rid of an employee! The role has to actually be redundant. So unless the company can run without filling that role again when the employee is gone they would be breaking the law.

[RaspberryCoulis]

But there is nothing wrong with the approach that @TheSunIsStillShining advocates. If your boss schedules a 1-1 meeting with you at 3pm on Monday then that's not up for negotiation. You do what your boss tells you. Managers manage, they don't coax, or persuade, or dance around someone trying to ensure they are happy.

If she's not been there 2 years - sack her. No discussion.

If it's 2 years plus, immediate performance management, documenting every issue and make life very difficult for her .

You owe it to your decent employees @Pleeby to show them that you are addressing this nightmare worker and that you have realised the impact its having on them too.

[Soothes]

How is the staff member able to cancel meetings? Are you all working from home? If you're all in the same office you just make it happen when you've said it will happen. Call the meeting something else if you need to, your first meeting doesn't need to be a performance review. Whenever I tale on new team I meet them all informally to understand what exactly their role entails, what they enjoy about it and what any frustrations are. She's obviously been unhappy for a long time, but it doesn't have to stay that way.

I would start from a place of wanting to find out what the problems are. You'll probably find some are justifiable and easily solved and once you've shown you're willing to listen and act, things will improve.

I don't think all the people saying throw the book at her are really very involved in the management of people. That can't be your first action.

[OnwardsEverStridingOnwards]

[quote Pleeby]@UhtredRagnarson, I’m not going to escalate staff issues to my manager at this stage[/quote]
@Pleeby why not?

[TheQuaffle]

Tell her what you expect from her and put her on a performance plan. Manage her out she sounds horrific.

[HermioneWeasley]

I’d ask for this to be moved to employment issues where you’ll get responses from more experienced /qualified posters

I assume she’s been there more than 2 years?

[tenlittlecygnets]

Your manager sounds shit.

So the company is happy to lose good members of staff but not manage this woman? Why on Earth?

Good luck with her!

[TheSunIsStillShining]

thank you @RaspberryCoulis :)
I do find that I am a very alone in my views in this country. As a manager/director my role is to make sure that a team functions at the top of their game. I need to provide everything they need to succeed (info, material, space,....). On the other hand what I say goes. It's not a democracy, it's not an elected official position. It's a chain of command. You have to be reasonable and very fair. And a good line manager cares about their people. But not the the level of stupidity described here.
The problem is that this person gets away with it. And then becomes more cheeky, because why not? There is no "punishment" for her actions.
No way someone could pull off showing their backside to me when I call a work huddle (eg to solve a problem) unless they had a deadline in the next few hours. But at that point I would already have said they don't need to join.
I have a 2 strike policy. First is a nice chat at the coffee machine. And if it turns out they need help, then arrange that and see how it goes. Second is a formal involving our boss. If no change: formal process if long term employee or sack them.
And I always make this clear to any team I manage. If they don't like it - tough.
I do have to say it only works both ways. If a manager can't take criticism than there is a problem. You should be listening and change if needed if that makes the team more productive/happy/coherent.
I had a team where I had to change parts of my behaviour so we could work together smoothly. Didn't like it, but it was a fair ask.

[OnwardsEverStridingOnwards]

@eurochick

I agree with using HR. They are there to protect the business and this woman is a risk to it. They can guide you through the options.

@Pleeby I agree with this. I don't understand why HR hasn't been consulted.

and I read that your manger has informed you that it's 'up to you what you do with her."? this isn't good enough. Raise this again with your manager and HR again and don't let it drop.

[FrippEnos]

flowery

*FrippEnos^
^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.

If this is the case

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.

They why do you contradict yourself with this?

[1forAll74]

Do you not have some training, to deal with people who are difficult to deal ,and disrupt your place of work.? or does this have to be done by a boss or whoever.

[TerribleCustomerCervix]

I’m the only HR person in my workplace and I’m happy to give advice, sense check and boost managers’ confidence when they’re dealing with a tricky member of staff, but I’m not bloody doing it for them!

[MumofSpud]

[quote Pleeby]@UhtredRagnarson, I’m not going to escalate staff issues to my manager at this stage[/quote]
Ummm... yes you have to !

[FrippEnos]

TerribleCustomerCervix

I'm not saying that you should be "bloody doing it for them!" but it is part of your job to make sure that it is recorder and dealt with properly,

[TerribleCustomerCervix]

@FrippEnos

TerribleCustomerCervix

I'm not saying that you should be "bloody doing it for them!" but it is part of your job to make sure that it is recorder and dealt with properly,

No, that is ultimately the manager’s role.

HR is not some kind of All Seeing Eye that can or should deal with every tricky personnel issue within the employment. That’s what management are there for.

I’m there to give advice and help management handle these things, including ensuring they know how to keep records etc, but I don’t do it for them.

Very few HR departments will actually step in and take over something like this unless there’s a complete breakdown in the relationship between the staff member and local management.