To just about tolerate someone I line manager

[Standingstilll]

They're a nice person , nothing offensive about them but it's clear that they don't have the skill set ideally expected.

I'm working with her on this before the next steps of capability/HR process that may kick in. But I'm really starting to dislike her.

It's just their bumbling manner whereas I and others I line manage are a bit more dynamic.

I need to remain professional and help her get up to speed. Sadly now we are working 'normally' it's showing her deficiencies which didn't flag during probation period.

It's getting to the point that even the minor issues are starting to be big issues for me. I then need to step back before I address it and be accused of bullying.

I'm BU aren't I ? But reasonable to recognise my issues in this ?

You're the manager, so if you have poor staff it shows you're not a very good manager. Either accept her standard of work, train her to become acceptable, or get rid of her in a legal, ethical manner.

I don't think you are being unreasonable. I work in a team where there's someone who is my peer, has more experience than me, but doesn't appear up to scratch. My line manager is aware of it, and it can sometimes make the entire team seem incapable. It shines a bad light on the rest of us.

Theres been discussion of how to help her, someone taking her under their wing, but shes not the type of person to be receptive of this.

It must be a very difficult thing to manage. Can she do her job from home? Like a PP mentioned, sometimes distance can help.

You dont need to like her, keep good records and if you need to get rid due to her inability you can do so, it's not nice but is part of your role

Well, you're human and you have feelings about people. That doesn't mean you're unprofessional. Unprofessional would be showing those feelings to her.

I am wondering who hired her. I am of the opinion that a bad performer is always management's fault, whether because of the company culture, how they manage and supervise staff, how they manage workload etc, or if they hired the wrong person in the first place.

I think is a big problem if you think the way you are dealing with this person is any where near bullying. That's a significant deficit in your skills as a line manager. The way you manage people should be absolutely no where near bullying and if it could ever be thought of as such you're doing it completely wrong. That's just not how you manage people.

So maybe before you get irritated about how shut they are at their job yiu could reflect on your own skills?

*shit

Scenarios like this are why so many people eventually end up getting signed off with stress, anxiety etc. It sounds like you want her to fail to build a case to manage her out.

I am not a line manager but I do have to spend a lot of time showing people who to use specific computer systems/follow processes. Some of them are much more familiar with computers/comfortable than others. I have been using said systems for years so it is easy to forget that some of it isn't that striaghtforward. One thing I find really helps is starting a new hobby/learning a new skill yourself. So I am extremely uncoordinated but am learning Karate. Obviously thats not the reason I do Karate, but a really useful side effect is that you remember what it is like to be a beginner at something that doesn't necessarily come naturally to you. Which then leads to greater patience when teaching other people who are beginners something I know well.

(obviously spelling and grammar are not my strong point either)

I would go through the capability process. She will improve or not if you give her a chance - either way she becomes worth her salary or you can get someone else in that is capable - it’s a win for you.

YABU and no you don't win brownie points for recognising anything. You sound like an inexperienced manager.

You need to separate her underperformance and undeveloped skills from her personality and mannerisms.
The first can be addressed via company procedures. With some support and guidance she may improve performance. If she doesn't there will be a procedure for that.

Your dislike of the latter must not affect how you manage her or take her through the procedures. I have had managers take a really obvious dislike to me personally (I am shy and socially awkward) even though my work was decent and it is torturous. Meanwhile the staff the manager considered cronies got away with murder. It made me unhappy, paranoid, MORE shy and awkward and more prone to making mistakes I would otherwise have avoided.

She might not be your kind of person but you have to put that aside. Otherwise you have no chance of getting the best of her work-wise, and let's face it, that is your role!

I've line managed people for a number of years. I'd suggest you look at leadership, development, and coaching training for yourself. If you can't support and develop someone whose personality you dislike that's on you, not her.

Describing her as 'bumbling' is really unpleasant and unprofessional. I'm sure she must be aware of your attitude towards her, even if it's just the general vibe.

If she is on performance management this must have affected her confidence - hard to be 'dynamic' in those circumstances. What does that even mean? How do you want her to be? Are your expectations of her clear?

You are absolutely within your rights to have specific goals for her like 'complete x tasks in y timeframe' but wanting her to "be more dynamic" is very vague and unfair.

Could you quantify it a bit? E.g: "please check system A for new work tasks at time1 and time2" or get her to notify you when she has completed something or needs more work?

Make sure all performance management procedures are followed to the letter. I would try to have hr to back you up at any meetings and union rep for her. Does she have insight into her own performance? Is she just working at a level above her capability? Could she take a step down? What does she think?

As a manager you need to separate her mannerisms and personality from her performance - it's your job!

Dynamic could mean - high energy, work faster, more proactive... Ok. But you have to break it down into what you actually want her to do at work. - answer the phone more? Finish tasks more quickly? What are her strengths? Can you divide work up to play to those?

OP, you shouldn't have posted this on AIBU. You'll get better advice in a different section, like Employment Issues.

You know you need to separate the personal feelings and personality traits from the standard of their work.
It’s hard when someone is just not up to scratch with their job. Especially if the effort that you put in not getting the results that you want. Plus it drags you down focussing on the underperforming person which takes time away from the rest of the team or yourself.
Is there another manager that you can confide in and that can offer you some support. I’ve previously found that in valuable in tricky managerial situations

I actually feel sorry for you both. You ar finding it frustrating and equally she will be too. I’m very slow and methodical at the beginning of a project but overall the time spent on projects is less, and the outcome / result is better because I spend so much effort in the planning stage rather than being “gung ho” looking all dynamic, promising the earth and delivering a bag of shite at the end which doesn’t meet what the business wanted it to

I think the use of the word "dynamic" here is unhelpful. You can appear dynamic and be really bad at your job. Equally you can appear bumbling and be excellent at your job. Does her role require her to be "dynamic" - e.g. some sort of selling role where it's good to appear dynamic. I think the fact that you've described your problem with her as the fact that she's not dynamic rather than for instance, her work has a lot of errors had led people to believe that you have a personal problem with the way she presents herself rather than her work.

Agree that you need to separate your dislike of her personally from her performance of the job role. The former you can do nothing about and it shouldnt really matter but the latter you can manage through a performance improvement process. That's the route you need to go down really with the support of HR

I work with a young "dynamic" person who says all the right buzzwords in meetings and talks the talk but absolutely cannot do their job and has blagged it so far after just over 2 years (lockdown 18 months ago coincided with their probationary which they would have failed in normal times). I dont manage them so not my problem but being dynamic doesnt always equate to being a good worker

OP,

If you think you are at risk of bullying her, I would suggest you probably are already guilty of it.

Be very careful.

She was hired.
She wasn't monitored properly.

She likely is well aware of your distaste and is now feeling nervous.

I think you should continue to reflect on your behaviour very honestly and do right by this woman.

You don't sound like you really want to be a nasty bullying bitch, who drives someone out of their job and causes them terrible distress?

So modify your behaviour and look to support her and find solutions.

This is a company failure, not the fault of the employee that she got through probation.

She might well be "bumbling" because she lacks confidence and feels stressed.

OP people are being unnecessarily harsh and jumping on you for the words used.
Without further information on what exactly she does wrong and her job role nobody can tell whether you’re being biased.
If you have followed all due process, identified the faults, given positive guidance etc and she still fails to perform then YANBU.

In jobs of a certain level manner is very important - it’s why companies pay for executive coaching. Also seeming forgetful, disorganised etc isn’t going to make you look very competent.