unprofessional team

[Anonymous]

I don't know anything about how it works as a fed but ... can you pick someone and just fire them? Put the fear in the rest of them?

[Anonymous]

Document, document, document. ex. Teleworking employee doesn't respond. Email the employee at the end of the day stating they were called at this time, emailed at this time and didn't respond until what time (which is hours later). Warn them their telework will be revoked the next time it happens. Do this every time so there is a paper trail.

[Anonymous]

I bet I know which agency this is...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Document, document, document. ex. Teleworking employee doesn't respond. Email the employee at the end of the day stating they were called at this time, emailed at this time and didn't respond until what time (which is hours later). Warn them their telework will be revoked the next time it happens. Do this every time so there is a paper trail.

This. And before you even do this, talk to someone in your HR about what your options are in terms of discipline, firing, etc; what sort of documentation you need; and what time line you are looking at. No point documenting if you aren't documenting the right stuff! And you need a realistic idea of your options and how long it will take you to discipline or fire someone for performance or conduct reasons (or both).

[Anonymous]

There is a part of your agency that is like the enforcing team. Labor and Emoyee Relations? Some faction of HR. Find them and get some advice. You can write this up. Document! Keep a log of each day. You called hhis person, met with this person. Develop a "case" for each bad employee. Be equitable and keep notes on everyone, even the good performers.

You can suspend, you can start proceedings for removal. You can do a minimally satisfactory rating.

GL!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an internal hire but came from a different office in the same agency. I have worked in the government 12 years and I have never found the stereotype about government workers to be true.

I had three rounds of panel interviews. I have technical expertise in the field and federal government in both policy and operations.

I gave the team a month where I met with each of them, observed, asked for feedback and suggestions on how to improve processes.

I gave an assignment to see each team member's work style. I met with each person about the status of the assignment and their progress. I have also had several trainings on topics the team asked for continuing education or a refresher.

What I have found is that there are half of the team who are doing the majority of the work. We use a database to track and monitor all our work and it is easy to see who is doing their work and who isn't. I receive a weekly report of all actions and can see those actions over 30 days in the queue. I also can see the notes that staff enter and receive email notifications. [/b]Sounds like you have a system to see what people are doing. Lay out expectations "When I review this report on a daily basis, I expect that everyone will have closed out 50 tickets/made 25 widgets/have 30 email notifications logged... whatever you do, every day" then hold them to the productivity. Counsel them every time they miss.

I do not have time to micromange. My plate is full and I feel like I am going to scream with all this hand holding. I seriously came on this forum as I thought I was going to cry. I asked someone to write a memo. She said she never had written one. I gave her training. We met and worked on it together. I referred her to a colleague with experience. Response if: If you can't do something as basic as craft a memo, then you need to go, pack up your stuff, clock out and HR will call you." Alternately, you can simply say "Then see Karen, she can show you but I expect the memo on my desk within the hour" then if its not there in an hour, write it up.

I get a lot of pushback about assignments. Oh I have never done this and I am not going to learn, etc.Again "Then you can learn how unemployment works, pack up your stuff, clock out and HR will call you"

When I call people working from home, they do not respond. When I email them, they do not respond. I will wait hours. I will follow up. Crickets.1st time written warning, 2nd time revoke telecommute privilege for the offender.

People take last minute leave like others change underwear.There is a time and attendance policy - use it.

In the office, I am not sure what people are doing. One woman is running a side business illegal - document and fire her. Another man is on the Wash Post all day listening to loud music pull the ear plugs out, clock him out and send him home. Three people sit in one person's office and chat easy one - tell them to get up and get back to work, if they have enough time to chat clearly they have more capacity so you will be assigning them more work. I have received feedback from other managers of their unprofessional behavior.meet with them one on one and call it out. "Jane, it has come to my attention that you have been engaging in activities that lead me to question your professionalism. Effective immediately I want XYZ to stop. Failure to demonstrate immediate and sustained improvement in this area will lead to further disciplinary action up to and including termination"

I send a meeting request. No response. I send an email. No response. I go to someone's cube. They are not there. I go again an hour later. Still not there. No one can be accounted for. Telework stops today, missing meetings without a solid and valid reason will be cause for discipline. Have a sign-in/sign-out board

I had the expectation that the folks on my team had a level of professionalism and subject matter expertise. Not only am I finding people completely defrauding the government--we are talking people who are saying they are teleworking but not doing any work-- but I am also finding there are people that have not completed one task for an entire month! So maybe they are at work but chit chatting with their office mate or friends. The onus is on you to make it stop. Write them up, fire a few of them. It will be hell for a few months but worth it in the long term.

