Asked to complete observations on colleagues.

[SueSueHeck]

So I work in the retail industry. Customer facing sales role. My manager has decided to introduce observations to make sure we are all saying the latest key phrases and generally giving good customer service as well as selling.

I have no problem with my line manager observing me. What I do take issue with, is expecting me to spy on my workmates while in turn they watch me and report back. He went mad today because we had not completed any observation forms on each other. Didn't want to know when we said we had been serving our own clients and couldn't watch each other at the same time.

AIBU or should I suck it up? I don't think it's appropriate for the 16yr old apprentice to fill out evaluations on me, and I certainly am not happy to return the favour. As far as I am concerned, that's my managers job, not mine.

Gosh, did he used to work for the Stasi?

Sounds incredibly demoralizing

Sounds rather OTT and odd. I'd be feeling uneasy and perhaps dusting off the CV.

Peer feedback can be really useful if positioned correctly, sounds like your manager has handled it badly.

Ask him to alot each of you a 30min slot in which you will not be available to serve clients, but will watch your workmates -- hopefully, the threat of not having enough people serving to keep his sales figures up, might get him to rethink the whole idea....

Well, as a teacher, no one seems to think senior management teams/Ofsted are 'the Stasi' for observing me and my colleagues.

He seems to think it will 'help us develop'

I'm unsure if this is something he has thought up or if this has come from Head Office (huge very well known company) I do know that his observations have come directly from them, but I have a feeling this is his idea.

Yy to Stasi

yes another public sector worker for whom this is normal practice - it's about 'sharing good practice' and offering 'constructive professional feedback'

I don't mind too much unless the observer is shit at their job - then I do question their ability to assess me.

I really have no problem with him doing it. I don't feel comfortable at grassing up my workmates should they forget to smile like a Cheshire Cat or neglect to sell one of many add ons.

Can't see how it's good for morale. Hey Bessie, you'd didn't do a full sales pitch on that last customer, here's where you went wrong'. removes knife from back

I get that you're not used to it, but it's not that crazy an idea. As Gordy has confirmed this is standard practice in many jobs. Among colleagues that work together on a daily basis as well as those higher up. As long as the person observing is doing it right, then there's nothing to fear (unless you're shit at your job, in which case it's fair enough for the employer to e aware of this fact).

No nothing to fear. I'm pretty good at my job I just feel he can't be arsed to do his job so he is expecting us to take up the slack.

This is something that is uncommon in our particular industry I would imagine. He is expecting all of us to have one completed tomorrow. How on earth can we do that when we have our own customers to serve. It's hard enough to get sales at this time of year without stressing about this too. Arghh!

In my role we have 360degree appraisals. This means people of all roles within the organisation, or a selection of them, give feedback anonymously on the individual in question. This is supposed to give a truer picture of performance than just a superior or one person on a similar level doing it. An extreme example might be that a traditional appraisal could show someone as hitting targets and being well regarded by management but a 360 might show the same but that they achieve those targets by being abrasive with colleagues and disrespectful of those below them which is a very different picture

God this sounds like Next!? I would says it's from head office & hopefully it's short term. Can see many negatives from that one.

As Gordy has confirmed this is standard practice in many jobs. Among colleagues that work together on a daily basis as well as those higher up. As long as the person observing is doing it right, then there's nothing to fear (unless you're shit at your job, in which case it's fair enough for the employer to e aware of this fact)

I agree. Nothing wrong with peer appraisal/observations if the process is constructive. I'm not sure from your description whether the problem is your manager's handling of it, the staff's resistance or a bit of both.

Not Next

See the thing is, it can't possibly be anonymous. If I am sitting at a desk next to Bessie, and she gets less than positive feedback from manager the same day, it's pretty obvious who has ratted on her isn't it?

No one in our branch is comfortable doing this tbh, but I do take on board that this is perhaps more common than I realised.

It shouldn't be anonymous, and it shouldn't be seen as "ratting" on someone or "grassing" someone up. It should be a transparent process.

Sooty it's probably his handling of it more than anything else. At least today it was. I had my form sitting on my desk this morning as I had intented to do it, however it requires me to be free while my workmate at the next desk has a customer with a viable enquiry. I had to answer calls and deal with my own clients and there truly wasn't the opportunity when lunches etc are taken into account.

He refused to listen and just ranted that it HAD to get done tomorrow. But what happens when tomorrow is the same as today?

I can certainly see how it would be difficult to complete the exercise under the circumstances you describe, and his approach to the process doesn't sound helpful.

Can't you all just say how brilliant you all are ?

If you don't have time to do it properly write something like 'I'm sure X did everything, but I actually had my own customers to help and so wasn't paying a single bit of attention to X or her working style. Perhaps you'd like me to neglect my customers in favour of this process?'

Some people have to see things in writing before they realize how stupid they are.

Observations haven't been great for morale in the public sector!

I had to do this but the staff knew i had to do it but didnt know when.I just saw it as making sure targers were met and if they werent doing it they werent doing what was expected as that is what theur job was in its entirity.Noone got upset that we did this and sometimes they had just firgot to do these things so it was just a reminder and then after a while it was second nature to them.Its not grassing,its not like they are doing anything sackable is it?

Id just tell bessie youre doing it and then she can demonstrate her knowledge,or would that not work?

Peer appraisal was common in my last job. It was fine.

Sounds like your manager has handled this particularly badly though.

Tee yes that may be an option. I'll see what happens today.

As I said earlier, no one has any problem with manager or assistant manager doing them with or without our knowledge. That's part of their job. But it's not mine. I don't want a management position.

I've been with this company for 14 years so its highly likely that I just don't like change Still don't agree with it though.

No management in today so we shall see how it goes. I'm not back until Friday and by then he may well have forgot all about it.