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?

So when you next have a review with her do two things:
1- make it clear that as an interim you will not be fundings training. Knock that on the head first of all. Perhaps set her up with a buddy she can link in with for support.
2- explain that you appreciate her ideas and experience, that the org is looking to improve process but this may be slower than you'd all like due to finances and resources and perhaps set up regular meetings to discuss possible improvements with her and the team rather than her going off and doing her own thing.

Dinner discuss her ideas especially if they are generating more customers and revenue, try to keep an open mind

From her knowledge and experience, it sounds as if she has worked for other firms in your field. Ask you're her line manager, have you access to her CV or work history to check? She sounds keen, bursting to suggest new ways of working internally and with other firms. What's not to love? Or are people concerned that she's too good and will make them look bad? If her ideas are valid why not use them?

I suspect this is a reverse.

You are obviously savvy enough to know not to show your true capability for fear you will be labelled a smart arse.

If not a reverse - please check the calendar. It's ticked over 50 times since 1970.

I don’t understand your issue with her? She sounds progressive, thoughtful and you guys don’t like the healthy challenge or change.

Maybe approach from a positive angle. Eg it's great you have all these ideas, maybe focus on learning how we do things for first 6 months and then we can review after that.

Yes this sounds good.

She is only temporary, so she could be working on things for her CV/future interviews. "Had training in A, B, C.", "Implemented changes X, Y, and Z which improved output" etc.

Shocking uppity behaviour for a newcomer - showing initiative and wanting to develop herself. Are you feeling threatened? She sounds great.

So your issue is that she's asking for training and professional development, and being proactive about suggesting ways in which you could improve?

She sounds like an asset to the company and you sound threatened by change and stuck in your ways.

Are you worried that she’s after your job?

I think your OP probably isn't reflecting your problem properly.
I agree with all the other comments about how she seems proactive, eager to learn etc, but I agree with OP that as a new joiner (particularly temp staff + I am guessing quite junior) she should take a step back and learn how things are ran (and why!) before trying to change everything.
I have had some colleagues and direct reports like that, with lots of new ideas that comes across as critics and basically suggesting the existing team is dumb for not implementing them sooner - when there are good reasons why.
It also shows that doesn't really understand the difference between theory from her training and the reality of the workplace.

OP: rather than shutting her down, I would suggest a different way for her to discuss her suggestions. She should come to you as line manager when she has questions about your practices or want to try something different.
For the training, it's clear cut that she is not entitled to the funding, so again I would just make it very clear that she is expected to reach out to experienced staff to develop her learning.

This - sounds as though you feel threatened by her.

She sounds brilliant! If you could view this from an outsiders point of view you'd see what a great asset she could be for your company.

On one hand you're unhappy that she's being proactive and vocalising her experience of how things can be done......but then you're saying she's NOT publicising how much she understands subjects and processes. Sounds like she can't win.

This isn't typed in a judgemental tone of voice, but a kindly one....
.but you sound threatened. Like you're trying to quell her and dampen her down because it makes you feel uncomfortable. Regardless of how you handle her please please consider some of what she's saying. There's nothing worse than a "but we've always done it this way" manager. I've had that manager and I've been that manager so I'm speaking from bitter experience!

Your current way of working can’t be that good - the company isn’t making enough money to allow budget for staff training.

why would she come to you lot with your years of experience if you aren’t up to date with the current research?

The training thing is easy to address, just tell her that your company doesn’t pay for training for temporary staff.

As you are her line manager you can address all of these issues easily, in a forthright manner. You need her to complete X or Y, the company procedure is as described, you have not hired her to change it.

I've never worked in anything but the public sector so this might not go down well. I worked with someone like this. They had read the legislation and thought that doing something different would be better. The only trouble was that she did it and the end result was that the customer had to be paid compensation because they hadn't followed the legislation. It's fine to be keen, it's great to want to get ahead, offering ideas on how to improve is fine, but those of us who had been doing the job forever knew the pitfalls of just changing things without thinking. Clearly I don't know what sort of work you do, I don't know if anything I have said applies , but being new doesn't always mean doing things better.
I would thank her for her suggestions and say you will consider them and do so , but explain that you can't offer training while she is a temp. Maybe you could ask her to perform a particular task that would be helpful and stretch her abilities?

I thought this was going to be a reverse at first.

Its hard entering a new workplace when the team are set in their ways and can’t think in a different way - not because they’re inexperienced but because they’re living it.

If you worked somewhere new, you’d spot things I’m sure.

She’s not stupid and will be able to tell there’s a lack of resources. Just listen every now and then and see if she has a point about things.

She sounds great tbh and much needed - stagnation kills companies. They rest on their laurels because something's worked in the past and fail to adapt quickly when things do change; well-documented phenomenon, companies that lasted decades/centuries vanish.

Why on earth would she go crawling to a bunch of dusty judgy better-than-thous for their 'expertise and experience'. I'd rather go on a proper course and enjoy myself.

Don't worry OP, you'll grind her down eventually and she'll take her innovation to a competitor and leave you in peace.

why didn’t anyone say anything before it got to that?

Sometimes a new perspective is a good thing. Why are you so resistant to their ideas?

So, OP

Yes you are being unreasonable. You have a keen, motivated, proactive person in your team who wants to help.improve things, yet all of your posts suggests you're the blocker as you're putting things in the way. You come across as stifling ideas and talent.

Why on earth does a new person need to sit quietly in the corner and watch for a while, rather than get fully involved and be engaged? Sounds like an awful workplace culture.

Why not get behind her ideas and support her and see how things can improve. I can't think of a single job that can't be improved with new thinking as change is constant.

Innovate or die...

But there is nothing wrong with the way we run things currently and it has worked for the team, and the company, for many years

But maybe things could work better? Why stagnate just because ‘it works okay’? Honestly, sounds like a dinosaur of a company with staff that just don’t like change. I pity the person, and hopefully they can move on quickly to somewhere more progressive.

As for the comment that basically said, new people should just come in, shut lit down and shut up (essentially do you don’t all look bad) ………. Again, really hope she escapes soon.

Why did everyone just do what she said? It needs more than one person to sign off on something like that surely?

The company sounds very set in its ways and "we've always done it this way". This has trickled down to as an ethos to the people who've been there "for years". They don't want change. They're happy in their little bubble.

I hope the new member of staff realises how toxic this environment will be (and already is) and gets the hell out asap.

You are not being unreasonable to find her a bit annoying.
But you are unreasonable to want to stop her being proactive/ seeking out training and ways to update and progress things. That's a really good way to be. I've had to do that at my fairly recent new place of work, as they'd been 'doing things like this for years' and were years behind the current way of doing things. Training is good. Change is good.