Our job is very time sensitive. Letting stuff sit has fiscal and administrative consequences. I am at a loss as to what to do. I have given feedback tot he high performers and have a good rapport with them. Wonderful, but they will go as nothing sucks morale faster than putting up with behavior you describe here.

What I am finding as a new manager is that there are a lot of mental health issues and issues related to personal health and care of children and family members. I am flexible, but you are not getting paid to stay at home with Grandma and watch Bravo all day on the taxpayer's dime. unless its a documented FMLA with the proper paperwork in place and proper timekeeping, etc. then you are in a situation where you really can't give a rat's ass about grandma. "Jane, I've been as flexible as I can with you over these past few weeks but effective Monday you will need to plan to be in the office full-time until you can demonstrate improvements in timeliness, productivity and professionalism" Remember, an employee's lack of a family care plan is NOT your problem.

The meeting people did not show up to was a major review. People don't accept meeting requests. They come and go as they please. They tell me that it is a "laid back" environment. Our job is anything but laid back. It is a regulatory, fiscal position. [b]Core hours are your friend. Make them and enforce them.

We don't have a lot of meetings. You can do your job remotely. But people are abusing the privilege. Before, they had a super nice but super lax manager.

I'm the corporate COO of a firm that employs over 36,000 people worldwide. I worked 12 years as a fed but have been gone quite a while. Once I left I worked as an individual contributer/SME, team lead, section lead, division lead, division VP, corporate VP, regional C officer and now corporate COO. I tell you that only so you know that I've managed people at all levels and been very successful at it. You will have others on here tell you the above is draconian, it won't work, etc. but you have to get this under control quickly and there's rarely a sunshine and puppy dogs way to do that with the type of people you describe. You need to meet with HR tomorrow. Tell them "I want to initiate disciplinary action on Jane, Larla and Mike, I also plan to eliminate telecommute privileges for them effective Monday and I'm considering filing a fraud/waste/abuse claim" It is not easy but you can do it. Be firm and shut their crap down right now or they will abuse you until you quit. I can't stress enough to work with HR, because you CAN fire a fed, you just have to know how to do it. Remember, they don't give a hoot about you, to them you are simply an impediment to them doing as they please while collecting a check.

[Anonymous]

Sad, isn't it? But this is the reality of Government employment, and it has been for a very long time. These people enjoy abusing the system; in fact, they feel entitled to do so. They've never worked in the private sector and they've never been held accountable for their actions. I know you mean well, but I would not expect anything to change. You can document until you can't stand it any more (which will happen pretty quickly), but I doubt that anything will be done. If - God forbid - you try to take action against a minority (of any race or country of origin) no one will support you - either in Government or in private industry. They will threaten to sue, and the government/company will immediately back down. Sorry, that's not racist, it's simply the truth. I've been on both sides, and this has been my experience. It's extremely demoralizing.

[Anonymous]

Definitely shut down the telework program until they shape up. Would love to know what agency/department this is. This sounds rotten. These people are why the rest of us Fed employees getting a bad rep.

[Anonymous]

What job series is this?

I bet if I apply I won't get hired. I'm a fed and I work with people that slack all day. I hate it, but here that behavior get rewarded. I'm from the corporate sector and I have to get out of here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a new federal supervisor. My team is mainly GS-12s, with a few 13s. I have been with them for a month and they routinely don't show up to scheduled meetings. Another office scheduled a meeting during lunch time and even though this is not a recurring meeting, every person on the team refused to come to the meeting. People blast music in an open cubicle environment. There is a lot of socializing and chit chatting. One employee was on medical leave and came to a team party. People are on telework schedules that do not make sense to me. Routinely, they call in unscheduled leave. People teleworking do not respond by phone or voice mail. I have been working here for a month and am at a loss. I have started addressing this behavior and people act like I am the unbelievable one. How has this office functioned like this for so long and how do I reign in this behavior and set expectations that we do our work and behave as the professionals we are on paper?

You chose to work in a govt setting....there is zero incentive to do a good job.

[Anonymous]

OP, give us an update.

Also, one other piece of advice-the side business person... You can just call the IG hotline on that one even as you document it and try to shut it down yourself. The PP was correct, that is illegal. Remember, by participating/condoning/looking the other way you yourself become vulnerable! Don't ruin your own career!

Also get a copy of the policies and regs so you have back up when you confront people.

Did you meet with your own supervisor and HR yet?

[Anonymous]

What agency is this? The fed agencies I've interviewed at have never given off this vibe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bet I know which agency this is...

GSA?

[Anonymous]

Which HR office are you referring to OP?

[Anonymous]

The risk of shutting down teleworking for all is this will annoy the productive members of your teamm