Problems with team

[Shesaidshelistened]

I’m not new to running a team and have done at various roles for years. But I’m in a new role and it seems the team has been able to come and go as they please for a very long time. I have no idea what time they will be starting or finishing each day. Some days I am waiting hours for a response.

they all seem a bit frosty towards me too. I feel like they chat about me behind my back. I invite them to meetings/events and get various excuses why they can’t come, even though technically it is during their working hours.

Very often they can come across rude in emails etc. whilst I manage the team of 5, I am none of their actual managers, so I feel like I can’t challenge them.

i am not an ogre and am a real team player and im quite a people pleaser too, but its getting a bit of a joke now that they keeping giving me excuses and not being accountable.

has anyone had problems like this and been able to nip it in the bud?

The starting point is your employers policies and custom & practice WRT flexible working. Once you know this I suggest as part of regular team meetings have a discussion about team working and communication. Ideally try to get them to agree to notify the team (not just you) of their planned start and finish times for the next day. Alternatively open diaries with available and busy times clearly shown.

Ultimately managing by outputs may be the way to identify if anyone is using this to shirk their job.

How can you manage the team but not be their manager? Do they all have the same manager?

This bizarre set up puts you on the back foot straight away, if their actual manager is happy with their performance.

Ideally you'd have a team meeting and set out your expectations and go from their addressing any issues when they arise, but difficult if you aren't actually the manager

What’s wrong with them starting when they want? It obviously hasn’t mattered before so can’t be a big issue. They must still get there work done.

How can you manage them but not be their manager?

I experienced this when I took over a new team.
It's about setting expectations.
How can yiu manage them if ypu aren't their manager though....i dont get it ?.

I don’t understand how you manage them but you’re not their manager?

I’d suggest you work with them to develop a team charter.

How are they your team but you are not their manager. Are you a project manager? Surely you are responsible for a team you have some sort of authority?

Thanks for your comments. I manage the function and work/output, but not the people in it, so I have no say in annual leave, appraisals, pay and don’t get notified if on sick leave. Their manager has moved to a different team but remains their manager. i don’t mind fhem working flexibly if i know when they will be working so im not sat waiting for responses to things and wondering if they will be joining us in a meeting for example. I feel like they’ve been allowed to have a very causal set up. And this casual approach doesn’t feel very professional.

II would arrange a call with the manager to explain the challenge and establish what expectations would be reasonable. You need some buy into what you’re trying to achieve. Ask the manager to support you if needed by speaking with team members.

Wondering whether or not someone’s going to turn up to a meeting is clearly unacceptable; the manager is hardly going to say it’s fine, so if you approach in the right way they should support you

Speak to the manager and explain that you can't manage the work without knowing work patterns, annual leave etc. Provide specific examples of missing meetings, slow responses etc and the impact this has.

Can you propose that they move to under you?

Speak to their manager and ask

Maybe there are core hours that you can make sure the meetings are booked into

When I worked in a flexible job I had to fill in a timesheet. My manager would audit it every so often taking a note of when someone would arrive/leave and cross reference the timesheet (this was policy). It worked well and nobody was ever caught out because we were honest about start/finish times.

You can't be a strong manager and a people pleaser at the same time so I'd work on that. Fairness and assertiveness must be balanced. Don't try to micromanage.

Did you have a thorough 'handover' from their line manager? If not, ask for a meeting. Don't complain about the team - just ensure it is productive.

Could you get them together and create a social contract on expectations e.g core hours for meetings, communication expectations etc?

IMO responding to meeting invites and turning up are basics of professional working so I'd be letting their manager know if they aren't doing that and they can pull them up on performance

I think flex working is great but you need a few basics in the structure to get it to work well for everyone!

1. communication expectations- when are they in/out and your expectation of how this is communicated to you.
2. set time for collaboration/team meetings which everyone should attend unless on AL. So either core hours or a fixed weekly meeting depending on what is needed for good output!
3. measurement of output- rather than measuring hours, is everyone giving you a sufficient level of output that seems right for the contracted hours?

That isn't a fair on you. If you are responsible for output you have to have control and oversight of input. This isn't professional and is set to fail.

Either you are the manager/supervisor or you aren't. If you aren't the manager why have you responsibility for them. It sounds like a recipe for a disaster and the team are working around you.

You need to speak to the manager and HR and clarify and agree how this is going to work. As Pp said get communications, team meetings, and outputs agreed

There's a few things you can do here:

Important meetings within core hours are highlighted as mandatory.

Tasks are given specific timescales.

Response times are given timescales.

Regular mandatory team meetings within core hours, which could be classed as levelling sessions - gives the team time and space to look at what's working and what isn't and take feedback from them.

Have very clear expectations of what's needed and communicate this to the team.

Essentially, forget about whether they like you or not, be clear in your communications and give the team a voice or platform for their ideas and suggestions and take on board those that would mean continuous improvements are being made.

