Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What do you do when your manager isn't doing their job?

12 replies

kintra · 05/02/2024 13:56

At the end of my tether with this. I'm in a reasonably senior position myself, but my direct line manager has basically checked out since covid. The rest of the team are hybrid, with one day a week max. WFH. We're lucky if she appears in the office once a week. She has children and pets at home, and I'm pretty sure she's not actually working all her hours. I'm not sure exactly what she's doing. She seems to be on calls all day but with no obvious outputs. It's come to a head today as I asked her to carry out a specific (small! But important) task while I was off on Friday, and she just hasn't bothered.

Her direct line manager is off long-term sick. Nobody has been appointed to cover that post. I have no idea where to go for help and how to do it, without basically accusing line manager of laziness with no proof. The whole team is fed up and aware of the issues, it's causing a lot of resentment. Any suggestions on how to approach this (without putting myself in the firing line, ideally)?

Edit - sorry about the poll, forgot to remove

OP posts:
mummylove24 · 05/02/2024 14:54

Sorry you’re going through this, did you ask her to cover you on Friday by email or verbally? I would keep everything in an email and CC in others, don’t do it on Teams/Webex whichever you use. Because eventually you will have to raise it with HR.

LauraNorda · 05/02/2024 15:05

My supervisor is the same.

I've just come to terms with it and have checked out myself. I do the bare minimum now and just refer anyone who moans to her.

MalewhoisLaffinalltheway · 05/02/2024 15:17

You're not alone, I've got one aswell!

We can work from home one day a week, (hers is a Tuesday). But if the current train strikes affect her trains on a Tuesday, without fail she says she's got a medical appointment on Mon/Wed/Thurs or Friday so she'll be working from home that day as well. And even then she does F all!

You get 3 emails a day from her. Morning, Going for lunch and goodnight!

Cookiecrumblepie · 05/02/2024 15:25

create a paper trail documenting her incompetence. Refer people to her directly so they call her. Don’t help her with anything, let her handle her own work. Eventually she will have to do something, if she delegates something to you, refuse to do it and just let it sit with her.

LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 05/02/2024 15:32

Good luck. I called out my faculty head to his link deputy head with a list of things he wasn't keeping on top off or was actively ignoring. I got my knuckles rapped. It was assumed to be jealousy because I hadn't got the job. Far from it. Eventually I retired early because he was so lazy and expected everyone else in the department to do his job. He's worse now than ever

Original poster
kintra · 05/02/2024 15:45

LadyMacbethssweetArabianhand · 05/02/2024 15:32

Good luck. I called out my faculty head to his link deputy head with a list of things he wasn't keeping on top off or was actively ignoring. I got my knuckles rapped. It was assumed to be jealousy because I hadn't got the job. Far from it. Eventually I retired early because he was so lazy and expected everyone else in the department to do his job. He's worse now than ever

This is my fear. I take it this was public sector? Me too, so there's no real motivation to kick out the workshy wastes of space! I'm 33 😭 I have decades of this to go

@LauraNorda that's what I've been doing for the past year tbh. I do the absolute bare minimum, and still she praises me for it. She has no idea. The problem is I have no real job satisfaction, and also her poor effort is starting to block me completing other pieces of work for others, which will make me look bad.

OP posts:
Gall10 · 05/02/2024 15:56

kintra · 05/02/2024 13:56

At the end of my tether with this. I'm in a reasonably senior position myself, but my direct line manager has basically checked out since covid. The rest of the team are hybrid, with one day a week max. WFH. We're lucky if she appears in the office once a week. She has children and pets at home, and I'm pretty sure she's not actually working all her hours. I'm not sure exactly what she's doing. She seems to be on calls all day but with no obvious outputs. It's come to a head today as I asked her to carry out a specific (small! But important) task while I was off on Friday, and she just hasn't bothered.

Her direct line manager is off long-term sick. Nobody has been appointed to cover that post. I have no idea where to go for help and how to do it, without basically accusing line manager of laziness with no proof. The whole team is fed up and aware of the issues, it's causing a lot of resentment. Any suggestions on how to approach this (without putting myself in the firing line, ideally)?

Edit - sorry about the poll, forgot to remove

? Public sector It’s standard. Nothing will be done-believe me!

Original poster
kintra · 05/02/2024 16:00

@Gall10 bingo, got it in one! It's ridiculous and so frustrating for those of us who want to work hard

OP posts:
Original poster
kintra · 05/02/2024 20:12

Bumping for the night time crowd... Any advice?

OP posts:
GeneCity · 05/02/2024 20:20

Sounds awful, I'd look for a new job.

Ididntknowuntiliknew · 05/02/2024 21:13

Similar situation. Looking for new employment.

LauraNorda · 06/02/2024 14:52

kintra · 05/02/2024 15:45

This is my fear. I take it this was public sector? Me too, so there's no real motivation to kick out the workshy wastes of space! I'm 33 😭 I have decades of this to go

@LauraNorda that's what I've been doing for the past year tbh. I do the absolute bare minimum, and still she praises me for it. She has no idea. The problem is I have no real job satisfaction, and also her poor effort is starting to block me completing other pieces of work for others, which will make me look bad.

Show quote history

Email the ones who are waiting for work to be completed pointing out who is holding things up. You will have a clear paper trail and if her name keeps cropping up, something might be done but public sector . . .

New posts on this thread. Refresh page