New colleague - minx or learning?

[Sorrento79]

New colleague since October. I've been in the job 10 yrs plus. Her first post at this seniority. Appointed with much excitement as glittering CV, plus we'd advertised before and not filled.

anyhoo, lots of overlap in work as the volume is so high. Normally pretty boundaried, ie these are my areas and those are hers, but a bit of cover needed for leave periods. We also go to a weekly meeting with the wider team to discuss progress.

at least twice now she's dropped a grenade in those meetings saying she doesn't agree with our existing policies (essentially my working style) and that we should be doing x not z. When i have approached her after i've been careful to say i am open to new information and ideas but please can she discuss with our immediate team/ peers so we can all understand and agree, and if she can get the supporting info together as to why x is better than z let's look at it. On no occasion has she actually done that, she's just said her friend working somewhere else does it like this and says it's better. I just can't work like that, i need considered balanced info to justify change.

also when she's been away i have literally had to spend hours unpicking something pretty odd she'd done on something she's been on, that had become urgent, although we as a group (not just me, and including her) had said it should be done differently to what she's then obviously gone and done. Another colleague was set to unraveling some other equally peculiar thing and found the same.

I'm finding it really stressful as she seems very personable and keen, but asks what i would do, and when i tell her she seems to be unable to stop herself arguing the toss for the opposite. I am quite confrontation adverse but think i am experienced and have evidence i am doing a good job.

seniors are pretty hopeless and want us to support her in 'cutting her teeth' and getting more experienced and obviously don't want to get bogged down in minutiae.

i've decided to swerve getting into these stupid 'asking advice but seeking an argument' discussions, unfortunately at exactly the same time as another colleague in our small team (4) has done!

I don't really know how to effectively let the managers know that this person they were so excited about is causing some ruckus without it sounding like I'm jealous (i'm not, she seems to be struggling with workload and stress (which she seems to generate for herself unfortunately)) or a stick in the mud?

Well are you jealous? She sounds like she's challenging the status quo, that's not necessarily a bad thing. I agree she could go about it better, but it sounds like you want a consensus by committee, so maybe thats why she's taken that approach

She's not your manager so she doesn't need to manage you through the "change curve" but as she becomes more established and experienced she will learn tactics on how to manage across, aka ensure her peers listen to her and do things how she wants. You could always learn those tactics too to try and regain some "control"
However it doesn't sound like a bad colleague, shes questioning how things are done and looking for better ways. Thats great. You don't need to like it. I'd be happy if a newer more junior colleague was trying to make their mark like this!

Yes i think I've considered some of that and tried to work out my motivations/reasons for my feelings. I don't think change just to change is enough reason, we work in an evidence heavy area so it's quite possible to 'test' change effect by looking at that before doing it. I suppose i am a bit concious of being a bit square about doing new things but it is important work so i don't think that's inappropriate, nor do i think change through consensus building is incorrect. Hmm. I guess I should just continue to (try not to) stew on it.

When someone external starts there’s always the likelihood they’ll come out with the ‘in my last place we did …’, it can be useful, different perspectives n’all that.

In your case it sounds as though the colleague isn’t adapting to the processes in your department and thinks changing them ( to suit her ) is a good idea.

Does she ever get challenged in these meetings as to why?
Asked what her reasoning is?

Yes. Unfortunately her response in the larger meetings is an off the cuff exaggeration of the evidence for that position or an emotive statement of a wish to do better that obviously cannot be disagreed with. The other teams in the wider meeting are of different specialisms/backgrounds so not equipped to counter, and these have been so out of the blue and not discussed in our group first so I feel ill equipped to tackle at that point. My two other colleagues just roll their eyes whilst i just look on agog.

'Minx'??

I was thinking more cuckoo myself.

No disrespect meant she sounds like she has new ideas and you are a long timer.
Nothing wrong with doing what you are doing and believe me I worked somewhere for 11 years so had the this is what we do mentality.
Now I've had a few more jobs I realise there are different methods.
You can't blame her for grabbing the role and trying to make it hers.
I hope you can embrace change and she can calm down a bit.

I think there are several issues.

Raising something that affects you in a meeting without giving you the heads up is not helpful to the wider team but gets her noticed. As long as she hasn’t tried to talk to you before hand then I would ask her to discuss with you first. If she does it again then simply say that sounds interesting please can you write a briefing setting it out your proposal. It means you don’t have to challenge her in the meeting.

Change Agent - pp are right sometimes people are brought in to bring new ways of doing things. There is however a right and a wrong way to do it. I think giving her the opportunity to test out her ideas whilst ensuring it is done correctly may help her understand the constraints we all work within. As you say it is possible to “test” a change so let her do it.

Having to unpick her work during her absence - this needs prompt constructive feedback from you and your colleague. Depending how your place operates either you give the feedback to your manager or the three of you meet and go through with her what and why you had to unpick and ask for her input how she was planning to proceed.