Stroppy member of staff

[Warbride]

I have just taken on a Managers role in a retil outlet. I have an Assistant Manager and 2 full timers. The one full timer has been there from when the shop opened in August. She has taken a dislike to me and is proving to be very difficult. Not pulling her weight on the shop floor, complaining if I ask her to do anything and pulls faces and sighs, the list is endless.

Today it came to a head and the assistant and i called her into our office for an informal chat. She claims that I make her do things that no,one else wants to do, these tasks are things that have to be done and is part of the usual routines of the shop. I have made allowances for her giving her time off on the weekends to spend with her partner etc and generally tried to be as nice as possible.

Am I right to assume that I can pull her into the office for an informal chat? without it turning into a verbal warning?

I am worried that this could escalate

Does your company do reviews? if so bring the matter(s) up again, if the issue continues during the review. You're the manager, so perfectly within your rights to have an informal chat in the office, without it being a verbal warning, but if you need to take it further, which you may have to, make sure you consult your company handbook, which should contain all your policys. HTH's.

Cheers Boris, unfortunately the company is quite laid back, and the directors are very hands on. Because I have only been with the company for about 5 weeks, I don't want to look like I am jackbooting about and being heavy handed.

She is a nightmare, I caught her texting on the shop floor the other day, so said to all the staff this morning to make sure that all phones were left in the staffroom and on silent. If urgent contact is needed from a family member then the shops main number can be rung.

I don't want to contact the area manager because I have had to go to her recently with a couple of other things and don't want to look like I can't manage. Its quite hard.

Girl has promised to buck her ideas up but I get the feeling that it won't last long.

We (assistant and I playedon the "we are concerned about you thing") as to why she was unhapy at work. She has just graduated and is working for me just to pay the bills but she says she is bored yet if I give her something to do, I get accused of "giving her all the shit jobs to do"

You have my sympathies, people who don't really want to be doing the job they are doing are hard work.....I always make a point of being honest with them (I'm happy to call a spade a spade) and encourage them to apply for jobs they think they may like better,(inside or outside of the company) whilst also making sure they're aware of the routes of progression through the company, so that if they think they're better than the job they're in, they can apply to progress! Seriously though, you shouldn't be afraid of speaking with the area manager, they're supposed to be there to support you directly, as your immediate manager They should also appreciate that you're new to the job and learning the managerial ropes too!

You must be very careful that you are not seen to be bullying her. Seems a bit heavy handed to have wanted an informal chat, but to have both you and the Assistant Manager in the meeting.

You use the term 'pull her into the office' which sounds like you might be taking a heavy approach to this.

I would have a review and I would go in with an open mind to her issues about being asked to do things that others aren't asked to do.

I would document it, and send the document to her, asking if she agrees or wants to make changes, and sign it.

it should include clear illustration of what she wants, what you want, how this will be facilliated and how you will measure and feedback.

You need to also be able to demonstrate that she isn't being asked to do the 'shitty end of the job' and that others arent - ie: everyone gets a turn at the boring/unpleasant bits and the more interesting/stimulating bits.

oh God, ive got 93 of these people in my establishment, nightmare. I feel for you.

When you have her in the office always have some one else with you, witness.

Document everything that is said and keep it in a ledger, mine are marked "cause for concern"

Establish an agreed work contract, what is expected of you as her manager to support her, what is expected of her as an employee, albeit the same as every other fecker else in the establishment, get her to sign it.

Try rotas to establish a fair and open system of delegating tasks, so that every one has to do them.
Find out the companies stance on mobile phones on the shop floor, print off posters, put them up in the staff rooms etc, they need to know that it is unacceptable to be texting... all of them, not just one individual.

You are not there to be nice, you are there to manage her, so get a hard head about it.

These diva princesses get such a lot of pampering it drives me fecking mad. They are there to do a job and do it properly, they cant expect to not be pulled up if they are falling short...not in this climate anyway.

I am a hard faced cow, but have had to be, forced into it over the years. I did start off nice.

Cheers girls thanks for the support. This has been a real pain, and i am still green when it comes to dealing with this sort of thing.

Great advice from Brokenoven - I too am a hard faced cow, but have retained some of my niceness, I hope.

I always try and explain why I've made the decisions I have, and I always try to be straight with people.

But it is so difficult sometimes when you just want to say 'oh grow up, pull yourself together, and get on with it!'.

Warbridge it's all a massive learning curve. I'm quite an experienced manager now, but when I was first promoted into management I didn't have a clue and wasn't offered any training or support. It kind of feels like 'there you go, off you go and sort out all the problems' and it is very daunting.

I found reading general management and leadership books really helpful - and online stuff too.

Good luck!

PS: loving the term 'diva princesses' - I have one at my place, god she drives me nuts!