Job predecessor still interferes

[ElsaLion]

I am at my wits end with this situation and would greatly appreciate any advice.

I started in my post (Clerk to a Parish Council) 5 months ago, when the previous Clerk retired. It soon became apparent during the transition period that she had devoted her life to the role, and had few other hobbies or interests outside it.

Since she's left (meaning I am now the sole employee to the PC, like many Clerks), she is always interfering. Originally she would phone or email me several times a week, correcting things I had published on the website like agendas or minutes, bestowing unfounded advice that was often inaccurate, eventually things blew up when I asked her to stop and referred to the stress it was causing me. Since then, she no longer contacts me, but instead is frequently phoning the Councillors to accuse me of doing things wrongly. I have spoken to the PC and described the toll it is having, and they agreed to ask her to stop harassing and interfering, but seemingly to no avail. Five months on and she is still phoning them to interfered.

I honestly don't know what to do, and feel my concerns are not being listened to. I honestly need to tell her to leave me alone, but have already done so several times, to no avail. Any advice would be welcome.

So she's no longer contacting you directly? Its up to the PC to manage then as it sounds like they are supporting you.

Sorry it sounds stressful.

Thank you. She eventually stopped contacting when I (very firmly) asked her not too. Now she contacts the Councillors and Chairperson instead, and despite me repeatedly asking them to tell her to stop interfering, they don't take my concerns seriously.

Has the Chairperson told her to stop contacting all councillors regarding your work?
Is she a resident of the parish you work at

Tell them she stops or you are leaving. Don’t take anything that makes you unhappy. It’s not ok for them to ignore your concerns. She needs to stop.

She absolutely needs to stop, and I think this would drive me crazy.

Tell them you'll resign if they do not insist that she stops doing this.

She needs to be their problem, not yours. If they can't stop her ringing them up, they can at least undertake to not pass her feedback on to you. Let them have all the chats they like - on the condition that you never have to hear about any of it, else you walk.

I don't get why this is still an issue. Why are they passing on the info?. If they really have no backbone and won't tell her to stop, why are they telling you what she's said. They should just not mention it. Sounds a shit place to work to me.

I agree that the ideal situation is that she stops contacting the councillors and / or they don't pass her 'feedback' onto you.

Do you enjoy your job? If you do, and want to stay there, then I would simply resolve to ignore her comments. Immediately delete any emails etc and simply stop listening / responding to her. You will need to be able to detach yourself (which is easier said than done) and simply disengage.

If she is calling them, how exactly does it affect you? I’m not being snarky at all, I just want to understand it a bit better.

And what sort of suggestions is she making? Is she right? I’m guessing not?

Do the others then pass on that you have allegedly done ABC and tell you it comes from her?

That must be quite time consuming surely? Having to stop what you're doing, listen to complaint, check your own actions and then report back? Then go back to what you were doing originally.

Are they taking her complaints seriously? If so it might be better to set aside an hour every fortnight and go through them all in one fell swoop.

If they are happy with your work and she is contacting them, it shouldn’t be an issue for you. Just sounds as if they should get a backbone and stop taking calls/ block emails from her.

Why are the councillors telling you what she is saying?

They are not committed to supporting you if they keep telling you every time she's been in touch.

I agree - your issue is now with the councillors. I think you need some 'tribunal keywords'.

"As you know the previous incumbent has for many months been contacting me with unsolicited advice and unfounded criticisms, so frequently that I was advised it amounted to harassment. Having been informed how seriously I took this, she is now passing on those criticisms and complaints directly to the councillors. I'd ask you to ensure she is informed that her input is unwanted, and if it nonetheless continues, to refrain from passing on her comments. Doing so has had the (I'm sure unwitting) effect of replicating the toxic work environment under which I was previously suffering, and which had a significant impact on my health and wellbeing."

Or summat like.

Ask them to stop telling you what she is saying.

If you were hugely incompetent at your job then that would be for whoever manages you to deal with, not an ex employee tattling!

Maybe request a meeting with your managers or higher ups and ask them to detail any problems they have with your work.

If there are none then ask them to agree to not act as her grapevine.

Ask them to stop telling you when she has phoned or contacted them. Ask them not to mention her.

The chair should be dealing with this, by advising her that her input is neither needed nor wanted and requesting that the other councillors stop engaging with her (and I say that as a parish councillor myself).

How do you hear about it?

Thank you everyone for the advice, it's much appreciated.

As several people pointed out that the Chairwoman should deal with the matter, and the Councillors should be supportive of my role, I wrote asking her to speak to predecessor, and asked them to maintain the impact it was having on me, which they agreed to. I only hope she now listens to them and gives up!