Difficult manager - help!

[UnaCorda]

I have a relatively new, young (20s) manager who is really pissing me off. Soon after he arrived he took the best part of my job for himself. He has now been promoted to head of section.

Part of my job (I am freelance) involves finding my clients from various locations. On several occasions recently they have not been there. I have had to ask assistance from various people to help me find my clients, and have fed back that it makes it very difficult for me to do my job in these situations (it is not the clients' responsibility).

I will admit to being frustrated and fed-up as these scenarios have increased in frequency, and have expressed this on one or two occasions; however, I have not shouted, lost my temper or otherwise behaved "unprofessionally".

I have now been told off by this manager for not being able to find my clients, even though this is not (ever) my fault and even though I have eventually managed to track them down and fulfil their appointment in all cases. (He has suggested I should substitute an alternative client in these situations, although this is usually not practical or even not possible.) This has made me quite stressed and I was signed off work for a short period.

It is probably worth stating that several other people who do my job have had similar experiences both regarding finding clients and interactions with this manager. He is not popular with my immediate colleagues and has upset or annoyed most of them one way or another.

So, how do I manage this manager?

I dont understand what you mean by this I have now been told off by this manager for not being able to find my clients, even though this is not (ever) my fault and even though I have eventually managed to track them down and fulfil their appointment in all cases. are you saying the clients are somehow hidden from you in a data base?

No, I mean literally find them, in person. I have to physically go and collect them from wherever they are at any given point, but they are often not where they are meant to be.

Why are they not where they're meant to be? Did someone tell them the wrong place to be? Wracking my brain trying to work out what you do!

Do you mean they are not at reception?
If so look at who sent the appointment and see where they were told to report for appointment..
Also made be ask the next person why they were where you found them, it could signage is wrong.

I'm too thick to understand this thread.

Is your manager asking to to get Person A from location B only to find they arent there and are deployed in Section C ?

I am also struggling to understand this scenario. Why on earth is it not the client's responsibility to be where they are meant to be so you can collect them? Surely if they want to have their appointment they need to make sure they are there? Unless as a PP says there is some issue with signage and they can't find where they are supposed to be?

I'm assuming he's relaying incorrect information to you and/or your clients when you previously did this yourself without his "help"? You are going to have to go above him and make a formal complaint I think, especially if you've had time off over it. Would be good to speak to the others affected as well, if they are also willing to complain then it doesn't sound like just you being difficult.

Are you a taxi driver?

Yeah we need more information OP, what do you mean by “finding clients”?

I'm assuming it's care work, not anything office based.

My aunts care worker often collects her from her care home to go out shopping. Could be something like that.

As you are pissed off at this manager, are you saying it's the manager who is responsible for mis-directing you to the client? If so it needs to be addressed, either direct with the manager or by escalating further if you get no resolution from speaking to the manager.

I'm assuming some kind of community outreach? Homeless people possibly? Can't think of anything else where it wouldn't be their responsibility to be in a certain place and it would be suggested that you find an alternative client if you can't find them

Sorry, didn't mean to confuse everyone! Was trying to be circumspect, but perhaps I overdid it...

It's not the "client's" responsibility because the "clients" are children. I go into a school to teach, on a freelance basis. I teach pupils on the same day each week, but change their time so that they don't miss the same lesson each week.

The problem is that class teachers keep taking their classes elsewhere in the school and leaving no note as to where they are. Also teachers keep changing details of trips so that children are not available when they should be.

My manager thinks I should just teach someone else, but this is not always possible as a) they have lunch at different times; b) I may have already taught them at that time in the previous week; c) it may be near the end of the day and I have taught everyone else or d) various other reasons.

I have had to make huge efforts sometimes to track down pupils (due to other members of staff causing an obstruction in some way)so that parents don't get cross that their child has not had their lesson, but somehow ended up being told off for that.

The manager also suggested changing days, but if this is not communicated to parents in advance the pupils will not be prepared and will not have the equipment they need.

I think it's hugely unfair that people are making it difficult for me to do my job, and I then get reprimanded for taking the necessary steps to overcome those difficulties in order to do my job. This happens week in, week out.

We were asked to convey details of such situations to the department administrator, then my doing so was cited as a criticism in this discussion.

