New member of staff seems overly assertive- espesh in reply to my email

[Liz1tummypain]

So this new person should be capable of the job. Started in July. She's from a slightly different background but that shouldn't be an issue. I'm her manager. We both work 3 days/ week and on Mondays we agree what work she will do on the day she works when I'm not in.

Today is a classic example. I logged on from home early to check emails etc and emailed to ask her to prioritise something, having seen where one of our colleagues' work has got to. Nothing major. Would take approx half an hour, no more. The reply I've just seen is along the lines of my email was "too cryptic for her" . Yes, cryptic. What would you do? I'm not confident that she uses her time well when nobody is supervising her. Various clues I've picked up on. I quite like my work pattern but would certainly consider changing it so our 3 days coincide but that shouldn't be necessary. Just seeking people's reactions. Thanks in advance

Sorry but I am joining the "you are being too cryptic for me" brigade - you seem to be simultaneously saying that she does what she is asked to do and doesn't do what she is asked to do. You think she is prioritising things that you wouldn't, but you don't know?

Perhaps what you need to do is give clearer direction, setting out your priorities and deadlines? Her performance can only reflect your direction - if you aren't being clear enough then she cannot perform to your expectations.

Instead of “can you prioritise?” you maybe should have written “can you please do x by close of business today and send to Y as he/she is waiting on it to proceed”.

I used to work for a South African company and it took me a while to figure out what they say and what they mean. “Just now” doesn’t mean right now- it means when I get on to it. If i wanted it done immediately I had to say “now now” 🤣

It's a small task, that can wait and you felt the need to email about it on your day off?

I don't know what's going on with her message, but I can see why she might be questioning you. That's not a bad thing, but your "assertive" comment suggests you think it is?

I'm afraid you sound like a micromanager who doesn't like challenge.

I think OP's post shows she actually is pretty bloody cryptic.

That’s what I was thinking too.

Thanks to everyone who's posted. I know how I'm going to handle it now. I don't think there was a lack of clarity to my request. I won't re- readthe messages now . I can deal with it when I'm in next

@Liz1tummypain glad you have been given a solution. If, as one of your posts suggests, you can flex the days you work consider doing this in the short term e.g work 2 days the same so you can be there to clarify.

Also when you next see her ask her what was cryptic about your request and listen to her response there maybe a way she likes to be given tasks.

Definitely a re think on communication is needed. You say it's a task to prioritise but then say it can wait until you're in. You say the work all gets done to deadlines but say you suspect she's not working etc.

I'm baffled by the OP too. She says it is a task that must be prioritised but also says "No, I haven't replied. It's a very small thing. It can wait". So if I was colleague/team member I would find this confusing and cryptic as a management style of communication and would feel frustrated as I would never be sure what the expectations were. And I would sense that I was being set up to fail possibly because my manager didn't like me giving me poorly communicated instructions that I might get wrong whichever way I interpreted them; being cryptic intentionally.

I'm South African and to me 'now now' means in a little bit, whenever I feel like it. Never used 'just now' before moving to Europe.

Next time just say I need x done ASAP/immediately please, that will take all the guesswork out of the equation. Simple

First, you need a conversation to establish why she found your email too cryptic. She's telling you she didn't understand what you were asking her to do.

She might need a much clearer task and deadline explanation. "Can you do x by 3pm" etc

Why do you need to tell staff on a daily basis what they are doing? Surely she has a job role and knows what needs to be done. Sounds like micro mangaging and very few people like a micro manager. I had one. He was also very cryptic. He seen it as people weren't following his constant, never ending daily instructions. The reality was, he just did not know how to explain how to do a task and would leave out big chunks of what/how to do said task. He also used his micro mangaging as a way to bully and intimidate his staff. He was a nightmare and was eventually sacked for bullying.

I know this will sound harsh but if you need to come here to ask this question then perhaps a management role is not for you.

Yes I second this.
Also, be clearer with your colleagues.

I’d be bloody infuriated if you were my manager. You’ve logged in on your day off to ask her to prioritise something which you obviously felt was fairly urgent at the time to be working on your day off. Yet when it’s clear she hasn’t understood what’s been asked of her, instead of simply replying and breaking down the request or giving her a call to explain you choose to ignore her entirely and you think she is the problem? Madness!

So your response to a team member telling you they don’t understand your email, is to insist you were clear and ignore the issue until you are working again.

Despite you logging on to raise this on your day off.

As a manager, you should understand that not everyone understands things in the same way. It’s not just their job to figure it out. It’s part of your job to understand how to communicate with them. You don’t label them as workshy and overly assertive.

There’s so many managers about that don’t know what they are doing, micro manage and believe they never get anything wrong.

That's exactly what I was thinking!

You sound like hard work. Instead of typing on here you could have replied to her to tell her what needs doing.

You lost me at espesh.

Sounds like she needs a bit of guidance, maybe a handover email before your off day, with priorities of what you need done and when. It sounds like you don't feel you should manage her to this level, but it also sounds like she doesn't understand the priority things need doing (or she's just cherry picking what she does). But at least if you've spelt it out to her, if she decides to cherry pick, or maybe she's not confident in some tasks, you can help her.

I'd not be happy with people Contacting me on my day off unless it was urgent, it's a slippery slope to work life creeping into your days off

I actually think it's a bit rude to call someone "cryptic" because it implies they are being deliberately ambiguous.

If you have a manager who says things like "perhaps you could try to do this task today" and you know they actually mean "please do this task today" then perhaps they are just trying to sound less "bossy" and more collaborative in their language? And you might come across as being deliberately obtuse, if you choose not to understand?

Just another perspective.

But, yes OP it does sound like she needs some clarification. And that you may need to adjust your approach with how you communicate.

I find it interesting how many people would feel micro managed, just because someone called them on their day off. I would just think, that my boss had forgotten to tell me something, so popped me an email. Honestly, it wouldn't occur to me to be annoyed.

I think you need to give more examples than this one phrase in an email.

There’s so many managers about that don’t know what they are doing, micro manage and believe they never get anything wrong

Yes, but the OP has taken on board some of the comments here. And is going to chill out and sort it out later when they see their college. What's the problem?

Based on this thread, yes, you are too cryptic.

I agree with that, I think it’s pretty rude and bolshy to call your relatively new boss cryptic - wouldn’t most people say something like “sorry, just to clarify, do you mean x” or whatever? Communication issues on both sides here I think. But to pp who didn’t understand “you might want to think about x”, from their boss, to be an instruction and thought about it then did something else instead - that’s on you too. In that context, if you’re both English speakers, it’s clearly directive.