To find this colleague a bit annoying

[halfacupofjuice]

Hello everyone,

I have been working at a particular company for a number of years and over the years things have changed but mostly have stayed the same. We have recently recruited a new person temporarily, as our previous colleague is off long term sick but will be back soon, but we are all finding her a bit... much...and I don't know if I should discuss this with her ( of course in a diplomatic way). Here are the reasons:

1. She comes across that she doesn't know much about our field, but when you speak to her and talk about certain practices and policies, she knows ALOT but tends to die this down but only brings up her knowledge when I challenge her about her practice. The reason why I'm saying this is because I can tell that she is a keen learner but has been using some of her working days to go on training (to be far- only two) but she has just started with us. Also, she has recently asked the company to pay for a course that she would like to attend, we of course declined as we don't pay for trainings for temporary staff and plus there are a number of us in the office who are very specialist and have worked in the role for many of years with who she can seek advice and support from, so it's not an efficient way of using resources.

1. In our company, we have been doing the same things, pretty much, for many years and then she comes in and has begun to ask us whether she can change some of our practices when working with clients.

3.She has only worked for a company for a month, but already she is speaking to similar companies to try and increase our own resources. This is amazing for our company, but I am finding her a bit much.

What should I do? Some of the colleagues feel that she is a bit much and should just take a seat back. How can I advise my new colleague?

It sounds like she’s wasted at your company, tbh. She knows lots but is modest about it, is keen to learn more and have training, has ideas about things that could work better and all you are focused on is that she’s only been with you for a month, with the implication that she really should shut up and know her place. The fact that you and other colleagues seem to agree on this paints a picture of a very unpleasant, gossipy workplace that’s keen to treat a colleague as disposable because you all know she’s not meant to be temporary or viewed as a proper team member. Not a mature or kind way of behaving.

This can't be real. No one can be this self unaware.

OP - you're threatened. That's what all this ill feeling stems from.

From what you've written you come across as someone majorly stuck in their ways, seeing out their days until retirement and just there for the cheque, unwilling to start a minute before you have to or finish a minute after, coasting by on the bare minimum hidden by long service (examples being not assed enough to know your direct reports job description and not being assed enough to give her advice on development materials)

Everything was fine until this young upstart comes along with passion and drive and suddenly you might get exposed as she's challenging processes and how things are done and your nice little equilibrium is in danger of being upturned and you might actually have to

A) do a bit so you
B) don't get exposed as actually not being that good!

If I was her I'd get out sharpish tbh.

You sound bitter she sounds like great competition. She’s playing a great game for promotion

I always try to hire people that I think are better than me.

I rose up in my career by surrounding myself with talented team members who challenged me, and who were secretly hoping to have my job one day. They were awesome, and they made me look good because they were ambutious and did a great job.

You have exactly that with her. Hopefully she will move on to a firm with a line manager that appreciates such a gem.

I agree that you shouldn't spend scarce resources sending a temp on courses. But, deary me, is sending her back to her uni notes the advice and support you were referencing in your OP:

there are a number of us in the office who are very specialist and have worked in the role for many of years with who she can seek advice and support from

Oh god I feel sorry for this girl.

You told her to read through some of her university resources and come back to you if she had questions. She's been working for 2 years so hasn't just left uni.
Do you realise how bad that sounds ?

You say your a resource of knowledge and expertise and she could come to you if she wanted to gain knowledge and you told her to go read some of her old uni books...

If your a manager your literally a bad one but hoping this is a reverse tbh.

God knows why you posted because it's not that people don't get involved what you're saying. They just fundamentally think your approach is wrong. And it sounds like just like with your new staff member, you think it's a lack of understanding on our part for us all not saying ok op she's sounds hideous fire her straight away.

She must feel like she's banging her head on a very hard wall. Poor girl

Going against the grain here but a temp brought in to cover a role of someone who is due back from sick leave in the near future is a resource that a company might not want to invest scarce funds in. Sounds like the company (is it a university, or a research unit?) has skilled people, and New Woman (NW) doesn’t want to use those, but wants to use company time to learn them - which would be worthwhile if she were staying long term. If she’s supposed to be doing particular tasks but instead is focussed on new projects (that can’t be resourced) or taking a course on company time (to learn something that others can do in house), then she’s pushing the boundaries of what she has been employed - short-term - to do.

🙄

That doesn’t mean that they can’t be made better/more efficient. The fact that a process works well isn’t a reason to not look to see if it could be made even better.

