From a HR point of view. Can you give 2 people a good old sort yourself it and behave yourself informal chat or does it all have to be done through performance reviews?

[BriansBrain]

I'm at the end of my tether!

2 members of our team have fallen out, wouldn't be a problem if they could continue being professional but apparently one is being very petty to the other and causing more work to do, sending incorrect information etc.

I'm being mentored in a supervisory role for the staff member being accused of the pettiness (it's one persons word against the other with no email evidence etc being kept - I have asked for this and a log of incidents but this hasent happened)

I've been advised to ask my team member to attend a review and put them on a performance plan but this can't happen for another 2 weeks, I think this is far to long to leave an issue that could be resolved by bringing both team players into an informal chat at the same time about what is apparently going on and let them know it needs to stop.

Poor you!

But if you have asked for advice on what to do, then don't follow it, you put yourself in an exposed position. Especially as you seem o have someone who is acting unprofessionally already.

You could:
a) bring the review forward by hook or by crook. If the issue is having that much impact, it's worth making every effort for this
b) if that can't be done, book the review and ask you staff member to log more of their actions on email in the interim
c) get hold of the person who manages the other individual. If it's someone with more managerial experience, draw on it and try to cook up a new plan between the two of you. At least that way you'd have some cover IYSWIM.

Thank you it is very frustrating, all the telling tales and frosty environment!

My mentor is the other team members line manager and as much as they are brilliant and have helped me lots in this new role I just can't help thinking the best thing to do is bring them in together and find out what is going on. I

My gut instinct is telling me a review isn't the best way to approach this, hence ranting on here

Doesn't help that both parties are being sweetness and light around me and I can't work out the truth from the pettiness

Is it a performance issue? Just curious about the use of a formal performance review process if the actual issue is two people having fallen out with each other.

I know!

It's been addressed as a performance issue because employee A has said Employee B has fallen out with her over a minor work issue and is now causing employee A more work by not passing correct information, missing parts out that are needed and generally being petty all day long.

Ive asked Employee A to log incidents and keep evidence but this hasn't happened for what ever reason.

I'm being advised to hold a review meeting with my Employee B and set performance targets to address the issues Employee A is raising but without evidence.

I think it's petty and could be resolved very easily by bringing them together and getting it all out in the open whilst reminding them that customer service has to come first.

We can not get my diary and my mentors diary to match for at least another week and I can't help feeling its tit for tat and easily solved but I'm used to dealing with my Tweens

I would say yes, informal chat, with the threat of performance plan if no progress, but perhaps better would be informal mediation by someone outside of the management chain. Is there anyone who can do this?

I really seriously don't think jumping to a formal performance management process on the basis of no evidence other than the say-so of someone with whom the employee in question has fallen out is a good idea at all.

I would agree that a chat with both of them is a good idea. You could also raise the performance concerns informally with employee B, point out the potential issues and get his/her point of view on what's happening.

Formal performance management could be entirely inappropriate and while I always recommend addressing performance concerns as early as possible, that doesn't mean starting a formal process, it means making sure the person is aware of the concerns, finding out what you can about reasons for the problems, recording details of your conversations and if necessary, getting together evidence of the concerns so that if a formal performance management process becomes necessary, you are in a good position to do that without being challenged by the employee for being (say) heavy-handed, or unreasonable in the use of a formal procedure.

Thank you for letting me vent on here the advice.

Had a good day again today and employee B has been much more pleasant to work with all round so I really feel an informal chat is the way to go first, just need to be brave enough to voice my opinion.

I'm going to speak to my mentor in the morning and see if I can have a chat without the review tomorrow instead of waiting another week.

Go for a positive on how helpful they have been this week and that the request for a review seems pointless now because they seem to be feeling more positive, ask them where this turn around has come from and remind them what we need for the business and hope that squashes it all.