Deeply offended by manager?

[avenueaspirr]

She’s my new manager but we’ve both been in the business roughly the same amount of time (5 years) and we do know each other.

Our first meeting she asked why my productivity had slipped - I advised of the reasons (new systems that don’t work basically and we physically run out of work so I do admin tasks that don’t count towards recordable productivity)

Then before I knew it a week later she’d booked me in to screen share with a colleague to literally sit there and watch them work. I was so offended for the following reasons.

• I gave legitimate reasons and I wasn’t questioned further
• I’ve been doing this job for 5 years so the fact she wants me to watch someone else do it was insulting
• That she discussed my performance with another colleague who is the same level as me

@StillCalmX

Shaming people never gets the best work out of them. She has not managed you well.

But OP hasn't been shamed. Just asked to watch someone else on the team. It's really common to learn from each other.

She has got an absolute cheek. Undermining your confidence when shes just started. It's a tactic used by incompetent managers. I would try and get transferred away from her department or look for a different job. If the bullying continues consider taking out a grievance against her.

Wonders if OP on finding the work run out gets on with other tasks whilst colleague sits there waiting for new work and picks it up as soon as it comes in making their stats better.

@Yesyoucantell

I work with someone who probably thinks she's as good as others who have been there the same length of time in a similar role.

She's not and she really could do with more training.

What has that got to do with anything? Not sure what relevance it has to OP's post.

@Crinkle77

What you haven't explained OP is why the system error is only seeming to affect your productivity? What are your colleagues doing that you're not, are they also experiencing the same error message and why isn't it slowing them down?

I never once said it’s only mine affected. I wouldn’t have a clue what others produce daily or what impacts them. It’s not ONE error message, it’s multiple or it also can take 5 minutes to load as it’s stuck on a timer. I work from home.

@MouldyPotato

It's not a punishment though. I've worked on loads of teams where we all share knowledge and best ways of working.

This. If my manager suggested I watch someone else I would, no skin off my nose, and you CAN learn things, I've done my job for 13 years but we all discover short cuts, extra checks etc. Tbh your attitude to the negative comments on here shows how your LM might perceive you.

Do you have a Human Resources department?

Pretty sure the OP will already be known to HR!

it also can take 5 minutes to load as it’s stuck on a timer. I work from home.

What internet connection do you have, is it wired or wireless?

It's pretty clear that your colleagues productivity is better than yours. Rather than being so defensive, take the opportunity to learn why that is, and what you can do to improve.

@Viviennemary

She has got an absolute cheek. Undermining your confidence when shes just started. It's a tactic used by incompetent managers. I would try and get transferred away from her department or look for a different job. If the bullying continues consider taking out a grievance against her.

And what would this grievance be? The OP isn’t as productive as others on the team and the manager has organised for her to spend time with someone who is better at the job. The OP seems to be closed minded and looking to take offence. I suspect the manager will be delighted if the OP moves on

@comebacksunshines

I never said I cleared the work queue though? Can you confirm where I said that as I’m confused? It sounds like your colleagues are clearing the work load and you are blaming system errors for your slower pace. Presumably they are also experiencing the same issues but still getting through more work than you. If there isnt much work, then it's possible that your workplace is looking at saving some money.(redundancies) I would be looking for work that counts towards productivity in your shoes, not wasting my time on admin tasks that no one will notice.

Can you just read my responses? Clearly addressed this multiple times now.

How can I do work if non exists? Should I pretend to be a customer? that’s like being in an empty room and told to pick up as many sticks as you can.
I’ll do admin work because there’s physically no other work. Or should I sit there and do nothing until more work comes in? Because I feel I’d get bollocked for that.

It’s not ONE error message, it’s multiple or it also can take 5 minutes to load as it’s stuck on a timer. I work from home.

Have you spoken to the IT department about the problems you're having? Maybe your colleagues aren't having the issues you describe.

@Orf1abc

Do you have a Human Resources department?

Pretty sure the OP will already be known to HR!

Never once approached or been approached by HR

If there is truly no work but your colleagues are managing to complete more work than you, I’d be looking for a new job before they start managing you out.

Or you go to the manager every time there is no work and let her know. At least then she’ll be alerted to the scale of the problem and create more work for you, or be more aware of what tasks you are picking up and why.

She handled it badly. No one likes being criticised and no one wants to feel patronised. It’s going to put your back up.

For starters I would do as they ask, there's nothing to gain from refusing to screen share. You might learn something from the experience or it could be useless, either way it looks worse if you refuse to engage even if you are looking for other jobs.

Secondly, record every single error and look at all possible resolutions. What are your colleagues who don't get the error doing differently? Also record all the other work you are doing so you have a proof you are working in some way.

I do think you need to engage though and try and resolve the error as there must be one if not everyone (but some) are getting it. I don't think it's worth blaming your manager for bringing up a drop in productivity if there is one, they should of course have told you what the actions were from the last meeting though.

@andweallsingalong

Wonders if OP on finding the work run out gets on with other tasks whilst colleague sits there waiting for new work and picks it up as soon as it comes in making their stats better.

