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?

She's temporary so will be looking for a new job soon? Could you send her my way please?! My team hate change and are stuck in the past. I'd be happy to have her!

The phrase 'we've always done it this way' is a serious red flag for any company.

this!!!! Red flag for a work place ‘we have been doing the same things, pretty much, for years’.

There's a meme I often use in our training sessions.
"The most dangerous phrase in the language- we've always done it this way".

I agree about the red flags. A company unwilling to undertake much CPD is a big one.

I've lost track of the number of times, in job interviews, colleagues have asked about "thinking outside of the box" and "leaving your comfort zone".

These are invariably the same colleagues who are so far inside the box that they can't even see the walls, and go into meltdown when the appointee actually takes them at their word.

You sound stifling and actually a bit jealous. Not sure what industry you work in. But things change, working practices change.
Personally I couldn't work for a company or an individual with such narrow mindedness.

Seriously hope she finds somewhere else to blossom.

A lot

I like the sound of her, she’s got initiative. The main thing is regular supervisions (weekly, monthly, fortnightly or whatever) with the emphasis being on you helping her build good working practices, meeting targets. Anyone with good management skills would be able to bring the best out of her.

I've got a book of management scenarios which has exactly this! Not sure if I'd be allowed to quote a whole paragraph but it talks about needing to balance having a grip on the work, encouraging autonomy, and making sure the work is done as efficiently as possible. It also talks about needing to have the humility to be able to assess criticisms on their merit. Sounds spot on to me.

This has got to be a reverse. No workplace would present themselves like this. I suspect faults on both sides (naturally). New ideas can be great amd need to be considered and tested , but some won't be, and experienced workers, will be able to see the pitfalls of the not so great. Newby needs to consider that too.

YABU

you sound of the view that you all think it’s great. No wonder she wants external training with external ideas rather than just from an echo chamber.

Tell her the funding challenges and ask her to find a solution! With fresh eyes on things, she may spot “things you’ve always done” which could be wasteful.

YAalsoBU to be irritated so quickly. She’s only just learning your company and you’re only just learning about her.

Brookes, is it “who moved my cheese”?

Your colleague sounds brilliant! Who in their right mind sits back in a new job? You go all out to impress, maybe with the hope of being made permanent. Your company sounds like a bunch of dinosaurs, all complaining because you are being shown up by a temp. Hopefully your colleague goes onto bigger and better things.

She's enthusiastic and doing good things. You sound jealous of her drive

@Believeitornot because they just went ahead without asking anyone. By the time it was discovered the decision had been made, and the person concerned had sought legal advice. The member of staff was keen but hadn't listened to people who had done the job donkeys years.

I worked at a place like this, the average person had worked there for 7 years, most closer to 15, and some up to 30! Safe to say no one liked change, I only managed to stay a year and that's only because I had to! In hindsight I probably was also too critical and full of myself, although even now I do think most of m ideas were valid

Except you have no funds and get irritated by newcomers with good ideas and extensive knowledge. Hmm...

The long term sick colleague will be back soon. Who will need to embrace any changes I'd hope. So ideas should be made now and considered then?

And no, it doesn't take more than one person to sign off the decision made. That is the whole point. The person concerned was told and had training in how to make decisions, they decided, that knowing best, a shortcut would work.So ,instead of following legislation and procedure they took a shortcut. The shortcut wasn't correct and did not allow the customer to then continue to the next stage of requesting that the original decision be reconsidered. The compensation was in respect of the customer not being able to ask for reconsideration. I am putting it this way so as not to identify the member of staff or customer.
Next time anyone thinks the public sector is pedantic, please bear in mind that the customer can ask for decisions to be reconsidered and can ask for the Ombudsman to assist if maladministration has occurred.

“We’ve always done it that way.”

I hear this a lot when I go into companies. It’s usually a marker that they won’t change, can’t change. It usually doesn’t end well for the staff that don’t begin to change, and if the mgmt are happy with the status quo, you can see the beginning of the end for the company.

Sorry but you seem to fall into this camp

I’m not keen on your temp btw, but I think you have bigger problems.

Ah right. Thats awful

This reads like a reverse to me?
Is it?

‘Dial it down’, OP. Sorry, but had to say it!

I agree entirely with everyone saying they sympathise with her. Is your team really as expert in current practice as you say if nothing has changed for so long?

I have never seen "trainings" before. I believe the plural is training. Just because it's always been done this way doesn't mean there isn't room for growth.

She possibly doesn't feel comfortable to going colleagues and her manager to learn more as they have made it clear they don't like change or growth and company doesn't value CPD. Well why would it, CPD is all about continuous improvement.

Refreshing comments.

why is she temping?