As the title says: Off topic rant

[newhope4me 0]

ok, this section does say "off-topic" which this is completely off topic!

I just need to get this out, and maybe after seeing it down i'll think of a way to deal with this or maybe someone will have some great advice for me (telling someone to go f*** themselves does not count as advice, lol)

ok...at work about 6 months ago we hired a new department head at work. she originally applied for a lower position, but when the GM saw where she was trained (considered one of the top in the field), he offered her this supervisory position. she claimed to have supervisory experience quite a few years earlier. At first, she seemed a Godsend. Probably because the one who held her position before was a complete waste of space (in a 2 yr period she had missed at least 60 days, not counting her days off, vacation or days where she put in less than 5 hours).

Well, as time has passed, her staff has of course had complaints. In the beginning I'm sure it was mostly because they were suffering adjustment pains, testing the waters, etc. But as I have to work with her sometimes as well, I have noticed shortcomings. Her staff has gone to the GM. I have mentioned things a couple of times to the GM as well. And in the beginning the GM dealt w/ these complaints as they are just complaining because she's not #1 (the one that used to be in that position). Then he started saying, they need to stop working against her and help her adjust and teach her how to do these things. And now its to the point that he has told her staff he doesnt want to hear any complaints. I too have learned not to complain about her.

BUT...she is scatterbrained! she has her priorities screwed up, she doesnt know how to order stock (overstocked on items that will sit forever, running out of items that fly out); she doesnt know how to schedule her staff appropriately (has affected her budget negatively for at least 2 months in a row); is more concerned with aesthetics than customer service (we need to polish silverware, not find customers a seat-that happened at our busiest day of the year!)

She's been here 6 months and doesnt know how to schedule her staff? shouldn't that be one of the first things she should do? as soon as she reports for duty, she's constantly running...but its like a chicken-with-its- head-cut-off running, she's constantly misplacing things (left her keys on a customers table, didnt get them back for 3 days). she is rude to her staff, she has pushed at least 2 of them, suppossedly joking, but those who saw it didnt see it as a joke.

But the GM (and no they arent sleeping together, but seems like something is there) seems oblivious to it, even when confronted by it. I know the GM has seen some of this. There are staff that are getting resumes ready to leave, 2 have left. Maybe the GM doesnt want to admit he was wrong, but doesnt letting her stay make him look like a fool? Especially since some of the staff knows she originally applied for a lesser position, but the GM offered her this one.

This GM has turned this company around, is a great boss, but i just don't know why he is allowing this. its really frustrating, we want the company to continue in an upward trend, but i think this might bring us down.

[Big As Life 0]

Sounds like you hit the nail on the head...he doesn't want to admit that he was wrong.....

[Kat817 19]

DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!!!! Including when you went to the GM about her before--- and when things happen now. Date it, detail what, when, where, what was said----you know the drill---EVERYTHING! Then once a month or so, copy that documentation, and mail it to yourself. Put it away unopened, and if it ever comes to it, you have proof of a general date with the postmark. It can be proven this has been an ongoing problem, that you did not stay up late the night before, writing up bad things about her.

If YOU decide to leave, they will help in your pursuit of unemployment if needed. Suggest to those she is pushing around literally, to do the same! The more of you that do this together---the better off you will be.

Then if necessary you can take the documentation in bulk to the GM, and let him know if he cannot deal with it, you are quite sure HIS boss can.

I would not threaten it unless you are willing to follow through with it---but spend some time building your case. And if a slow in income is shown to the powers that be, over the same period all of you are complaining of....it will cement your case!!

Good Luck!

Kat

[catzintj 1]

wow. how frustrating. you sound like you understand management. i love the books by JOHN C. MAXWELL. he is a great help to me. he has one book called winning with people. i wont go into great detail. but i recommend you buy this book and read it. it will help you in all areas of your life. maybe you could share with her some of the knowledge in the book. try to keep the focus on your job and your performance. i love the serenity pray... about changing the things we can.... i like that you care about the company you work for and the future success. i myself work alone for most of the nite. but i do a large amount of PR for my hospital. promoting good relationships between departments through education and caring. it takes great skill to approach people about work issues without putting them on the defense. i try to start with the line...." i have a problem, maybe you can help me " great leaders are people willing to humble themselves and be servents to others, it requires sacrifice and more sacrifice. i think a good attitude is so important and you sound like you have that going for you also. i try to be the employee that i would want working for me if i was the owner.............. good luck and really really i say go get the book. it will pump you up and improve your mood.

[plain 12]

Newhope, I don't know if this is practical or not, but maybe try asking the GM to shadow this lady for 1-2 days to evaluate strengths and weaknesses (this approach worked for me. My boss went behind a co-worker, checking up on him discreetly, and saw what a waste of space he was).

[MacMadame 81]

I don't have any advice but I have definitely seen this in every place I've ever worked. There is always one person who really sucks but their boss doesn't see it. These people are really good at "managing up". I think the only way to defeat them is to become even better at it than they are.

