Dealing with poisonous cliques at work

[coffeerevelsrule]

I manage a team of 12 in a public sector organisation in which people can't move teams due to areas of expertise. I have been there nearly 20 years and have never known a situation like I'm dealing with now, either before or since becoming a manager. It's making me so miserable I don't know what to do.

There is a colleague who, over a number of years has made a series of complaints about me, none of which has been upheld. I've considered making a counter-grievance because it feels like bullying now but was persuaded by a senior leader not to. Leadership are supportive of me, see this person for what she is, but basically don't want the hassle.

Meanwhile, a few newish members of the team have kind of coalesced around this woman and almost formed a splinter team, if that makes any sense. We're in a situation whereby there seems to be two teams with very little interaction between the two. It's horrible. Meetings are strained and I'm having to run the department via email essentially. The 'splinter team' gather in rooms and shut the door and rarely use communal spaces.

I've tried speaking to people one-to-one, which tends to result in people saying the right things and insisting everything is ok with them and then things carrying on the same.

There are now people in the wider organisation who I feel are 'off' with me after previously having positive relationships with them and I feel that is coming from the original unhappy team member, who I feel is spreading a story that I am a bully.

The situation just seems to be spiralling out of control and is so toxic. Any advice would be amazing - I'm obviously lying awake thinking about it now, which is shit.

I am so sorry that you are going through this. I had a very similar situation and it ended up making me very ill. I ended up going on long-term sick leave and ultimately leaving the industry altogether.

It is not education is it? It was almost accepted that this was okay and part of the job by my leadership.

In hindsight I should have dealt with it head on. I tried similar to you in that I had the one-on-one meetings and I feel that they just allowed fuel to be added to the fire. I would absolutely insist that this is followed up by your leadership. Toxic workplaces can be really damaging to health.

So management know what she's like, know she's made spurious complaints about you,and management don't want you to counter claim and now there's a toxic side mob...get that complaints in to HR pronto.

We're moving this thread to our Work topic at the OP's request.

So you manage a team of 12, a small group of whom have decided to separate themselves away and aren't working as a team/being inclusive of the other people?

As a manager it's your responsibility to deal with this.

I would haul the WHOLE team in together and make it very clear that there are behaviours being displayed which are not acceptable.

You don't need to single anyone but you do need to set out what your expectations are in terms of the team working together, communicating with each other and being inclusive.

If your organisation has a values and behaviours policy remind the team of the organisations standards and expectations.

If it continues you bring it up with the individuals (on a 1:1 basis).

If it still continues you involve HR and go down the disciplinary route.

As @FrangipaniBlue says. You need to deal with this head on. No more meetings behind closed doors, or shutting themselves away. This is a whole team issue that needs to be dealt with as such. Remind them of their roles within the teams, and revisit their job descriptions if needed. If nothing changes I’d be having to individual meetings too to remind them of values and appropriate behaviour and set out what your expectations are. Take a written record, send it to them after the meeting and review it in a few weeks. No improvement = formal route. Remember also that bullying happens upwards too, so ho to HR and don’t hesitate if they continue.

What is the structure within the team - are they all on the same band or to you have managers/supervisors? If so, I would also have weekly meetings with them so that you start to clarify the hierarchy and reporting lines.

Thanks all - I know I need to tackle this head on but I feel scared of blowing the whole thing up. What worries me as well is whether I can actually say they shouldn't be going in a room together? It's not against any policy as such but it makes for an awkward atmosphere and has literally never happened before in all my years in work - people have one in rooms for chats obviously, but not the same group of people always isolated from others in one room while never using the communal areas (unless certain other people aren't in them eg, me, the other manager and another senior member of the team). I can't really tell them where to spend their breaks can I?

But yesterday I had a one-to-one with one of them, and straight after they were all in a room together and I felt I couldn't go in! Pathetic, I know...

What are they doing when they go off in room together? Actually working or sitting/standing around chatting (or bitching!)?

The latter!

When they are meant to be working, or at lunchtime?

Well we have service users on site at set times of the day (Ok - it's a school!) so it cab be at lunchtime but also straight after school so not directed time as they do attend meetings etc as required. But it just makes for a hideous atmosphere. If they left the door open it wouldn't be as bad.

lol ! They are acting like kids and forcing you into that dynamic.

read up on Transactional analysis and try to stay in ‘adult’ as they behave in child.

And document the fuck out of this and take it to HR.

they will force you to breakdown other is so what have you got to lose ?

I have been in a similar situation.
Put the grievance in and blow the situation up. management are not backing you, they are giving lip service whilst letting you take all the flak.
it may well come to the point where it’s you or the other member of staff . But that’s management choice. A school isn’t very big really so it sounds like she is spreading poison and you shouldn’t have to put up with this. It will eventually affect your health.
my biggest regret is doing as management said which is exactly as your management are saying. Have your cv ready to go though.

I manage a team which started to have a clique forming and I told each of them separately that they could not have lunch together in a side office without including everyone or going out of the office. They were also not to have work discussions without including everyone to whom it was relevant.

I also asked them if they believed in inclusivity and all them said yes, but.... I then asked them lots of questions until they coached themselves into making changes.

If that hadn't worked, I would have got HR to sit down with me on one to ones to get the message across.

It is really toxic if you get a group who want to undermine you. Don't allow it to fester. You are better off moving on yourself than putting up with this.

Life's too short for this shit, change jobs.

I would escalate it along with an action pls on how to tackle and ask for management and HR advice on implementing it. Get it all in writing and then take the good advice of the previous poster around inclusiveness.

It is bullying though and you need to report it as such.

Is there any way you can get an external coach in? I've had a workplace with similar issues, and a external viewpoint was helpful.

Contact your union.

If they’re shutting themselves away during work time then you’re quite within your rights to stop that - unless there is a specific purpose (with agenda etc) to their meeting which you have agreed in advance then no, they don’t get to do that.

Break times are more tricky but I would be tempted to remind them that the room they are using is open to anyone and to leave the door open. Do they have to take their break at the same time?

New team members are probably being dragged in to the drama, and everyone loves gossiping about a manager it's part of the workplace (any manager who thinks otherwise is in denial) - as manager you have authority.

Stop speaking to people about it and getting involved in the toxic energy otherwise no one will take you seriously.

Let this person be toxic, and alert HR. The team will see the truth soon if you focus on being a "leader" and not a "manager".