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

shame OP never bothered to come back

I think this is the perfect response. If they are 100% WFH it’s unlikely this is a one-off.

I'm 30 years in the workforce. I'm not naive at all, and as I said previously it's a very very very long time since I took a "sick day".

But are you so naive not to think that people will occasionally take a "sick day" and lie about it?

I really thought we'd hear about how this one ended. OP had to make a decision one way or another!

If usually a solid performer I would call them and address it. State it isn’t acceptable but appreciate we can all get carried away, let this be a one off and just leave it at that.

All informal then and they’ll respect the fact you didn’t go nuclear with HR and likely won’t do it again and respect the way you handled it.

if you do go to HR how will this end? They’ll think you are a difficult manager. You’ll have a difficult relationship going forward. Company won’t sack them as it’s a one off and it happens once in a blue moon.

If they’re otherwise a good worker just call them up and make light of them being an idiot sending you the voice note.

This is exactly what I was thinking. I’d not go to HR unless he kicks off but I think you need to ensure you retain the trust shown in awarding you managerial level.

"I don't want to sack them".
Would you even have the authority to do that without going through a long process involving HR?

You were not the intended recipient. Delete it. Forget it. The person usually works well and we all have days when we make excuses for not doing what we are meant to (I am doing it now). Unless you are without sin in this matter, leave it.

This.

while personally I probably wouldn’t involve HR - there does seem to be rather a weird attitude to HR here as if they’re the police.

IME with something like this - unless you have very specific policies it would be a case that a manager would say “this has happened” and HR will say “what do you want to do about it” and potentially support you with it.

Theyre not the SS waiting to round errant employees up.

Absolutely the right response as a manager, its how my case was handled and I Absolutely did respect them more for the way they handled the situation. Had they ignored the entire thing I would have just thought I had got away with it. Had they gone down the nuclear route they would have lost a good employee. It was a one off in my case, and they knew that I had learned my lesson. They made a good call and I've never done it again. I won't socialize with alcohol if I have work the day after since this incident and its been many many years

OP hasn't described the employee as great anywhere, you've completely made that up. If anything 'solid' to me means someone very middle of the road, who does what they are supposed to do but doesn't go above and beyond. Plus they apparently 'go rogue' from time to time - which suggests this (basically taking a day off fully paid) is probably not a one-off.

If they were a star performer I might be more wary of pissing someone off, but this particular person sounds like a bit of a piss-taker. I agree with the poster who said if you did nothing at all, they did this again and a senior person found out, and also found out you knew about it and had done nothing, it would then reflect badly on you as well.

I don't think you need to tell HR and do a full disciplinary but just have a private conversation with them saying that what they did isn't okay, if they are in work and getting paid they are expected to be working, if in future they feel they are not well enough to work, whether hung over or any other reason, that is exactly what the sickness procedure is for and you expect them to follow it in future, if there are any periods where they "go rogue" again you'll be escalating it.

If you address it but don't take further action you should get the gratitude from the employee that you gave them a chance and didn't escalate it, as well as respect for not being a pushover - and also cover yourself for the future.

I'd do nothing. She'll be in your debt if you do nothing. What's the point trying to shame her? Do you want her gone? is she terrible? will the next person NEVER have a hangover?

@Junestepe - what did you decide to do in the end?

British industry is in the toilet because of appalling political mismanagement of the country for over 50 years. It certainly isn't in the toilet because of poor work ethic. You reek of a sneering Thatcherite.

make them aware you got the message but then don’t take it any further.

When I was in ny early 20's in my 1st serious professional job, I turned up very hungover to work. Kept going to the toilet to be sick, stinking of booze. I begged and pleaded with my boss to let me go home early. He let me leave early, but then the next day pulled me into a room and said he understands, it happens, that they'll be no further action but I need to understand I can NEVER turn up to work like that again. And guess what, I never did, lesson learned.

I'd do the same, book a 121 meeting explain what you received and that they'll be no further action. But be very firm in that its not acceptable. He's usually a good worker so you'll let it slide this one time, but it can NEVER happen again. You ever get wind again of it happening then they'll be serious consequences. You let it slide without a chat, they'll think its ok behaviour and something you'll tolerate.

The difference is you weren't a liar. Your boss was fair.

Absolutely this! I think people have her confused with a primary school teacher!

I’d just delete the message and forget about it.

Why do people always have to politicise everything? Basicly what your saying here is a labour boss would turn a blind eye to this blatant poor productivity, untruthfullness and lack of respect. Your not really selling the labour movement here are you?

I don't think I'm the only one who has noticed that phone queues have increased in direct proportion to the prevalence of working from home. While I can see the humour in this particular post , it kind of points to the explanation

I've had people do this, although not sending me a vmail!!

Have a private word with the individual to let them know you got their vmail. Suggest that this time (only), they can book a leave day. But if it happens again, it will be a matter for HR.

I would also reiterate to your team that hangovers are not an excuse for missing meetings or taking a sick day.

I'm getting the dread at it happening to me.

Microsoft teams is no unsecure. I keep trying to turn notifications off but they keep popping up.

I talk about how annoying my manager is to two different colleagues on two different team chats. The other day my manager came over to sit at my computer to ask me something.

A notification from one of my teams chats popped up on the screen. While she was there

Luckily it wasn't about her.

But I won't talk about her in teams messages again. Too risky.

I’d say only make a formal fuss is you are happy for them to resign and you don’t need them on the team. In this climate most people would look to move jobs if they aren’t happy with their manager. The responses on here that say come down hard are not factoring that in. This is not 30 years ago where you scold an employee, they hang their head then work for you until retirement.