Team member sulking - any suggestions?

[Blushingm]

I am a team leader and have 2 deputy positions vacant. Another 2 teams have 1 each so we advertised together. We short listed and one if my team members applied but wasn’t short listed

Shes now sulking. Not speaking to me. Not speaking to a team member who got an interview and is just making an atmosphere in the office. Even the students are picking up on it.

I found out she went to my senior to ask for a transfer - Or when the next deputy job is coming up. My senior is great and agreed that it’s good she wasn’t short listed if this is her attitude

i called her to my office to say we need to clear the air - the decision stands - I understand she’s disappointed but it’s not fair on the rest of the team - it’s disrespectful and disruptive.

I asked what she wanted me to do - her reply was nothing. I explained it wasn’t personal but other people were more experience etc - her reply - ‘well some might think differently’

now I’m really pissed off - she’s rude. Disruptive. Disrespectful. And not sure what my next step should be……I’m relatively new to team leader

She's had an appraisal and set goals for

"clinical competencies, become student assessor, etc."

This is not discrimination or bias or management failing and no one is going to court.

It's an adult sulking because she didn't get what she wanted.

Its not a good look in the workplace.

It would be a favour to her, to sit her down and have a chat about dealing with difficult situations.

Although with a bit of luck she'll just leave.

This isn't an acceptable attitude for you to have. You are her manager. You will have staff get upset about things. You can't ship them off everytime that happens. Do your job and speak with her, as her manager. Acknowledge her disappointment. Note she is missing the key qualification that is required. Have people previously been appointed without that qualification? If they have been appointed without the qualification, then you are in a tricky spot. If not, then you are applying the rules consistently and fairly. Speak with your team member on how they can get the necessary experience and qualifications to apply for similar roles in the future.

What was your conflict of interest strategy for this recruitment. It should be that, if you're someone's manager, you don't comment on their application until the other panel members have. If the other managers choose not to short list, then she's not short listed.

Finally, you should have communicated face to face instead of by email. That's really cold. A big part of being a manager is having the hard conversations with your staff and keeping teams working productively. You should have foreseen this reaction and managed it for a better response.

Mark and Lard should do HR for some employers. Either no one would notice or they would become very popular and everyone would want to work there 🤭

Most is a bit harsh. Maybe half of it is a scam?

Its unfortunate for those companies gripped by the boggins though. Crippled by inaction and the (belief) that they can't address misconduct.

They should totally bring back the Bloke or Bird feature and offer it up to HR departments across the UK. It might have helped the NHS not lose their tribunal cases in court.

What do you mean if the employee has a protected characteristic? If you don’t know what protected characteristics are then how can you advise on legislation related to them

ALL of us have protected characteristics on grounds of age and sex, if nothing else.

What do YOU mean? Hopefully you mean that the employer may not know what protected characteristics the employee has. Not that the employer doesn't know what protected characteristics are.

Right?

No you said if the employee has a protected characteristic. But everyone has multiple protected characteristics there’s no “if” about it. Everyone has an age, sex, and sexuality.

Edit - just realised you’re not the poster I quoted. But this explains why that poster does not understand protected characteristics.

@PinkFrogss Of course I know what protected characteristics are! The point is, snd the ACAS quote is pertinent.

@k1233 The op says the member of staff never asked about doing the course. My argument throughout is that, as part of performance review and inclusion, the need for this qualification should have been addressed. Not being clear and using a “who asked first” policy doesn’t address the needs of the employee. She might not even know she needed it! My view is that the company has poor processes in identifying talent and it feels like the Op really doesn’t like or support this member of staff. So I’m not surprised she’s not happy. It’s even worse if she’s been overlooked unfairly.

There are not enough facepalms in the world for all the corporate HR procedural bullshit on here. In my entire finance career of 47 years no less, I had many annual reviews.

Everyone but a fool knows that if you want promotion you have to put in the effort. If that promotion to a higher level means you need another qualification, then you need to seek that opportunity out. Employers are not going to dance around offering expensive funding to people who lack the motivation to ask for it.

It was listed in the requirements. Therefore it was addressed. This staff member needed to pull her finger out and ask about it because nobody hand holds adults through their career.

Great thread.

Especially for the contributions from those castigating the OP when they haven't read, or possibly understood, the OP's very clear responses.

I'd expect two spend 2-3 full days on it. And yes I do generally only do one interview for a role. If someone going to be working for me for months or years, I accept I'm going to have a shit few days while I interview in order to give me the best chance of having a good candidate.

Those debating about whether she should have been short-listed are missing the point.

Her behaviour is falling way short of being professional and she is demonstrating a clear lack of respect and professionalism.

I'd be speaking to HR and pulling her up on this now, it needs nipping in the bud

exactly! if she'd been short listed she probably still wouldn't have got the job. Would it be acceptable for her to be acting like this then? Where is the line for the posters excusing her? I've been in the position where I didn't get an internal vacancy - the adult thing is to moan about it to family and friends and then either suck it up and try again next time or start looking elsewhere - maintaining professional behaviour while doing so.

@99bottlesofkombucha You know nothing about CPD or performance review do you? Completely wrong. The company needs to ensure employees are treated fairly and have equal opportunities to access training, particularly if it bars them from promotion if they don’t have the qualification. There should have been a discussion about this and it’s NOT just up to an employee to beg or pull their finger out. In a good company talent is nurtured and of course employees are guided! You live in the dark ages!