Employee hasn't liked her role for the past 4 years

[holidayblues25]

I started in my new role as manager 6 months ago and she just came back from ML.

My manager (who used to manage her) just told me she hasn't been happy for many, many years, but that she has stayed even though it's very apparent she isn't happy.

We're thinking of starting to involve HR as her quality of work is subpar (she's already been on a PIP before).

I'm new to this role so don't really know how to proceed. When it happened to me, my then manager told me she's help me "leave" (although my circumstances were slightly different).

So AIBU to think we need to build a case? Being unhappy is obviously not a reason for dismissal. Or somebody has to be brutally honest with her, but that might backfire.

Whether she is happy at work or not is not really your problem.

Obviously happy employees are generally better for an organization and if you can be flexible and make them happy then everyone is better off. So if there is a job in the company that's a closer match to what she'd like to be doing, I would try and facilitate a move to that job. And she's expressed that it doesn't match her skill set. After 4 years of doing it, presumably adequately, that seems a bit lame and sounds like more of a "I don't like doing that sort of thing" than a "I can't do that sort of thing". However, it may be she's never received the training or education that would make her feel confident or able to excel in the way she could in her old role so you could potentially offer training. But ultimately, if she doesn't like the work and that's the work you need doing - that's not something you fix. She just needs to get on with it or find another job.

So I would focus on her performance. If she brings up that she's unhappy I would be quite blunt - This is the job we have and the work we need doing, that's not going to change.

If she isn't doing the job you need her to then a PIP is the way to go. But doing that when she's just back from maternity might be problematic and even more so if her performance is the same as it's always been and no one's pulled her up on it before now - your HR department should be guiding you on how you manage that.

Just because you handle a situation one way, doesn't mean that it's logical that everyone else would.

There are many reasons why someone will stay in a job they don't like. If she even doesn't, sounds awfully like hearsay to me.

She needs support post-maternity leave, not to be managed out.

It's not hearsay she openly told me she dislikes (and has never liked) her role.

OK, that doesn't negate the rest of my answer though

I think it's really suspicious that previous manager took no action for four years, but now it's being suggested you, the new person, does do something. why didn't they? Sounds like your manager is trying to get you to do something she wanted to do, but was too nervous of repercussions

Maybe, but the reality is that we're also a bloated team, and the company is not doing as well as before.

There was the hope that she could move to a different team and be happier. I did ask her about it, as in my IMO her wants align more with that team, but she said that team was a bad fit too.

It's literally in the first line of the opening post.

Thank you that's helpful.

She's previously been on a PIP that she's passed, but I don't know when it happened.

OP states that her work isn't good enough.

Being capable of doing something and actually doing it are two different things.

OP probably thinks she's capable because she hasn't done anything that shows she, for instance, lacks the necessary knowledge. But that doesn't mean that she is actually producing work of the quality or quantity expected, or that she is meeting the deadlines required, etc.

Ha I don't! as I have already said when I and my jobshare partner took over and merged several teams, one of our first tasks was to address the problem of staff who had been allowed to go their own sweet way for years.

The op clearly states the quality of work is subpar- that means not up to standard
the op doesn’t have to explain why and in fact I would recommend she doesn’t

She's made mistakes, that's accurate. Clients have complained (about her previous work).

I don't know is she's "capable" but her quality is definitely not in the same level of the people she says she's more experienced than. Her work quality is objectively lower than her peers.

There are other bits that I couldn't care less but my manager thinks are a big deal.

She hasn't said the employee fails to warrant PIP. She's said they're considering one. But she hasn't gone into any details of why because she isn't asking for advise on how to handle the performance issues, so why would she? I don't think the potential PIP is relevant, it just provides context.

If you're just pointing out a PIP isn't a solution to an employee whose only issue is they complain about not liking their job, then I totally agree.

EXACTLY! And I don't agree with any PIP they're demoralising!