need help surviving in a small biz that lacks leadership (employee, tips)
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Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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A good friend is in a tough situation and I'm not sure how to advise him so looking for help, here's the situation:
Works in a small, family-owned business. Owners are absent and live about 500 miles away except for when they visit the business during slow times. They haven't actively managed the business in well over a decade so are completetly out of touch.
There is one GM and then 3 assistant managers. Business is seasonal, but extremely fast-paced. For about 6 months out of the year, hours are insane...like 80/week, no time off, expected to work late into the night and show up early in the morning etc.
Problem: an employee (not a manager) wants to be a manager. GM told her no. First of all, there isn't an opening. Second, she has no experience and works as an admin assistant which is entirely unrelated to the mainline of business. She is also not well-liked by people she would be managing, a complainer, and incompetent at her current position. There's no way she can handle the physical requirements of a management position. The GM was planning to fire her.
The employee contacts the owners and not sure how it happened, but she's now an assistant manager. I mean, this person with no experience or credentials has gone over the GM and somehow managed to get a job custom-created for her!
Ugggh,, anyway,my friend is an assistant manager and is basically stuck doing everything this other person can't. He's also stuck working with this person and watching her run the business in the ground b/c she has no idea what she's doing. Bonuses are awarded out of a pool from which now this newly-promoted employee is going to be included. Worse, everyone hates this person for going over the GM's head. GM won't even discipline her at this point.
My friend is miserable and now worried about his job (since now there are too many managers) and I don't have any suggestions except to tell him to try to find another job. I mean, clearly if the GM can't lead, he's worthless. Does anyone see a way to come out of this situation alive?
A good friend is in a tough situation and I'm not sure how to advise him so looking for help, here's the situation:
Works in a small, family-owned business. Owners are absent and live about 500 miles away except for when they visit the business during slow times. They haven't actively managed the business in well over a decade so are completetly out of touch.
There is one GM and then 3 assistant managers. Business is seasonal, but extremely fast-paced. For about 6 months out of the year, hours are insane...like 80/week, no time off, expected to work late into the night and show up early in the morning etc.
Problem: an employee (not a manager) wants to be a manager. GM told her no. First of all, there isn't an opening. Second, she has no experience and works as an admin assistant which is entirely unrelated to the mainline of business. She is also not well-liked by people she would be managing, a complainer, and incompetent at her current position. There's no way she can handle the physical requirements of a management position. The GM was planning to fire her.
The employee contacts the owners and not sure how it happened, but she's now an assistant manager. I mean, this person with no experience or credentials has gone over the GM and somehow managed to get a job custom-created for her!
Ugggh,, anyway,my friend is an assistant manager and is basically stuck doing everything this other person can't. He's also stuck working with this person and watching her run the business in the ground b/c she has no idea what she's doing. Bonuses are awarded out of a pool from which now this newly-promoted employee is going to be included. Worse, everyone hates this person for going over the GM's head. GM won't even discipline her at this point.
My friend is miserable and now worried about his job (since now there are too many managers) and I don't have any suggestions except to tell him to try to find another job. I mean, clearly if the GM can't lead, he's worthless. Does anyone see a way to come out of this situation alive?
I don't have an answer. But, I really would love to know why in almost every company there is an unliked slacker who spends more time talking about how much they do (not to mention how much they know) than actually doing it and thinks they deserve preferential treatment, has the gaul to demand it, and almost always gets it and ruins it for those hard working, honest, conscientious co-workers around them! And, the icing on the cake is that upper management is always CLUELESS! Good people leave, one after another, because of this person and management remains CLUELESS! This person is always the common link to why employees are unhappy or leave and once again upper management remains CLUELESS! That is my burning question.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,931,469 times
Reputation: 9885
Yeah, unfortunately, I've seen this happen before, too. This is why I just laugh at job postings where the employer claims they want the best person for the job....no they don't. Managers want someone who kisses their booty and fits in with current dysfunctional workgroup. This is also why the customers get such crappy service and why service processes aren't improved. Hahahaha, I feel better now.