[newhope4me 0]

OK, today was just awful. it actually started yesterday. this coworker ("Jen") asked me if we were doing something for an employee who's last day was today. Well, the GM, "Jen" and i had already decided we were going to do something, in fact "Jen" volunteered to collect donations to buy a gift card for the employee who is leaving (having a baby), even though its very evident to all that she doesn't care for this employee. others have even heard her say she cant wait until that employee is gone (even though that employee does most of "Jen's" work for her)

so, the day before she asks if we are doing anything. which tells me she hasn't asked anyone for money for the gift card. which is fine, i think most of us had already bought a gift for the girl leaving. so, "Jen" starts saying how she'll have to "hit everyone up". I told her, you cant do that the day of (with visions in my head of her asking for money right in front of the recipient). she tells me she's going to pick up a gift card on her way to work, then i worry she's going to try to get the company to pay for it (she's had the company pay for odd things in the past), i tell her the company cant pay for it, then we'd have to start doing that for everyone. she just keeps saying she's going to pick up a gift card. i let it go.

then today, she does, she asks employees for money, right in front of the employee for whom the gift card is for. tact? hmmm, maybe they don't teach that at this prestigious training facility.

so, then later she brings me a card (with the gift card inside i assume) and says its from her and the GM. is that appropriate? a gift from her and her boss? i don't know, seemed a bit inappropriate to me. then she and the GM left for an errand

we postponed the little "party" for an hour, then we had to have it before business picked up, without the GM and "Jen". I thought both should have been there. "Jen" was the girl's immediate supervisor, and of course the GM has always been to every one of these things we've done.

the errand they ran, i couldn't figure out why "Jen" had gone, not really in her dept. but then i remembered the mtg was at a casino and "Jen" has a bit of a gambling obsession. her husband doesn't let her go, etc (i think if i lost $1000 in a weekend my husband wouldn't let me either). and then a couple of us starting thinking, wonder if they will make it back or just go home from there?

then while they were gone i had one of her staff members ask me if it was proper for a supervisor to discuss income/tips with other members of her staff (what one makes compared to another). i said no, its completely uncalled for. one of the girls had given another a table and earned a substantial tip, so "Jen" pointed out to the first girl the tip that she lost by giving the table away. we just went through this w/ the entire staff a couple of months ago that we didn't want them discussing tips w/ each other, it causes too much dissension.

i don't know, i just think this whole day was so inappropriate. i have mentioned to a couple of her staff members what was suggested her, i.e. keep notes, mail them to yourself, etc. some have been keeping notes due to a harassment issue we all went through a few years ago with a different GM.

i appreciate everyone who drudges through this with me. its very frustrating.

[green 6]

She sounds like quite the 2-faced bitch, one without any sense of kindness or of social borders when it comes to her peers. It also sounds like the boss enjoys her company a lot. This would indicate that she is cold-hearted and manipulative, able to crap on her colleagues and suck up to her superiors all at the same time. Play your cards right and you will be able to crap on her while she is on her way down or out the door but do be careful. This one doesn't play nice!

[Pix 4]

Go above your GM's head. Complain to corporate about it definetly.

[MacMadame 81]

She and the GM went off to a casino in the middle of the day ... Hmm. Is the GM a guy? Because that just doesn't look good.

[newhope4me 0]

above the GM's head is a Board of Directors, which the actual chain of command is to go to direct supervisor (mine is GM), if that is who your complaint is about, go to grievance committee, who then discusses issues brought to him with the GM before the next Board meeting.

as I've said, this GM has improved many things since coming here. the 3 yrs before he got there, we went thru 2 GMs and one interim GM (consultant). He has improved all the places where he has worked. (I'm friends w/ his wife)

yes, i agree its not appropriate for the two of them to go to the casino together. I've tossed it around in my head wondering if they are up to something together. "Jen" is a newlywed (even though they are having problems already); and the GM has a great relationship w/ his wife. I think its only that they both enjoy the casino and "Jen's" husband doesn't allow her to go.

i do agree she doesn't play nice. more than a couple of times she has tried to put me on the spot in front of the GM. but I'm comfortable in my position and i don't back down. what shocks me is she will ask me about something that has nothing to do w/ my department, and i wonder why the GM doesn't call her on it, say something about it being her department not mine. I already have several duties, a couple of hers that she fell short on.

[MacMadame 81]

Maybe there is there is another guy there around his level who can take him aside and explain that it doesn't look good ... that people are wondering if they are "doing it" and that he's not behaving professionally? He may just be flattered by her attention and thinking with his little brain and not his big one.

[newhope4me 0]

MacMadame, i wish. its a small operation really, another dept. head would be one to talk to him, but he's a kissup and i think he would make it more like i'm causing trouble than having the GM take a look at himself.

whats ironic is that when the all employees went on our annual employee trip out of town, the GM's wife and I, who are friends, hung out the whole time, and there was once when we both had a bit too much to drink and were holding hands, not because of any hanky panky, but basically to assist each other to walk (we weren't stumbling down drunk, but both had heels on and were giggly, just safer to hold hands), the GM said that people were talking about that. so she and I kinda cooled our friendship a bit. because we don't want anyone to think anything inappropriate. we are both married, and we just don't need that kind of gossip going around. but now its like he doesn't realize how he is looking to the staff

and dare i say that his wife did used to work for him, that in fact is how they met. i also have learned that i cannot say anything negative to the GMs wife because she is also friends w/ "Jen" and now defends her.

[MacMadame 81]

I think you can still get him to listen if you play it right. I worked at a small company, 80 people, and a similar situation happened with the owner/president. He hired someone not qualified to be a VP and many didn't like her because of how she acted and treated people but he thought she was the cat's meow. For a while people were talking about how maybe they were doing each other, etc. Finally another VP, who he was friends with, took him aside and told him flat out that his behavior was unbecoming and hurting the company and he shaped up really fast.

Sometimes when a guy is thinking with his little brain instead of his big brain, you can't deal with it logically -- it's bad for moral, good people are quitting, etc. Instead you have to be brutal and tell them they are making a fool of themselves. That will cool the little brain down real fast.

But it has to be the right person and they have to mean it. If you aren't the right person, then your best bet is to stay out of it so that when it all blows up in their faces, you don't get hit with shrapnel.