New Manager needs help with difficult employee

[newmanager]

ive namechanged becuase i dont want this to end up as evidence in a hearing or anything though most of you will work out who i am i spose. don't mention my name though.

new job, 2nd week in. when i started my manager talked to me about a particular girl, another member of staff had commented on her timekeeping.

so i like to give people the benefit of the doubt, it was a new place - i was wary of cliqueyness - and i thought maybe my manager and my other member of staff who had both been with the organisation for some time - were being a bit cliquey - and so i resolved to give mahoosive benefit of doubt and make my own mind up.

so i have been noticing big piss take with time, starting later, abusing flexi, using blackberry to put something in calendar 30 mins before due in office to say she is picking something up for work etc..

so i had already spoken to my other members of staff on a 121 basis, informally, trying to get a handle ont heir work on a day to day basis. and thought that i would pick up the timekeeping issue at a meeting i had arranged today - so i am treating everyone equally you see..i think

one staff member back after serious operation and i told her that her welfare was of primary concern - and told her to stop working the extra hours that she does (no financial reward for this, generally love of the job i think)

i mention this for context.

here we are then.....the issue

so i get an e-mail off blackberry this am from said staff member who says that she had to go to hospital becuase her medical problem had re-occured and she was told to go straight in when it did.'

this is a problem non of us officially knew about.

i replied via e-mail very simply 'keep me informed...regards newmanager'

in the afternoon i get another e=mail telling me that she wouldn't be in for the rest of the say

and ....

' i expectd as my manager you would ask how i was and be more concerned'

i told her that i had expected to speak to her in person - in line with policy, and that although i recognise she is in hospital and this isn't feasible, if she could ring me to discuss when she gets out...i went on to wish her a speedy recovery and tell her that if she needed anything to help her back to work to let me know.

she replied she was very unhappy with my e-mail and i quote "you better give me your mobile number then"

this is on my standarde-mail signature as a matter of course - but i did anyway - and i didn't engage any further.

i'm really upset - i an be accused of many things but not caring is definatley not one of them.

So, this is going to be mighty awkward on monday with a back to work procedure to undertake and then sitting 3 feet from each other.

any advice - i'm not clued up on law or anything, my manager is a bit woolly and the hr people are off sick - there is only a hr assistant to guide me

any advice would be most welcome

NewManager, how have things been going?

thanks for asking beryl

i spoke with my manager after taking the advice not to let her play 'mum and dad' against each other and made sure we were on same page.

manager didnt want to go down occupational health route and suggested that i conduct weekly review meetings to ensure her stresss levels are managed at work.

so i timetables these in, for the staff member to decline saying she doens't need them.

so i think fair enough - im so over this shit. im really run down at the mo and losing patience.

so to ensure that nothing sticks - i wrote a two page report/action plan of what was discussed, what she said she would do to make her circumstanes better - what i offered. where she said she didn't like working for the organisation etc. and sent to my manager saying that i would like her views and i planned on getting staff member to sign that it was an accurate record.

tbh i have my managers e-mail but i was off sick myself after being sent home on monday and returned today and i haven't even read it.

this morning she came in at 10am on the dot in line with flexi and then talked to another member of staff for 25 mins in the kitchen and sked to leav eartly for her hospital appt

however her manner was more pleasant today, i ensured i asked after her wellbeing and told her to make sure that she tells me if anything can be done to facilitate her at work after her hospital appt.

im going to have to check with HR regarding the flexi. im sure you can't just turn up at 10 one day and 9 another day as long as you get your hours in - there must be manager approval surely?

i also have a remote worker complaining that the team mtg is end of oct. and she is left out of the team loop.
and asked if she could have an e-mail update weekly.
she comes in the office every monday to do paperwork - so am gonna tell her she can pick up the phone anytime to talk through projects with her team members to keep herself informed - but i haven't got the time to write a weekly team update for her.

Hmm, I don't think the staff member gets to decline the meetings. If, as a manager, I deemed it necessary to have one to ones with a member of my team, it is not for the member of staff to say she doesn't need them. She can't have it both ways, to claim work stress is causing illness one week, then decline management meetings. She's not only taking the piss, she is also playing power games with you.

In terms of the flexi - I suppose it depends where you work - in our place staff can come in any time up to 10am without prior approval (provided of course that the office is covered), but I would be a bit about coming in late on flexi but expecting to leave early for hospital appointments. I had a member of staff who would do this. Similarly, the days she had first thing appointments, she always put herself down as an 8am start, going directly to the hospital, and arriving at work at 10.30. I put a stop to that, and needless to say she wasn't happy, but she was trying to pull a fast one.

It sounds like you have the backbone to see this through. It's annoying, but you will get a sense of achievement when you see things turning around.

And yes, she sounds like a meanie.

so yesterday i think i have a turn around in attitude - even if the timekeeping needs to be looked at

today MY manager sends me an e-mail telling me that it is unacceptable for said staff member to be wearing shorts - they were knee length and it wasn;t something i had even noticed tbh

my manager tells me i have to have words as its not correct attire

so i had a quick word, kept it light and brief - didn't pass the buck and blame the manager. she immediatley pipes up about looking at the policy - which i had to hand

tbh, this was a non issue and unecessarily picking by my manager i think. i dont like the girl dont get me wrong, but i like to be fair - now i suspect we are back to the beginning.

We've all got one !
One employee that takes up 90 % of your time.

Glad to hear your are coping. I have been watching the thread.

Is there anything that the co can do to support you when dealing with her? I have had coaching previously when having to deal with a couple of tricky situs. It does cost and you need to ask for it, which you might not want to do, but it is SO worth it. Having somebody outside of work to talk, a bit like an expensive mumsnet! I saw a coach for 1.5 hours every 6 weeks. It is a great way to track your achievements with the issue too. It will all seem like a different place in 6 months time.

Anyway, I think you are dealing with it well. And your stance on fairness is great, I also hope to be fair above most things.

Good luck.

I'm not a manager but can imagine working with a tosspiece like this. I think she's wound you right round her finger and you need support from your own manager (eg both of you in a meeting with her) to get it clear in her head who exactly runs the place- ie NOT HER!

If she's still on probation and is a complete PITA then I would sack her. Sorry, but that's how it is.

Is there any company policy on hospital appointments? At our place you are expected to make appointments in your own time if at all possible. So if we had flexi then I would expect employees to come in at 9 on a day they had to leave early.

As for the hospital visit when her "problem" reoccurred then surely she knew she was going to the hospital BEFORE she got there? she didn't collapse in public and was blue lighted to A&E? so she could have called you on the way.

Procedures are there for a reason and that reason is to stoplazy no marks from taking the piss.

FWIW it sounds like you are doing a great job - can you come and sort out my minion who doesn't shave and who interprets any attempt to performance manage him as "bullying"

Fucking Generation Y.

update

today was called into a meeting with my manager and a special meeting is goinjg to take place to terminate this persons employment.

i'm going to have a good weekend

Blimey, what a baptism of fire you're having. I think you have dealt with it remarkably well. Given your latest update, I would brace yourself for a backlash though!

You poor girl, what a ghastly situation. You have obviously been taken on in the hope that you will get rid of this utter cow without exposing the company to a lawsuit. Please bear in mind that it's not your fault. She is a lazy, selfish, entitled nasty bit of work and (having read all down the thread) it's great that she is going to be sacked.

I remember popping champagne the day one of my 'challenging' staff was moved. The hangover was worth it.

This is good news, provided that it actually happens. Make sure you have very good notes.

I should think so too!

UrsulaWoleffay - what a fab name!

mutual admiration of your own, Beryl!