The world moves on and things change over time. The are never ending new ways of doing things to improve
efficiency, performant and/effectiveness. Always good
to challenge the status quo.
Paper recording of invoices/files etc worked well, that doesn’t mean that with the advent of
computer technology this recording wasn’t better handed electronically (for example).

A number of things jump out.

You say ‘we’ find her a bit much. It’s clear she’s being discussed among colleagues behind her back. This is very poor practice by you as her manager.

She’s vibrant and keen to learn and is prepared to do so off her own back. That would make her an asset. She may need guidance but that’s your job, as her line manager.

You dismissing her questions and enquiries with closing statements like ‘read your uni notes’ makes you sound condescending, dismissive and resistant to change.

Your workplace (and you, it seems, after twenty years) has an attitude of ‘this is how it’s always been done’. This is a very damaging and unhealthy mindset. It enables and even masks poor practice and poor treatment of staff.

The keenness to get back the old member of staff who’s been on ‘long term sick’ in order to cast out this member of staff smacks of wanting ‘one of our own’ and not liking change and outsiders. This takes up back to the fear of change within the company.

I think while she may need guidance, your management style and the company’s approach needs a go over, root and branch if you want a bit of jargon.

I manage someone who challenges me a lot. But she's smart and her questions come from a good place.

Why don't you try to meet her half way op? She could be a great asset.

If we don't learn and develop, how can we improve? A new perspective is sometimes challenging and sometimes refreshing. It depends how you choose to respond.

This.

@halfacupofjuice You and your colleagues are just bullies by picking on the newbie! So someone has come in with fresh eyes and some fresh ideas. This girl wants to go on training so she can further her career why shouldn’t she? Just because you are stuck in your ways doesn’t mean she should. Hopefully when this girls contract has ended she will move onto somewhere where she will be more appreciated and the company will flourish and yours will fail. Bunch of backstabbers the lot of you!

I feel sorry for the girl and it sounds like she is being bullied by the team for being young and enthusiastic. Don’t knock her enthusiasm. Embrace it. She is keen and wants to learn but doesn’t want to ask all of you as when she does, she gets told to look in her uni notes. Having 20 years experience doesn’t make a good manager. Having a passion for the job is a good start, so she may be future management potential. I hope she leaves and excels at a company that appreciate her dedication and enthusiasm.

I would have a lot more respect for you if you were able to say that you had taken all of our comments on board and would yourself seek to go on some management training. If you said that you now you DER stand she is young and enthusiastic, and whilst you can’t find her training, you will do all you can to help her. I would not dare ask other colleagues for help if I worked in the toxic environment that you describe. Be kind. It goes a long way and is a much better way that joining in with bitchy colleagues who are talking about someone behind their back.

This was 100 percent a reverse 🤣

Sounds a bit like a gang resentment against her for having new initiatives, which she has likely picked upon. She's new, seems excited to progress and have input and has the oh we don't like changes against her? If younger and newly qualified then most likely more confident than we were starting out as that is what society has encouraged.

Agree 100% with SarahDippity about training for temp.
Op said "a bit annoying" and I can see why.
I have trained a few people and some are so smart they think they can learn by osmosis and do not pay attention and suggest improvements which would not work as they do not know enough - yet.
On other hand, if companies actively encouraged new people to suggest changes, they could greatly improve their practices.
As usual on MN very unwarranted criticism. Please try to be more kind.

You are being unreasonable. You sound as though you are afraid of being outperformed, or that you feel threatened by her new ideas, her ability to help the business to grow, her interest in learning and her general productivity. Why do you feel like that? Why not embrace the opportunity to work alongside someone who can bring a fresh perspective, and learn to listen with an open mind, and dare to try new things?

She may already know a lot about her field of work, but there is no reason why temp staff should not have the opportunity to learn more. How else should they be expected to keep up to date and to make advances in their field of work? It isn’t unreasonable to expect the workplace to pay for training, either, so I think your company’s policy leaves more than a little to be desired.

Finally, continuing to do things a certain way simply because it is how they have always been done is definitely not what put the mobile phone/mini-computer in your purse that enables you to broadcast messages to strangers on Mumsnet. Try to welcome change and variety. You will be happier and so will your colleagues, whether temporary or permanent.

Quite so.

Biggest killer of business and workers is the phrase nothing wrong. That doesn't make it the best.