WWYD: Team member accidently sent me a...mail

[Junestepe]

WWYD: Employee accidently sent me voice note via TEAMs outlining how they were hungover in work today. They were supposedly WFH and didnt attend team meetings were uncontactable for large parts of the day, they provided excuses BUT they just accidently sent me a voice note meant for a friend detailing their hangover and elaborate cover story for not attending meetings/not working today!!!

Employee is senior, established team member who can go rouge from time time but over all is a solid performer.

WWYD: How do I handle this? Person works full time remote. I don't want to fire them...don't want to involve HR..but I want deal with this appropriately and send the correct message so the incident is never repeated. I'm a new manager so your advice appreciated! Thank you

Just because your place of work is the absolute swamp, it doesn't mean anywhere else should be like that.

OP is a new manager. I think she does need to assert control in order to manage this (and other) employees going forward. Because its not just this employee at issue. He sent the VM to another co worker—they didn’t get the VM because OP did but if OP doesn’t act firmly she will soon be seen as a pushover by more than this one employee.

That sounds like a drinking problem, and if they dismissed him without attempting to support him through it, that's just awful.

If I did that, I would do no work at all that day rather than just missing some time when the tiredness really hits (mid afternoon, say).

I don't understand your comment. I didn't do any work after these sleepless nights as I took the day off as a sick day.

When they “go rogue from time to time” they are presumably hungover. So they have done it before. And may have done it many more times than you know of so they may not be as good a performer as you think. It is just a matter of time before they are found out. Perhaps that time is now.

New managers shouldn't treat employees worse than experienced managers just to prove themselves.

Or maybe the 'going rogue' doesn't matter in the grand scale of things as this is a good member of staff.

"I don't understand your comment. I didn't do anywork after these sleepless nights as I took the day off as a sick day."

Exactly, but when I get a sleepless night I still manage to do some work so it's better to take some downtime in the afternoon than take the whole day off 'sick' isn't it?

I would remind him of company policy and anything that mentions integrity and honesty etc. Then I would force him to take a days leave to cover it.

An experienced manager shouldn't let this go either.

Because they’re a manager, so their job is to manage? Not that difficult really, is it!

Needs reporting to HR. It’s pretty clear from this thread who thinks this kind of thing is acceptable, and who actually takes work seriously.

How does holding people accountable for their poor choices make their workplace a ‘swamp’?
Surely the swamp is where people can half-arse their job on the piss without any comeback?

I don't know what's meant by going rogue from time to time?

But in short as he's established, good at his job and it's been a one off would aim at a happy medium between laughing off/ignoring and guns blazing, HR toting disciplinary.

That would probably look like a 1-1 call and giving him the opportunity to take a half day off if he hasn't been present completing duties. I would follow the call with a brief write up but keep it private rather than escalating to HR. I would check if everything is ok with the guy for him to be getting pissed and it affecting his work. A lot would depend on his attitude tbh.

A completely inadequate response.

Cba to read the whole thread but you obviously ignore it unless you're a nasty twat?

I better you're the sort of colleague people take sick days to avoid my God...

Get them in straight away and give an unofficial verbal warning. You let them know that you appreciate the hard work they do and that their normally good performance, is the only thing that has saved them here, but that it will not happen twice and that meetings missed from now on will be noted down and questioned if it becomes a regular occurrence. It's hard being a manager but if you do nothing here, they will believe they can get away with it. Try to make it abit friendly aswell though such as look we all have a life out of work but we need to make sure it doesn't affect our performance, you've slipped this one time and that's why I'm willing to wait and see if this was a one off, also make clear remote working is a privilege not a right and can be revoked if necessary.

As a manager your not your employees friend and being forced to take leave is one of the friendlier outcomes of this situation. There's a happy medium to be found as a manager to get the best out of people whilst also maintaining a managerial relationship and an expectation of good performance honesty and integrity. This OP is clearly trying to do just that. Given that they left material evidence of their dishonesty this person could have been made an example of, they are extremely lucky they have the manager that they do.

I'm guessing your not a manager, I feel sorry for your employer if you are...

I'm a manager of a high rank and one thing I've always remembered is that everyone you work with is a human. Sad that people let the power get to their heads and feel the need to address every little thing, if it was a pattern sure but he's just made one fuck up who cares? He will be mortified. I detest the people who come in at work, close my door and tell tales thinking someone will get in trouble. Says way more about you/ them than it does the one member of staff who has made an error.

Not worse—but not evading the issue of lying surely?

Lots of the “give the bloke a break” crew assume that the Manager position is unassailable and that the employee will somehow return the favour of a blind eye by being a reliable employee going forward, or respect the work needs going forward. But that assumes things not in evidence. In reality the lies to a new manager will set the to e for the relationship going forward. If she does nothing/ignores/laughs it off he will lose all respect for her—as will his cronies.

She shouldn’t be unfairly harsh to anyone. But she does need to show she’s not a mug.

Managers new or old should take action on this. I'm not saying go in all guns blazing HR'ing him out the door. It will be bad for staff morale and fostering good team relations but this needs some sort of action. I wouldn't mind, but this was meant for another team member so is this person the only one pulling this kind of Stunt? Remote working is a trusted privilege. If I were this manager I would be looking at the performance of the entire team right about now, I would without doubt give this employee a verbal warning and put them on notice that meeting attendance is being monitored. He will pass this on to the rest of the team for me.

Well my comment stands then, I feel sorry for your employer.... I've no doubt performance isn't what it could be under a responsible and productive manager. She clearly said they go rogue from time to time...

??? Do you not work? You gave an extreme example. Of course anyone would be fired for that! Bit different from pulling a sickie or slacking off for a day (or even regularly)

I am a people manager. I would not put anything in writing but put in a meeting with them, explain that they sent it to you. Explain that this isnt appropriate and they need to do better ( in professional way). Say if it happens again you will have to take it further, but say you will let it slide this time but they have put you in a difficult situation and the team under pressure. I would also ask them if everything was ok in their personal life and explain how the business can support if there is anything going on. Then say they need to show up and not go awol when they said they are working. Then probably Ibwould end the call nicely and they hopefully will be loyal to you for not taking it futher and try harder. If not then you have set your stall out if they do it again you have warned thrm.