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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to formally tell HR I think new employee is too slow and potentially a liar?

277 replies

simbale · 19/04/2026 07:14

I work closely with a new employee. They joined from another company and it was known that they didn’t really have the right experience for the job, but hoping they can learn fast.

This employee is a nice person, but they are just so slow. We have tight deadlines and she never wants to tell me an exact time she will finish something if I ask “when will X be done?”. She just says “hopefully by tomorrow” rather than “by 11am tomorrow”.

Recently I had to work really late to finish a work product because my boss was chasing me for it, but the new employee had sat on it because she didn’t know how to do it and was “busy”.

I recently found out that she has been telling another manager of my level that she couldn’t take on more work for him because she is super busy with my work. She told me the exact same thing the same day, that she couldn’t take on more work for me because she was super busy with his work.

I don’t know it, but it sounds like she is playing one off against the other to avoid work. AIBU to put this in formal feedback with HR?

I obviously don’t know for sure, and she seems very eager to learn when I have time to train her.

OP posts:
Left · 19/04/2026 08:17

It would help to know more about the nature of her role, the wider business and if she is a direct report of yours.

In my workplace, some teams have SLAs to respond to emails within an hour so that doesn’t seem unusual to me. Also if an employee is in probation and underperforming then I would also expect you to raise that with your line manager and HR (if you are her line manager). If you are not her manager then this is one to pick up with your line manager, as it is affecting your workload and causing you to work over.

likelysuspect · 19/04/2026 08:19

This is the woman with the dogs again isnt it?

JurgenKloppsTeeth · 19/04/2026 08:19

“When I have time to train her” - so are you the barrier to her getting up to speed in her role? Is she so busy trying to respond to your emails within an hour (which is ridiculous unless there is a policy or agreement in place) that she can’t get her work done? How many emails are you sending her?

If I were her I would be looking for a new job; this sounds miserable.

Lightuptheroom · 19/04/2026 08:20

What is your role in relation to hers?
If she's 'too slow' in your opinion, it sounds like she may be struggling to work out the priorities in the workload. It's very easy when you've been in a job a while to criticise, but for example I moved to a new role a month ago and have had to ask a lot of questions because the 'way' they prioritise work in this team is very very differemt to my previous team.
Answering your emails in 1 hour is unrealistic unless it's a statutory process (in my process all emails from a particular inbox have to be acknowledged the same day)
I was also struck by 'when I have time to train her' How much actual training has she had or are you using 'might as well find out for yourself' which is quite daunting as you just don't know who to ask.
So, yes, you could speak to your line manager as to how to upskill her properly (confused how you know she was selected without having the 'right' skills for the job, which sounds like you wanted someone else to be honest) In over 30 years of working to tight deadlines I've also never been able to give an exact time, particularly if also doing work for someone else as well.

TheNinkyNonkyIsATardis · 19/04/2026 08:25

So she's:

  • known to need training
  • hasn't received all the training she needs
  • is three months in
  • is working for multiple managers
  • doesn't come from a culture of 1h turnaround

And you think she's the problem, not your onboarding?

CarpetSlipper · 19/04/2026 08:26

You don’t sound very experienced yourself OP?
She’s new to the role and requires training. It doesn’t sound like a very supportive environment for her. I would be looking at ways to train her and build confidence rather than just telling her she needs to be faster and giving her orders. She will naturally be faster as she learns. I also think you could do with training on managing people and communication.

PersephonePomegranate · 19/04/2026 08:27

Whi was responsible for hiring her and who is supposed to be trainer her?

You can't hire someone you know doesn't have the relevant sxpeurence and not train them.

At three months, has she had her probation review yet?

Auroraloves · 19/04/2026 08:29

What support have you provided?

When you need specific deadlines are you communicating this?

Original poster
simbale · 19/04/2026 08:30

No, her probation is almost up. I put the feedback here into her HR report. We don’t have line managers per se. I am much more experienced than her, I’ve been in this type of role for around 6 years total, she’s less than a year in.

OP posts:
DownyBirch · 19/04/2026 08:31

I obviously don’t know for sure, and she seems very eager to learn when I have time to train her.

This jumped out at me. Is the problem that she just hasn't been trained?

jackstini · 19/04/2026 08:32

If you could please reply to all the questions we could maybe help more

With info so far - you are being very unreasonable

AngryHerring · 19/04/2026 08:33

what was the onboarding process like?

Why aren't you saying "i need this by x date y time" instead of asking a complete newbie, who you know doesn't have all the skills and experience to handle the work in the way you want?

Have you done any management training?

Anyway: HR aren't there to manage your lack of management or an employee's performance, that is down to managers. Newbies need a one-to-one mentor for their onboarding and a realistic time-frame to get up to speed.