Ask for further management training by either using the resources available or see if there is scope for someone higher up to mentor you.

Have regular meetings with the team's manager.

Show support to your team and offer a regular meeting to individuals within that support if they ask for it.

Look at the government's "work passport" document and implement something similar. These are owned by the employee and only shared with those they give consent to. These are a wonderful way of starting open communication. They list strengths, support needs and how they work best. If it works for your team, discuss bringing it into the wider business for all. They can highlight reasonable adjustments for those who aren't comfortable disclosing a disability or neuro type as a diagnosis isn't necessary.

I've seen huge differences in team engagement and morale where these have been used.

Take on board constructive feedback, reflect on it and see if they have a point.

And remember, teams will always moan about their manager, as it's the nature of the beast. You can't please all the people all of the time.

I would go easy here in a way. What is their quality of work like? If it is good and the standard and output is high then you just seem to have an issue with them having flexibility.

Aside from needing to attend some meetings, which you could make provision for, if the standard of work is high enough then keeping some flexibility for them is key if you don't want to lose them and want to alienate them further.

Sounds like they feel their flexibility is threatened.

You need a face-to-face meeting with their manager to explain what you want and thrash out some compromises. Listen as much as you talk and be prepared to work with existing processes whilst being clear about what you want to change (keep to the minimum necessary).

I think you need to address with the manager/s first, ask them to address with their team and why. I would be clear that if they continue being lax with this, then flexi working they have enjoyed will have to be tightened significantly (or whatever sanction). For a start, just not responding to meeting invitations is really poor show, really rude and dismissive of your time and effort.

Or, if you think it will work, send an email and call a meeting with all managers and all team members impressing the same.

Have you spoken to their actual manager?
That's where I would start, see if they actually have any existing flexible working arrangements.

I would also start arranging monthly 121s with each of them as their task manager and feedback info to their actual manager for reviews.

Their manager has moved to a different team but remains their manager.

How did you get this role if it was only to manage the project and not the team? I am struggling to understand what level of authority you have to manage anything here.

having been in a similar situation I would start by addressing the flexible working.

flexible working does not usually mean work whenever you feel like it. I operate flexible working but it looks like this.

each employee agrees their basic working hours with me, these could be different on different days of the week and must meet the needs of the organisation. If they need to be late, have appointments, leave early they check with me first. I say yes 99% of the time.

This way you know when everyone is due to be in. You can’t run a team without this, also you need to know about sickness and annual leave. I would speak to the manager and tell the what you need.

In my company we have this matrix management system but it is much better defined. For example if someone wants leave, although their people manager is the one who signs it off in the system they are not supposed to do that without written approval from the functional manager. It is an unnecessarily complicated way of doing things.

If I have understood what you said correctly it sounds like previously the same person was people & function manager for the team and they are now people manager only while you are functional manager. If that is the case I think it puts you in a very difficult position as you need this manager to change their behaviour not just the people in team. I may even go so far as to wonder whether you have been set up to fail.

You really need to set some ground rules with the other manager before you start setting expectations with the team.

Frankly your workplace has set you up to fail...

You need to have a chat with your own manager. It is never going to work if you have no management responsibility over these people but are expected to run this team.

Your colleagues are probably annoyed with the lack of clarity and don't understand why they suddenly need to report to two people.

This type of set up is always a nightmare, they're not a team that you manage, because you're not their manager, they're your stakeholders. If you waltz in and try and impose fixed hours then they will a) hate you and b) tell you their actual manager is fine with it.
You need to either get the set up changed, in which case you have the authority and have 121s and manage their performance and pay. Or, you need to get them on side as you rely on these people to achieve your goals.

If you need to get them on side and want them to like you, ask them when is a good time to have meetings (e.g. is there a day and time everyone works). In their defense, I had a new manager who came in and set up a Wednesday weekly call without checking, it was my day off, so it immediately put my back up because she's was showing she wasn't respectful of my nwd. I'd set up a team calendar and just ask people roughly what they prefer in terms of days/times for joint activity and what methods of communication they prefer (e.g. no they won't be on their emails if they're finished for the day but they might be happy to WhatsApp you a quick response). I'd also set up a team lunch, get to know them, understand the pressures they have outside of work and build some rapport

The first thing you need to do is stop being a people pleaser. They're frosty because they don't want things to change and suspect you will bring changes. They'll need to get over it and yes they'll all gossip about you behind your back, you'll need to accept that and shrug it off. You're not there to make friends but to manage the team effectively and respectfully. Set clear boundaries, they're testing your boundaries and so far it sounds like the tail is wagging the dog.

Set the tone, I'd get them together and tell them not accepting meeting requests is unacceptable and if it doesn't change and they can't manage their time themselves then you'll have to do it for them, if they want to be micromanaged like that they can carry on as they are, their choice.