Intention to move

[daffodilbrain]

I'm in a newish civil servant I work with someone who has told me she only ever likes to stay in jobs a few years and will probably look to move on. (Not for career progression)I'm amazed at how blatant she Is I would
Never admit this to a manager. She wouldn't be the biggest loss to the team. I wouldn't employ her if i had a choice .She also tells me she's not keen on taking on a certain responsibility long term as it's 'not something that interests her'. Someone has to do it and her workload isn't massive (her pace of delivery is slow) I think she the job as part social and she's doing us a favour turning up. Any tips for increasing her output and attitude?

Are you her manager though?

Assuming she is your direct report, I think you need to be careful about how you deal with this. Guarantee her attitude will get worse if you try and pep it up. I fear for her already by you saying she won't be the biggest loss to the team - not a great attitude!

I think you're judging her by your own standards, and forgetting that people have different wants and needs. So what if she wants to move on? What's that got to do with you?

The best managers see what the person can do, not what they can't or should be doing, and support their staff to make the most of this. They don't try and force the person be what they think is a good employee.

Hope she moves on quickly, for her sake.

Any tips for increasing her output and attitude?

If you are their new Delivery Manager, provide support by reviewing their Objectives and ensure they are relevant and SMART. There is nothing more demoralising and demotivating than having no clear direction, and having to guess what is expected of you. Maybe they haven't been given that support for a long time and are feeling jaded.

Why would you care if she moves on or not? It’s just a job!

Yes I'm her line manager. I care because her lack of delivery impacts me and the rest of the team. Her attitude sets an example to the rest of the team especiallY the junior ones.i care because her peers don't respect her and I feel responsible, I dont want anyone to fail. She isn't In a junior role and her old line manager and I agree she shouldn't have got promotion She didn't have smart objectives when I inherited her. She will have in the next year.

Manger her lack of work etc.

But I dont think there is anything wrong with admitting you dont stay anywhere long. It's the truth. Not everyone wants the thing out of a job.

You need tobout that out of your head. You may not have employed her. But she is there. Treat her like any other employee. Manage her and coach and give the support to anyone else.

Part of being a people manager is dealing with people whose attitudes leave something to be desired. It's part of the job.

She isn't In a junior role and her old line manager and I agree she shouldn't have got promotion She didn't have smart objectives when I inherited her. She will have in the next year.

Someone clearly did think she should get the promotion. She applied for it and she got it. I am sure there have been plenty of people that dont think I should have got my progression. Someone somewhere will think that you shouldn't have got your job either. That's life.

Not having SMART targets isnt just down to her. Dont put this all on her.

You're conflating two (or in fact three) different things.

If she's not performing in the job she is employed to do, at the tasks she is supposed to be completing, then address that. Set her proper objectives, provide support and guidance, etc etc

But the fact that she's been honest about not wanting to stay forever is nothing to do with it, and there's nothing wrong with that. Most people don't stay in the same job or with the same employer forever, and there's nothing wrong with her being honest about her intentions, rather than pretending. Similarly, if there is an area of responsibility available, there is nothing wrong with her expressing a preference at not wanting to take it on as it doesn't interest her. If that's the case, why would she pretend otherwise?

Employers show zero loyalty to their staff. Why should employees show their employers any loyalty? Once they get a better offer, why wouldn't they move on?

Performance issues aside - why would anybody care if someone in their team wants to move jobs? I move every couple of years.

Its perfectly normal to move on after 2 - 3 years in a role, people get itchy feet. Not everyone wants to be a long timer.

Isn't it usual to want to move on after a certain amount of time in one job though? Most people would want to stay more than 2-3 years unless the job is particularly junior/poor conditions or pay. But 5 years is a decent amount of time to stay with one employer.

The only way to get a half decent pay rise nowadays is to move roles, teams even companies. Like car insurance, nobody is rewarded for loyalty, in fact you're often penalised for staying put.