Anyway, for my friend, I don't see a way out. He has a good relationship (he thought) with the owners, but when management is based on whim and not business sense I just don't see how he can win.
Last edited by bande1102; 01-06-2011 at 08:39 AM..
In situations like these, I can't help but suspect that the person getting these undeserved promotions has dirt on somebody senior, in addition to kissing lots of posterior. Or maybe the old 'who are you sleeping with'... literally.
It sounds like the owners could care less about this business. Perhaps it is a sideline or a company inherited by them, ie. easy come easy go. They can be independently wealthy in other vocations and not care at all about the survival of this sideline. Your friend needs to leave, or last gasp, give benefit of the doubt to the GM and owners, in that order, and voice their complaints.
As soon as this happened the GM should have voiced his concerns to the owners at being overridden and undermined.
The only thing I can suggest is that your friend write a letter to the GM, copied to the owners, explaining how the reshuffling of the hierarchy has resulted in extra work for him due to the new assistant manager's unfortunate but apparent inability to complete assigned tasks. He should make sure he has everything documented. If written properly and in a non-accusatory fashion but simply stating how his workload has increased and it's difficult for him to do his job, it might hit home. He can also play the aks-kissing game by saying how much he enjoys the job and worries that the lessened productivity will have a negative impact on the company.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,931,469 times
Reputation: 9885
Quote:
Originally Posted by STT Resident
As soon as this happened the GM should have voiced his concerns to the owners at being overridden and undermined.
The only thing I can suggest is that your friend write a letter to the GM, copied to the owners, explaining how the reshuffling of the hierarchy has resulted in extra work for him due to the new assistant manager's unfortunate but apparent inability to complete assigned tasks. He should make sure he has everything documented. If written properly and in a non-accusatory fashion but simply stating how his workload has increased and it's difficult for him to do his job, it might hit home. He can also play the aks-kissing game by saying how much he enjoys the job and worries that the lessened productivity will have a negative impact on the company.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,931,469 times
Reputation: 9885
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick99
In situations like these, I can't help but suspect that the person getting these undeserved promotions has dirt on somebody senior, in addition to kissing lots of posterior. Or maybe the old 'who are you sleeping with'... literally.
It sounds like the owners could care less about this business. Perhaps it is a sideline or a company inherited by them, ie. easy come easy go. They can be independently wealthy in other vocations and not care at all about the survival of this sideline. Your friend needs to leave, or last gasp, give benefit of the doubt to the GM and owners, in that order, and voice their complaints.
You know, I think you hit the nail on the head. I was talking to my friend and he found out that this other employee is pulling the sex discrimination card. Apparently, the GM had hired promoted a male to an AM position even though this guy apparently didn't have management experience (he has a bus degree and was working there in non supervisory role). The employee claims she wanted that position all along, but was never told there was an opening, blah, blah, blah.
You know, I think you hit the nail on the head. I was talking to my friend and he found out that this other employee is pulling the sex discrimination card. Apparently, the GM had hired promoted a male to an AM position even though this guy apparently didn't have management experience (he has a bus degree and was working there in non supervisory role). The employee claims she wanted that position all along, but was never told there was an opening, blah, blah, blah.
And doesn't that just suck????
The laziest, whiniest woman IN THE WORLD is, unfortunately, employed by the company I work for. I mean this woman is so lazy, it's apparent she doesn't always bathe and rarely washes her hair. She's rude to customers to the point she's run off God knows how many. She spends the majority of her time talking to friends and doing everything she can to avoid actual productive work. She can't spell, so the filing is a mess. I'll stop, but the list could go on.....and on.....
However, she is, and excuse the vulgarity, so far up one of the owner's butts, it's nauseating. (Why isn't there an emoticon for gagging?) Job security for her and the hard workers are constantly scrutinized, abused and berated (and that's a whole 'nother thread.)
Perhaps your friend should call it a day and look elsewhere. He's obviously not being recognized for what he does. So sad, but all too common.
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(and that's a whole 'nother thread.)