Why didn't you just say "I'm a music tutor and I go into each school one day a week. The pupils are given a time but when I go to collect them, the teachers have moves the class to a different location so I can't find them. My manager has blamed this on me, how do I deal with It?".

When I had music lessons in school, we had to go to the music department in the morning to check our timetable and have our slip signed. We then showed our class teacher (at the allocated time) the slip and they let us out of class. If we forgot then it was our fault. Why are you going all over the school to collect them. It's a stupid way to manage it.

Why didn't you just say "I'm a music tutor and I go into each school one day a week...

Because, as I said, I was trying to be circumspect.

Why are you going all over the school to collect them. It's a stupid way to manage it.

It's not my system, but some of the children are very young.

Do you go into the classrooms in the morning and give the teachers a note of which child is coming out of class at which time?
If the school aren't going to facilitate the lessons then tell the angry parents that.

I'd say a lot of this is on the school.
DC attend a school which runs a raft of extra-curricular classes; before school, at lunchtime and after school. Teachers of each class know which of their pupils belong to which club, and this is communicated to other members of staff who need to know (e.g. lunchtime assistants who need to get some of the children to the front of the dinner queue some days).
If children do not attend the classroom/location for their teaching session, parents/guardians are informed. The class being taught goes ahead without the 'missing' children (albeit that they have been located on the premises).

I am not sure why your manager thinks it is your responsibility to collect the children, nor how you can conjure up alternative arrangements at the drop of a hat.

Do you go into the classrooms in the morning and give the teachers a note of which child is coming out of class at which time?

No. There are two problems with that. 1) That job in itself would be quite time consuming and complicated, although not impossible; 2) It wouldn't be compatible with any changes that had to be made to the day's timetable (as obviously the notes would then be rendered obsolete).

I'd say a lot of this is on the school.

I would agree.

I am not sure why your manager thinks it is your responsibility to collect the children, nor how you can conjure up alternative arrangements at the drop of a hat.

I guess we collect them as some are very young. If they made their own way to us (as happens at my other school) the timetable could not then change without messages being sent to the affected students.

Not sure why he thinks that, but he seems to be under the impression it's easy to reschedule the whole day off the cuff.

His general attitude is essentially: it's a busy school, you're never going to get teachers (even within the music department) to remember to tell you about changes to the scheduled lessons so suck it up or go elsewhere.

Yet he feels justified in claiming that the department is well-organised and supportive.

So the teachers don't know when you are coming to get each kid, but are expected to organise their lesson and ensure they are in the correct place for You? When they don't know you are coming?

I'm assuming this is a primary school aince they are so young, in which case it really don't matter if each pupil is scheduled at the same time each week. It's not like high school where they'd end up missing a period of maths every single week. It's primary; it's fine.

Schedule each kid at the same time each week; make it a bit easier for the teachers and for yourself.

Well, most schools have a TA or two and can manage to arrange their schedules so that if children need 'escorting' from A to B then a TA can do this. Or someone from the school 'front office'. It just requires a little planning but any well-organised institution should be able to do this.

Perhaps there is scope for a meeting with you, difficult manager and relevant person/contact at the school to work out a practical and sensible way to manage everyone's expectations and to ensure that the children (who are the important factor here) get the tuition and support they require - and presumably have had paid for.

Being completely honest you do sound a little bit problem rather than solution focused. People here are giving you advice which you seem to be reacting to with “can’t do that because”.

It my he worth coming to your boss with some ideas that would help to overcome these problems

If you are freelance, how do you have a manager? What is the “best part of your job” that he is taking, if you are still doing the teaching? I’d have thought that was the best part?

Being completely honest you do sound a little bit problem rather than solution focused. People here are giving you advice which you seem to be reacting to with “can’t do that because”.

That's probably fair, but I do feel quite disempowered. We're made to feel like we shouldn't be bothering anyone, shouldn't complain, shouldn't expect anyone to keep us in mind if they make changes, shouldn't expect to be given information...

I am always mortified when I forget to tell the music teacher that we are on a trip or there is a change to our day. She is a good friend of mine & I know that she has the same frustrations as you. Are you coming on the same day each week but just rotating the times? Or different days each week?