To tell new starter to be quiet?

[notetakerforlife]

Managing a team and have a new starter that keeps asking questions - and chiming in to other people's conversations thinking she's been helpful but it's just annoying.

They've not been here very long so I don't want to say the wrong thing and then they feel they can't ask questions and get something wrong but the things they ask are always just not that important - like finicky stuff that really isn't going to mean the world ends.

Would it be bad to say not to ask questions unless necessary? I really don't know how to approach it as they're new.

Or do I just Suck it up?

OP, I think you’ve been lucky thus far in management and that’s what a lot of posters aren’t getting.

I work in management as well and it is infuriating sometimes. People on these threads assume the employee in question is like them, only asking a few more questions, so they don’t understand why it’s irritating.

Some employees are just bad employees and no amount of time dedicated to training will fix that. Ultimately I think in the end, if further training doesn’t help then it ends up being a matter of whether they can do the job properly and moving into disciplinary action for when targets and deadlines are inevitably not met, work standards are poor, etc, or you just don’t pass them through their probation period.

If it was me I’d probably have one more go at trying to “fix” this (ie a two week period or so of extra training and support from yourself) and then if things don’t improve beyond then you need to look at their work overall and see what needs to be done.

Schedule a friendly meeting. Ask then to st out some of their questions. The. Explain if there are certain types of questions that need to be directed to eg. iT and other questions that can be parked until a mutually convenient time eg a bit like people saying in lectures or presentations that they will take questions at the end

ADHD did come to mind. I don't have any advice on dealing with this except to make yourself less physically available to her. Can you work from home or ask her to work from home or move her desk elsewhere or close the door to your office?

I think OP is getting a pasting here and I think a lot of posters are coming from a position of not either having management experience, or being lucky enough to not have had to deal with employees like this.

I literally had to explain to a new-ish staff member this week what “tidy up” means, ie put rubbish into the bin and not on the floor beside it. And if the bin bag is full, perhaps go into the cleaning cupboard and change the bin bag. I’ve had to police the tea room as some members of staff kept using plates and not washing them afterwards (someone actually put a dirty plate straight into the cupboard).

I don’t have the fucking time or patience for that shit. I’m there to do my job, which is to make sure the business runs smoothly, fix problems when they arise, ensure everyone does what they need to do and gets their allocated breaks, and get on with my own work as well.

I am not there to be someone’s work mum. I am not there to clean up after people or point out the glaringly obvious which just involves using an ounce of common sense.

I disagree, if they were switched on they wouldn’t need to keep asking so many questions. For example, the OP says they are continually asking her questions that need to go to IT, if they were switched on they would know not to bother the OP, but to go straight to IT. I presume they had an induction pack, which the Op, would go through with them, so they would know what to do, or who to contact if they had a particular query? I would also expect them to have made copious notes about how things are dealt with, so surely they could refer back to these!

To be honest the new start is coming across as lazy. It’s almost like they can’t be bothered looking for the answer themselves (or maybe checking their notes or induction pack), so they’ll just ask the OP. Surely they should realise by month 2 what questions are relevant to ask the OP and what are relevant to ask others or IT!

I have every sympathy with @notetakerforlifeas I’ve also had mind numbingly awful experience with new starts as well! Induction pack completed and lots of notes taken on what to do in differing circumstances. New start has signed off that they understand procedure and where to find answers to any queries. First time something comes up, where do they turn to for answers…their notes or induction pack? No, they come straight to me as their manager! When I point out that I can’t deal with that and they need to contact someone in another department as per their training, what do they say? They thought it would be quicker just asking me, instead of looking it up in their notes!!🙄Yes, definitely quicker for them.

ha, I can say that on mn, the manager's position is in the wrong. The manager is by default not fit to be a manager and the solution is for someone else to fix.

Many posters don't have management experience and are projecting their own experience of being (badly) managed onto the poster. It is impossible to tell what sort of employees they are themselves.

A little tactic I've learnt from colleagues is to have headphones on if you don't want to be disturbed. Luckily I don't manage anyone, but as a junior it was always a clear indicator not to bother that individual

@notetakerforlife a few year’s ago I had an employee who was always asking me simple questions to ‘just check’. It was such a time sucker. I solved this by coming up with my shit list of tasks. Every time this individual came to me, I said ‘I’m so glad you’ve come here, I need someone to do x for me.’ And I’d pass them a simple but boring/time consuming task to do. every time Pretty soon they were just getting on with their job and avoiding me as much as possible 😂 I now have a policy of always delegating dull tasks to anyone who asks me a question they should be able to answer themselves. I also regularly book myself into a meeting room for a meeting with myself so I can get some work done and my team get the opportunity to work shit out for themselves.

This is a good idea. Also they might just be doing it (being overly chatty) because they're new and nervous. Please don't say anything as it will really knock their confidence

Oh my god I love this and will use it going forward.

Generally with new starters I allocate them a buddy to meet with them each morning and I book half hour catch ups daily for the first week, then every 2-3 days then weekly like everyone else. Obviously I’m contactable at any time but I expect them to sort out the basic stuff themselves after a couple of weeks.

Your new starter sounds like she can’t think for herself. I’d be keeping a close eye on that in probation.

Yes, but people can be different and a good manager is also about people development and showing leadership. I would never be a manger this would drive me insane.

I just saw month 2. Ok that's annoying. Perhaps have a 1:1 and ask them how they're getting on and they still seem to have lots of questions and what are they having difficulty with, bla bla. Do they think they need training etc

Well I posted that you came across as a very inexperienced manager because you saw “asking questions” as something you ought to be stamping out. You also use a lot of very dramatic terms about being a punchbag, your head blowing, being utterly soul destroyed just because somebody asked questions. I also noted you lamented that if they had been working from home you wouldn’t have been bothered by so many questions.

