From the Ask Tom mailbag:
Question:
I’m new to the middle management game. I supervise on the weekend. I’ve got a great team with one exception, a young woman whose attitude will surely get in the way of her career. But, she doesn’t seem to care. She leaves early, complains when she has to work late, and runs to upper management every time she feels slighted. I’ve tried reducing her workload to get her out of the office on time. I’ve listened when she cries. I’ve tried being the tough supervisor. Nothing seems to work. Today (Saturday) she was called in early, but then left early without completing her regularly scheduled work. She said if I had a problem with it I should call upper management. The conversation deteriorated into a shouting match and she left.
I don’t want to run to management with this. I want to solve it myself. I just don’t know how. Any advice?
Response:
You are in a tough place. As the weekend supervisor, you have no authority to hire and fire and she is under the wing of a protective manager who doesn’t have to put up with her negative behavior on the floor. I have a few specific recommendations, but I would like to throw this out for general discussion.
Here is the discussion question. As a weekend supervisor, with only limited contact, how would you change this dynamic? Let me stipulate two rules. You cannot fire her and you cannot send her to a Dale Carnegie course. Please post a comment. -TF
There’s a couple of ways I would handle Miss Live Wire. First I would increase the work load to where it should be in the first place in the norm. Taking the work load away let her know she can get her way by what she is doing. I was taught that working hard and doing my job I’ll get that raise that I deserve. If I ask for a raise and don’t get one then that means I should work a little harded or find out what I’m missing in my work ethics or both. I don’t go slaking off and crying about my work load. And expect to receive praise. Once the work load is back in place where it should be you wait for a the reaction and then let them know this is what is expected of them. Weekend super should have the support of the upper managment on solving the problem of Miss Live Wire.
Work her less hours, maybe 4 hours per day. Inform her that this will be her norm till the attitude changes. This kind of cancer will eat at the rest of the team. Obviously being young she has other items pulling at her time. If she goes to upper management then I would explain the situation, be blunt, and ask them to remove her from the team. I am sure that while she is there that she is not producing, you won’t miss her.
Confront the brutal fact that she simply isn’t working out! As a result this will bring (has brought) the production and moral of the rest of the weekend team down. Don’t bring her in at all. Obviously she has better things to do on the weekend so let her stay home and do them. She can work during the week for her normal supervisor but not weekends with you. I would also inform her and her weekday supervisor (separately) of your decision immediately, long before the weekend arrives. After this is done see if there are any willing and able volunteers to replace her work load on weekends.
First, I would not enter into a shouting match. I would sit down with the employee and outline the expectations for the assignment including both the work schedule and the tasks to be performed during that time. I would give the employee a written copy of these expectations with a copy to her weekly supervisor. For the following month I would document the time she arrives and leaves and what she does or does not accomplish along with her attitude and give a copy of this to her and to her other supervisor. It appears that any decisions regarding a change in her status will be made by the other supervisor and not the weekend supervisor, so the two must work together to resolve this issue.
Do you really have the time or energy for 1 employee? How does this affect the rest of the staff?
I would go to upper management. State the problem and the affect it has on the business. If they want too keep her, tell them you can’t be affective as a weekend manager and deal with her. Have her work other shifts. They need to realize the problem.
At some level, her behaviour makes sense to her. It may help you out if you understand why. Perhaps she feels undervalued and begrudges working on the weekend, but only conversations with her, her previous managers and coworkers are likely to give you any insight.
I’d be very careful to treat the individual with respect, especially if they become difficult. If you become the enemy, it’s a hard road back.
In a situation where it is difficult to use negative consequences, positive reinforcement becomes even more important. Reinforce any improvement in behaviour, being careful to spend equal time on the other team members.
I want to thank all those who took the time to respond. Great perspectives.
Maybe it’s to late, but here is my opinion on this: You should go yourself to the upper management and complain about her. This the only reasonable solution. You have to get rid of her. It would be to difficult to change her attitude towards work and the company. It will cost you less energy to convince the upper management to fire her.