Employee feels micromanaged if I give her tasks with deadlines

[calmama]

I manage a person who is generally difficult. She objects to… well everything and undermines me at every chance she gets.

When she first started working for me we sat down together and established a work plan to get our job done and keep us on track to meet deadlines. We agreed I would assign daily tasks and we would meet weekly to discuss progress on projects along with anything new we had to take on, along with any business changes, leave, etc.

Weeks down the line she exploded at me for colour coding priorities, saying the urgent (red) tasks were ‘very unfriendly and freaking her out’. I took the red out.

A few weeks later she exploded at me for ‘micromanaging and bullying her’ by sending her daily priorities, despite this being agreed upon from the very start. I asked for an alternative way of progressing projects. She had none.

Today she exploded at me for setting deadlines because they ‘stress her out’. Again, I asked her for an alternative way of doing things and she had none.

I’m at a loss. She’s doing honestly the bare minimum and can’t seem to cope. I’m having to pick up her slack because otherwise my team looks bad, yet I’m still copping the brunt of her rage and there’s no end in sight.

AIBU to throw my hands in the air and take a long vacation?

Snail 🐌 ffs 🐌😂😂😂😂

I think it’s fair to say , after all your updates , that you did lots to try and help . How long has she worked there ? Is she still on the probation period?
I would discuss things with HR , if she is not doing her tasks now I would just let her fail to achieve anything , make sure your interactions are in writhing too so she doesn’t accuse you of anything ( which will probably happen as people like her don’t mind walking on others to achieve their goals ) .
I had somewhat similar situation 2 years ago . A new junior , for some reason assumed the world revolved around her , actually did a good job initially but when it was challenged to start doing more complex stuff ( as everyone else is ) completely refused , even threatened to walk out . I tried my best with her and then went on maternity leave leaving someone else in my place . She tried the same technique with him within one week without realising he was a senior partner and …. Well she was gone when I returned a year after . I can’t stand idle people , honestly , we had Ana amazing team that kept letting down by one person and was affecting us all

I wonder if her behaviour is a reaction to yours?
I'd look at trying to find a workable solution first, if she's not cooperative then have it jointly with HR, the implication being that if she won't help find a solution you might need to take another route.

It's very hard, I've had difficult staff before and it's stressful

Surely of any of us were being micro managed by a new boss we'd just get on and do the tasks as requested for a few weeks, copying in them in and updating them.

Then after a bit discuss doubt it differently as we'd proved ourselves competent (and if we hate that style consider moving)

We wouldn't just refuse to do any of the tasks at all!

It doesn’t matter if they are a BA or not. They work in project based work and this is the norm.

You’d think so, wouldn’t you? Too sensible for some, I guess.

We have tasks set daily
Basically there is our main job and then side tasks
Our manager puts them into a spreadsheet with our names next to them and we email and highlight once completed
Every so often we get an email which says sorry please change to working this spreadsheet first or swap back to the previous one

It didn't used to have our names allocated but because people did fuck all, they now have to allocate them. People still do fuck all but it's now very obvious on the spreadsheet who is working

She is quite clearly taking the p*! Needs competency process! She bucks up or she loss her job!

If it couldn't get any worse it's time to get rid of her. Micromanaging wastes everyone's time.

With that attitude, I don’t think you’d need to worry about whether you wanted to leave or not. You’d find out pretty quickly that it was happening!

Agree - sounds like micro management why are you sending daily reminders don’t you trust her ?

age obviously feels under pressure because you are piling on pressure with your alerts .

I’m a union rep at my place of work and there are two sides to every story sometimes it’s just about how the message is delivered and received .

daily pings piss people off . Can’t they be trusted to deliver as agreed from offset ?

She's not doing the work. How else would you deal with that?

Why are you asking me ?

that question needs to go to OP she is the manager

Because you said she was dealing with it incorrectly. If i understood you properly.

No you did not read it correctly

And you did not understand it correctly

Seems like something I could get done in a morning let alone a week. What is she doing with her time? Deadlines are a normal part of work, she’d have a hissy fit if she worked in my industry if that’s her attitude.

maybe use a trello board or similar to document the tasks and let her pick them up as she will. But make her performance part of her performance reviews instead of a daily thing. If she can’t do the job autonomously, she needs either to go, or to be micromanaged.

Basically, make the tasks available to her but don’t micromanage her, and let her fail of her own account (she will).

Sounds like there should be a referral to HR and competency proceedings instigated. There are too many workplaces carrying shit employees

OP left her alone for two weeks when she first started. Her response to that was to do nothing at all. Why would OP arrange a repeat?

It sounds to me as if the employee is bullying the OP. Her yelling, lying and getting upset when caught not having done her work and using such lame excuses for not doing her job, are all tactics of bullies.

She deserves to be fired, since she cannot do a day's worth of tasks in a whole week.

I am also laughing at all the posters defending this lazy azzed person. Seems as many see the way that employee works is fine, and it's okay to collect a salary and not do any work. I guess that several have that employee's work ethic and use the same tactics of self-aggrandized victimhood and bullying to get their way.

Some time ago I was micromanaged by a boss and found it really debilitating. It didn't help that I found out, after joining the company, that my predecessor had left due to feeling bullied by said boss. Also, many of us staff questioned this boss's mental health re potential OCD issues. Eventually I approached senior management to have it out, and both me and my boss were interviewed. My side was heard and accepted and I no longer had to work with my boss. I was autonomous. Very shortly after, she left the company.
The other thing I'd mention - I don't know how old you are, but I find the workplace very different today. Young people don't accept hierarchy very easily and I don't think that's a bad thing. Micromanaging to me is often about grappling with your own insecurities and fear of the competition. Your assistant got this job somehow and so is considered capable of doing it. I'd be pushing her comfort zone and getting her to stretch her abilities. Micro managing is a waste of your time - and hers.

Is this her whole entire job??? Are there jobs out there that give a week to accomplish an hours worth of work??

sign me up!!!!!

@Sumthingsweet new tasks come in daily to the manager. How is the employee to know what is required of her unless the manager tells her?

The employee is lazy, lies to her manager, shouts at her and doesn't do the work she is allocated. Without "micromanaging" she would do no work at all.

You would know this if you had read all the OP's updates.

@Icelandia it is very clear the OP isn't micromanaging the employee. She is just conveying to her what is required of her. The OP has updated several times.

Indeed. I was “upwards bullied” by someone I line managed.

It cost the company a five figure sum down the line, because my line manager hadn’t supported me despite me raising the issue more than once.

That’s why I can’t stress enough that the OP should go to HR and get proper advice and support.