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Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,940,392 times
Reputation: 9887
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My friend, Bob, works for a small company with absentee owners (they are out of state and not involved in day-to-day activities). He is a manager and there is one manager above him. He makes GREAT money and, seriously, is worth every dime---there's a direct link b/w him and the money coming in the door. So here's the problem:
An admin asst decided she wanted to be a manager. There wasn't even a manager position open. She bypassed management and called the owners and accused them of being sexist and ageist (she is a woman over 50). She has absolutely NO experience in the business at all and also has health issues.
The owners told management to make her a manager. In other words, they created a position for her. Then they hired someone else for the admin position. This woman CANNOT do the management job. She messes up constantly, often costing the company money. She then blames everyone else--they didn't train her, she couldn't find the correct document, etc. The manager (directly under the owner) has now shifted this woman's workload onto Bob. Bob gets stuck with 10 and 12 hour days and the woman gets to leave at 2pm b/c she is so freaking incompetent.
Bob's manager agrees with him, but claims that the owners are in control and, for now, she gets to keep the job. So Bob has been refusing to do her work and documenting her mistakes. So now this woman has been spreading rumors about Bob. Things like Bob seems tired (b/c he's working her hours!) so maybe he can't handle the position. Or he seems to be upset, is he having an issue working with a woman. Things like that. He's confronted her, but it doesn't seem to matter.
Obviously, Bob is looking for another job, but how does he even survive until he finds another. Also, they hired an admin to replace the woman who is now a manager. The woman is talking about going back to the admin position and, this part kills me, they are probably going to layoff this poor newly hired admin. The woman is also sabotaging the new admin. She hides things from her. She spreads rumors about her,etc. The new admin asst has no idea what she's walked into. Worse, she's actually really good and everyone loves her.
As of now, Bob has a pretty good relationship w/the owners. He's debated about going to them, but then his boss will get mad. His boss doesn't really care b/c he's not being inconvenienced at all. The admin *** manager is probably planning to hang on to the management job until busy season is over and bonuses have been handed out and then get her admin job back.
OMG, If Bob has a good relationship with the owners, I would have gone straight to the owners right away as soon as she started screwing up. How are the owners to know she's not doing her job if no one has the guts to call her on it? She incompetent and she should be out of a job not the newly hired admin assistant.
While Bob talks to the owners about this woman, he also needs to bring up that the newly hired admin assist is so much better then this woman ever was. Get her azz canned so she can't pull anymore crap.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,940,392 times
Reputation: 9887
Quote:
Originally Posted by donie1
OMG, If Bob has a good relationship with the owners, I would have gone straight to the owners right away as soon as she started screwing up. How are the owners to know she's not doing her job if no one has the guts to call her on it? She incompetent and she should be out of a job not the newly hired admin assistant.
While Bob talks to the owners about this woman, he also needs to bring up that the newly hired admin assist is so much better then this woman ever was. Get her azz canned so she can't pull anymore crap.
Yeah, he's trying to talk to the owners; but feels like he should try to work more directly with his manager (trying not to step on his toes). While Bob's immediate manager agrees and supports him; he's trying to stay out of the whole mess. Which is pretty easy b/c he just shoves the extra work onto Bob and a few other employees. As for the owners, as far as they're concerned; everything is ok. They've kept one employee happy (the woman) and the business is still running smoothly. I'm not sure what impetus there is for them to really care. Worst scenario is Bob quits and, really, no one is irreplaceable. I'm just worried about Bob's sanity.
As for the new admin----yeah, Bob and everyone else have been talking her up.
If I were Bob, I would start asking for an assistant from the owners. He should tell them that he has taken on additional responsibility (ie her mess) and he needs help. That way he isn't letting them know he is looking around (they may get upset at that) and yet he is letting them know that the work is getting overwhelming - if they are worth their salt they will ask "Why" he has the sudden extra work load. Then the door is open for him to state facts; not bashing, just stating the facts.
First off this is a small business. The owners should have stood up to this woman. They were forced to create a position that she can not do.
What I would do is have a meeting with her and inform her of her job duties. Explain how everything is supposed to happen. Real managers don't blame others for not getting the job done.
Real managers do what is needed to get the job done. If it takes her 6 hours or 18 hours how is that anyone elses problem? Bob should stop doing her work and get his own work done. If she can't get her job done then she needs to be written up. After she is written up a number of times let her know that she is not needed their anymore and get her tail end off the property.
Bob has boundary issues, this is not his business. He needs to work 8 to 4:30, and leave at the end of the day. He needs to discuss his duties, and her duties, with his boss, and then do his work only.
For example, where I work, people need to do their job, before I can do my job. I used to get frustrated with this, and then help those incompetent people get their work done. Now, I have decided it is not my problem. I notified my supervisor of the issue, and have plenty of time to play on the internet all day long, because the people below me did not do their job, so I can't do mine. Not my problem.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,940,392 times
Reputation: 9887
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasper12
Bob has boundary issues, this is not his business. He needs to work 8 to 4:30, and leave at the end of the day. He needs to discuss his duties, and her duties, with his boss, and then do his work only.
For example, where I work, people need to do their job, before I can do my job. I used to get frustrated with this, and then help those incompetent people get their work done. Now, I have decided it is not my problem. I notified my supervisor of the issue, and have plenty of time to play on the internet all day long, because the people below me did not do their job, so I can't do mine. Not my problem.
Wow, this is a really good point. I hadn't considered this a boundary issue, but you are absolutely right. Also, I think that Bob is making it way too easy for his (Bob's) immediate manager. If the manager or owners were inconvenienced, they might actually do something about it. And I think having boundaries is a great start towards putting this "problem" in the laps of those who created it to begin with.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,940,392 times
Reputation: 9887
Quote:
Originally Posted by South Range Family
Who was doing all of this extra work before the 3rd manager position was created?
Same amount of work, one extra manager, but now Bob is over loaded. Something doesn't add up.
Bob's immediate manager was doing the work (and working the crazy hours to go with it). Now Bob's manager leaves and puts the woman in charge. Only once it became apparent that she couldn't do it, Bob's day was extended to work alongside her and fix her mistakes.
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