Forum Index
»
Off-Topic
If you are a supervisor pls give your opinion
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
What do you do if an employee who reports to you is discussing you, and the problems you and that employee are having, relating to the employee's performance?
I have an employee I am going to put on probation. I think she's discussing the difficulties she and I are having with a co worker (does not report to me) and that the co worker even wrote a memo for my employee complaining about some things. People have free speech. But an employer also does not have to accept behavior they find unacceptable..... what would you do if YOUR assistant was behaving this way? |
Anonymous
| Involve HR and loop in the other employee's supervisor so they can be aware of what is going on (possibly remind that coworker to stay on task and not get involved). |
Anonymous
There is no HR 
|
Anonymous
|
is her discussing the problems actually creating real issues on the job? or is there now just another assistant at your company that does not like you? You can't put people on probation because you don't like them. Well, you could, but if you did, how could you sleep at night?
You are the boss, they are the assistants getting paid peanuts. They probably hated you from the start anyway. Do you work and move on. If your assistant wants to talk about her poor performance with a friend at work, let her. If she really is THAT bad, the work will speak for itself and document what is going on and ignore the gossip. |
Anonymous
| This sort of sounds like normal behavior. Heck, if I have a fight with my boss, the first thing I'm going to do is talk to my best friend, who happens to be a coworker. I guess I wonder why this surprises and bothers you since, in your shoes, I would be expecting it. |
Anonymous
|
Agreed, 9:58.
OP, the best thing you can do in any type of probation situation is document, document, document. After every meeting, every work-related conversation, send an e-mail saying "Thank you for taking time to discuss the XYZ project with me. We agreed that you will..." Keep all conversations and documentation professional and free of value judgments. For instance, don't put down anything like "The report you turned in was unacceptable (or lousy or subpar)." Instead, specify the problems with the report (or whatever it is you are documenting) as in "The report you turned in did not contain an introductory statement. The budget numbers were tallied incorrectly," and make reference to whatever discussions/templates you have provided in the past. That is how you document professionally, ensuring every step of the way that you are giving the employee the tools and guidance she needs to succeed on the job. That is also how you focus on your job instead of getting wrapped up in drama. People will always talk behind other people's backs. It's a lot harder to argue with cold facts. That's why you need to focus on the cold facts. Doing so will also help you notice areas where you might be more supportive. |
Anonymous
|
10:15 here - goes without saying that you bcc yourself on every email and keep her replies on file as proof that she received your feedback. If she doesn't reply, forward the message to her saying "I wasn't sure if this went through earlier. Could you please confirm you received this."
All that documentation will help both you and your employee keep track of what the real issues are and how to improve on them. |
Anonymous
| 10:18 - can't you just set up your e-mail for a return receipt? Most programs do that. |
Anonymous
|
Why is it unacceptable for your employee to discuss the difficulties she is having with another employee? Other than the small chance that the time she spends talking to a coworker is taking away from her doing her job, it seems irrelevant to me.
And if you do decide that she should not spend time talking to her colleague, you better make clear that it is not the substance of the conversation that is the problem, but the time spent talking. And you better be sure that you handle every other subordinate the same way, and control when they can take to other employees. Take a step back, OP. It is generally a good thing for an employee to talk out their problems with a colleague. This is normal. It is not misconduct. Focus on the real performance problems. |
Anonymous
You need to know for a certainty before you put her on probation. |
Anonymous
|
as long as it doesn't interfere with getting work done people have a right to talk to each other if it's not defamatory... the other employee should be savvy enough to be careful about getting in the middle between you & your employee, but 1st amendment rights (free association, free speech) don't go out the window when you walk into the job (I've been a supervisor/manager for 21 yrs. and have often had to educate other supervisors on just that point).
document everything in case you need it later. |
Anonymous
| You need to think about WHY this is "unacceptable" to you. Is your assistant discussing confidential professional matters? Or is she just talking mean about you behind your back? You sound insecure. If you really have any kind of professional authority (and just going from the brief writing sample you've provided, I hope you don't) then you need to grow a thicker skin. |
Anonymous
| OP, can you articulate what the problem is with the conduct you describe? Is there a workplace rule against discussion of this type? Would other employees be sancitoned for this type of behavior (discussion of interoffice problems and memo writing)? It's unclear to me as a supervisor what you are disturbed by, and as others have pointed out, in any workplace, employees will discuss their problems. It does not imply that her coworker and she are conspiring or that there is acceptance of her conduct. It just means that she has an outlet for discussion. Just as you do -- here. |
Anonymous
|
I can see how this bothers you. But - what is this memo? What does it say? And what types of issues have you had with the employee? If you've been documenting well, then it really shouldn't be an issue what she puts in this memo.
Have you spoken with your supervisor about the issue? It sounds like either 1-you've done something wrong or unprofessional, and now it might come to light; or 2-you need to get in front of this issue, because it sounds like your assistant is trying to spin the story. Not sure which. |
Anonymous
OP didn't say what type of environment she works in, but I am not at all sure that First Amendment rights have anything to do with it. The First Amendment says that the GOVERNMENT cannot limit your speech, absent certain circumstances. The First Amendment has no bearing whatsoever on whether a private employer can legitimately put restraints on what is said in the private workplace (or in an argument between two individuals, or between a parent and child, or between..... This particular misunderstanding about First Amendment rights has always irked me. |