Well actually I am an experienced manager, I have been head of function in multinational organisations for a long time and I would only be concerned that new recruits didn’t have the opportunity to ask questions because of WFH. But you see that as a plus.

You are absolutely not cut out for management, you would probably be better suited to a more technical / specialist role where you have to deal with people less. Your rudeness and responses to people on here only confirm this.

@Aprilx there are questions and there are questions. It is a question of degree, which questions and for how long. If you cannot listen to what the OP is saying and give her the benefit of the doubt, I wouldn't say you are a good manager yourself.

I have read everything OP has said and I would maintain she is not suited to management. There is nothing wrong with this, she could focus upon being a technical expert. And I don’t need to discuss my management skills, I am semi retired now and not interested in your tips, but I have a long track record in successfully leading teams as head of department in multinational organisations. And I think OP is not up to it.

As being part of the MT in a very specialized area, I het a lot of questions every day, not only from my own team but also from others.

In cases these are recurring questions, I always remind them we have discussed it prior and what did they take away from those earlier questions. Then you often notice if someone does not understand the topic or is lacking confidence to continue further without having a reassuring answer.

In case it is the latter, I encourage them to find their own solution and only to check in with me if they want a second pair of eyes de on correspondence with clients.

However, I also regularly book a few hours with if I need to meet certain deadlines and I tell them I am not available then due to this or if they walk in at the office, they sometimes have to wait for a few minutes before I have handled something else. Then you often notice that they do know it but wanted reassurance.

In cases that the questions were not to be resolved by me, I consequently send them to IT te. It takes time but I hardly get any IT related questions, only to check if my system is not working properly also, so it is a general IT matter or not.

It takes time and it also pertains to giving boundaries to that person. If they come to your desk often, say that you are busy and can they gather all their questions and come back in x amount of time, so you can go over them together. I would also expect the colleague to be taking notes then btw

I have a friend who is going through a similar thing at the moment with a new starter who will even text her during important meetings to check something, even though my friend has told her when the meeting is likely to finish and to hold off until then.

i think the best thing to do is to set aside a 'question time slot'. Could you also ask her to work on a new induction policy based on her experiences? I actually expect the questions will get less over time as she is busier gets more structure and confidence in her role.

This is all great, I came here to ask if they're taking notes. I'm surprised with how many people never write things down. We had a particularly bad team member, who relied on another very helpful team member as it was just easier for them to constantly ask, rather than write it down and learn it for themselves. It does depend, but at a certain age level it's fair to not expect this after 2 months.
Also check how good your systems and processes are, the particularly bad places I've worked it takes a lot longer to get up to speed simply as things are overly complex or just aren't logical (and most of the people have worked there a long time and 'just know' things)

You need to turn the questions around to them. So, when they ask you a question you ask them, what do you think/what would you do, and why? That should prompt them to think before they ask before too long.

If they ask about the same thing, such as IT stuff, remind them of what they had to do last time.

You have to be careful not to come across as patronising, but I think in a few days the number of questions will reduce and it is better than a blanket ban on questions.

Coachable moment? You did x, I observed the following impact. I am concerned because y. What are your thoughts on how to approach differently in the future.

^^ This. It's the first response to any staff related issues you might have.

Common sense isn't it? I think the fact this hasn't occurred to you is why people are assuming you're quite inexperienced or just not very good at line management.

Always start from the point of view that people want to do a good job and will, with the right support and tools. Unless/until they prove otherwise.

OP, I get it. I am managing someone at the moment who is similar. I deal with it by having a meeting with her each day to go through what she needs to do and answering any questions as well as feedbacking on the day before. There's still lots of odd questions throughout the day, but it's far less than it otherwise would be..

I've also set her clear goals for a review to happen in a month's time which will be 3 months after she started. This is so if she doesn't pass her probation period it will be based on something solid.

You need to remove your personal feelings. If you were to ask her to stop asking questions and she made a mistake then it will be an issue. She could also say she feels bullied.

She may well calm down when she feels less nervous.

If this is how it is - above - then your management style IS at fault because you should be cracking down on this in month 2

The examples you give are not acceptable in the workplace and as the new employee's manager you should be explaining what is and isn't acceptable

Of course you're frazzled because the new employee's verbal crap is out of order and its down to you to put new employee straight

Daily meetings
Weekly appraisals
Praise and explanation as to why x y z isn't acceptable

If you don't know how to do this then ask for training

This isn't just about someone asking questions, it's about generally disruptive behaviour - possibly not deliberate or conscious, but challenging nonetheless. Try to remember it's not personal: the rest of the team have been affected too. Which is why a good manager must address the situation.
From my own experience, I would have a chat with her to start with (wait until you are calm!) Use real examples of the behaviours you have described - does she recognise them, is she aware of the impact, is there a reason? Let her speak - you might find out something that helps you understand why she acts in the way she does. Try to agree a way forward that works for everyone in the team and gives you a baseline to refer back to if things don't improve.
For your own sake, make sure you follow workplace HR policies and draw on any support you can eg from your own manager. It might help to share the load and they may have some valuable advice.
Good luck!

OK, so they're not actually asking questions at all. They sound like they're being rude and disruptive and acting like they know better and argumentative. I think what you've described here is quite different from what you originally posted (and how I understood it)

My colleague is like this too. I am looking at leaving. Even where there was someone from outside the workplace (important person) talking to my boss, they went to ask my boss a question. No standards at all. I am unable to deal with it anymore.