Overall your company needs to overhall it's recruiting and management processes

Howmanycatsistoomany · 19/04/2026 08:34

but the new employee had sat on it because she didn’t know how to do it

Suggests the brief provided too her (by you?) was inadequate. And did you not check in with her before the deadline day to see how she was getting on?

I obviously don’t know for sure, and she seems very eager to learn when I have time to train her.

You don't know for sure but you're going to report her to HR? Jeez.
If she's not been trained properly, is it really surprising she doesn't know how to do things? Why haven't you made time to provide training to a new employee?

It sounds very much like the new employee is struggling because the people who are supposed to be training and supporting her aren't!

HoraceCope · 19/04/2026 08:34

you should both be aware of who is giving her what

elessar · 19/04/2026 08:34

simbale · 19/04/2026 08:30

No, her probation is almost up. I put the feedback here into her HR report. We don’t have line managers per se. I am much more experienced than her, I’ve been in this type of role for around 6 years total, she’s less than a year in.

What do you mean you don’t have line managers?

what is your structure? Who approves your annual leave or deals with performance issues?

she might not be very good but whatever set up you have also seems designed to trip people up, if they have no formal management or support system, no clear training path, and they’re getting given tasks by lots of different people without any ability to prioritise.

Original poster
simbale · 19/04/2026 08:34

I have spent around four hours 1:1 guiding her through tasks over the course of 3 months. But even when I tell her exactly how to do something (and she takes detailed notes) the work product is not what I expect and I then have to spend a long time editing.

OP posts:
AngryHerring · 19/04/2026 08:35

simbale · 19/04/2026 07:55

I have told her several times that she needs to be faster. She needs to aim to respond to my emails she gets within one hour, for example.

meh. That is a shit guideline

if you have processes (and replying to emails within one hour comes under that) they need to be outlined properly

Interrupting your work to reply to a possibly unrelated email within an hour is an utterly shit "process". If you need something urgently, talk to her.

ZookeeperSE · 19/04/2026 08:35

when I have time to train her

Tells us everything we need to know about what the overarching issue is. And it isn’t her.

ExtraOnions · 19/04/2026 08:35

You don’t have line management? Either that’s not true, or the place is very oddly set up. I’ve never worked anywhere where there are no Line Managers .. sounds like a recipe for chaos.

Does anyone else have issues with her work?

TheCurious0range · 19/04/2026 08:36

If someone told me I had to reply to their email within the hour I'd laugh.

If she's working across multiple people how is her workload being coordinated and who is actually training her? 4 hours in 3 months is insufficient, unless it's like the job I had when I was a student where I had to put all files before a specified date in a massive shredder.
Is she being given smart deadlines around her tasks given she's new to the business and won't know what's an organisational priority

GottaCatchSomeOfEm · 19/04/2026 08:36

simbale · 19/04/2026 08:34

I have spent around four hours 1:1 guiding her through tasks over the course of 3 months. But even when I tell her exactly how to do something (and she takes detailed notes) the work product is not what I expect and I then have to spend a long time editing.

I don't know what line of work you're in but four hours training does not sound sufficient.

Doingtheboxerbeat · 19/04/2026 08:36

CarpetSlipper · 19/04/2026 08:26

You don’t sound very experienced yourself OP?
She’s new to the role and requires training. It doesn’t sound like a very supportive environment for her. I would be looking at ways to train her and build confidence rather than just telling her she needs to be faster and giving her orders. She will naturally be faster as she learns. I also think you could do with training on managing people and communication.

All of this 👆.

These are the types of environments I leave during my lunch hour, never to return and then later find out that the person who made my new job so overwhelming, was moved on because other new starters evidently braver than me, spoke out about them .

AngryHerring · 19/04/2026 08:39

simbale · 19/04/2026 08:34

I have spent around four hours 1:1 guiding her through tasks over the course of 3 months. But even when I tell her exactly how to do something (and she takes detailed notes) the work product is not what I expect and I then have to spend a long time editing.

yeah - you and/or your company have a serious onboarding issue generally.
Specifically with this team member who needs upskilling? if i could advise her directly: complain to HR that your onboarding was shit and look for a new job.

PinoirNot · 19/04/2026 08:40

simbale · 19/04/2026 08:34

I have spent around four hours 1:1 guiding her through tasks over the course of 3 months. But even when I tell her exactly how to do something (and she takes detailed notes) the work product is not what I expect and I then have to spend a long time editing.

Four hours of training isn’t adequate for any job. Even a call centre job comes with more training than that.

It reads as though you don’t like this new member of staff and that you’re doing all you can to block her from staying with the company by sabotaging her.

Unpleasant.

LizzieSiddal · 19/04/2026 08:40

GottaCatchSomeOfEm · 19/04/2026 08:36

I don't know what line of work you're in but four hours training does not sound sufficient.

Show quote history

This!

It sounds like she’s not received the correct training for her new role.

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