Yeah I'm wondering if it's something like this. Can the colleagues move stuff out the shared queue into their own private queue leaving none for you OP? I would ask manager what she wants you to do when there is no work left. Not every time but you need to know if she wants you to do the useful admin (maybe work on a way to start quantifying this?) Or sit and wait for the main queue.

@avenueaspirr do you have hr? Maybe you could ask for hr to be present /sit in.
I sympathise. I work 4dw but do as much work as all the others and yet my line manager tried to do a performance improvement plan on me. I know it was so he could talk about the time he managed an underperforming member of his team when interviewing for role above his. It was bullshit and upset me a lot. He has learnt a lot since then and i have forgiven him though, he was under a lot of stress himself but he pushed down not up, and wanted to talk about how he managed performance. Sad fact though a lot of managers are very poor and choose the most obvious scapegoat to make an example of and make them feel good and their ability to "manage" but would they have had the balls to demean a higher status member of the team. A lof weaker managers will pick on somebody older, less attractive, less popular, foreign.... this is what happened to me.

@StillCalmX

Shaming people never gets the best work out of them. She has not managed you well.

How on earth was she shamed. She met with her manager and discussed her work. Which is obviously measured regularly as part of the job. Stating the facts isn’t shaming nor is discussing reasons why productivity has slipped. That’s learning.

The OP explained the problem but didn’t offer any solutions. The manager found a possible solution the OP had not considered.

The OPs contention that the manager discussed perceived problems about her with another colleague is conjecture.

Remote working means we have lost otherwise subtle ways of offering peer support. That means booking in time virtually to run through things with our peers. This is how many people are now working and they don’t need managers to facilitate it for them.

Has she possibly not listened to you correctly and wrongly thinks you are having issues using the new system?

Or else she thinks you are slacking off whilst working from home and is doing a box ticking exercise now before taking it further.

If you are working at maximum productivity for the system/ work available then I would make sure you keep a log of every time the new system doesn’t work correctly and for how long, and how long you are doing the other work. Clarify if the new manager expects you to check in when the work is completed rather than continuing with other stuff.

So. You log in. Click the button. Do the tasks there. Then you do some admin. While you are doing admin is more work arriving? Is it that your colleagues are sitting waiting for tasks to arrive, whilst you're doing other (not counted) work? Should it be that each person doing that should have 1 hour a day taken off for admin so only 5- 7 hours a day (or whatever) are only counted for productivity purposes?

She was shamed by having somebody at her level knowing that the op had to watch and learn how it's really done.

Totally ignoring the fact that the op said her issues were with the system, and displaying her difficulties to her colleagues.

Maybe the work runs out because everyone else is doing more and it is noticed that you do less?

Errors of the nature you describe would be consistent across the team.

I think you need to accept that in a pot of 100 tasks - itis likely that management has noticed you do less proportionately than your team members - perhaps your pace is slower.

Perhaps your boss should say - there are 100 tasks (example only) and everyone has to do X amount before moving on to non-recorded activity.

Be prepared, OP - this could mean you are working harder for longer whilst others move to the non recorded work.

Also, your responses are coming across quite defensive and if you are even a bit like this IRL your manager will be pleased to see you go.

@Viviennemary

She has got an absolute cheek. Undermining your confidence when shes just started. It's a tactic used by incompetent managers. I would try and get transferred away from her department or look for a different job. If the bullying continues consider taking out a grievance against her.

But the manager hasn't just started. She has been a manager for some time now, and has "inherited" some new staff; one of which is underperforming. She has asked for reasons for that underperformance, and clearly feels that. despite the explanation, there is room for improvement since other staff are managing to perform. That is not an incompetent manager. That is a manager identifying an issue and dealing with it before it becomes a competency matter for the OP. Taking out a grievance against someone for doing their job - and when there is no bullying in sight either - will simply bring the OPs underperformance to the attention of more people. That is never a good look when the attention is about under-performance.

It seems odd that the manager has not told the OP about the work-shadowing exercise, and yet the OP knows all about it. It seems that they were, then, told. Perhaps what the OP meant was that the manager should have asked for their permission to manage them as they see fit? The manager should have consulted about it and let the OP do what they wanted? That would very certainly not be responsible management. You identify problems that could lead to disciplinary action, you discuss it, and you put in place actions that will help to head off the problems before they inevitably escalate. If the OP doesn't like being managed unless it is done by consent then finding a role that they will be happy in will not be easy. They have been asked to work shadow, and it appears that they have refused. Refusing the informal approaches to improving performance will only lead in one direction, and that won't be that they are left alone with it. If others are doing just fine and not experiencing the same system errors and down time, then shadowing someone else might identify why there is a difference, and what the OP can do better to avoid those things.

She was shamed by having somebody at her level knowing that the op had to watch and learn how it's really done. there is no shame attached to this as long as it's not phrased as "OP is really slow can she watch you?" Or similar.

@StillCalmX

She was shamed by having somebody at her level knowing that the op had to watch and learn how it's really done.

Totally ignoring the fact that the op said her issues were with the system, and displaying her difficulties to her colleagues.

That peer to peer learning. High functioning professionals do it all the time. It’s present in most teams without even being noticed. It’s help that people actively seek out.

The OP thinks it’s a problem with the system. It might not be. There is no evidence her difficulties have been displayed. But if she has difficulties then she needs help. This is help.