How would you handle this manager?

Craig B · May 2003

I have a manager who is very technical but has little to no social skills. This manager's department is getting the job done but all the employees are unhappy.

We have a system where the employees log-in and then must log-out when they leave their desk and code a reason. This manager is very anal and scrutinizes every reason her 4 employees log-out ie...analyzing the reason at the end of the month asking why did it take 4 minutes to get something off the printer on 5/4/03, she also informed them if they need to go to the restroom and it is 10 minutes before lunch or break they are to wait for their break/lunch period. This are only a few examples.

I have had 2 new good employees transfer in her department then in 90 days they beg to be transferred out becasue of the enviornment. This manager's boss has informed her that she needs to be more socialbe and not micro-manage her people but nothing has changed. I am finding it hard to measure her behavior because the only way we know what she is doing wrong comes from when her employees complain.

We are in an at-will state so do you think it is fair to just terminate her without going through a some sort of documented improvment plan? Which I have no idea how I would measure due to the nature of her behavior.

Any ideas?

scottorr · May 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-20-03 AT 02:22PM (CST)[/font][p]Have these issues been identfied on a performance review? You can terminate in an at-will state, however this does not prevent her from filing a lawsuit. She has every right to do so with or without merit. Do you have a policy which identifies progressive disciplinary action? If you do and you do not follow it, this may be held against you.

Balloonman · May 2003

Employee turnover or transfer requests are one objective way to measure issues in the department. If you keep getting transfer requests, it is not unreasonable to inquiry why the employees want to transfer.
So then you have the issue of a technical person in a managerial role, or a square peg in a round hole. Do you have a technical position that would be more appropriate for her to be put into? If she is tremendous technically sounds like it would be a shame to lose her. But better to lose her than 6 other employees, yes the four that work for her now then at least two more. I have seen it before, you will be constantly looking for more people.
Yes you need to make a change, but look first if you can use the talents she has.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman

Don D · May 2003

It might be that your company's system of tracking the every movement of its employees has sent her the message that she is expected to track the every movement of her direct reports. I noticed you said, "We have a system...", so I assume it is not HER system. If it were her creation, I would say her supervisor ought to snatch up the log sheet and ask her to explain it's intention, it's use and what good she thinks it might accomplish.

It seems that the micromanagement events you describe are directly related to that inane and counterproductive tracking instrument your company has in place for employees to use and managers to track. That would be my starting point. (How specific must one be when logging restroom traffic?)

Craig B · May 2003

This person works in a customer service call center so the inane counterproductive tracking system is acutal beneficial for quality purposes. This same system is used company wide but this inane counterproductive manager is the only one who uses the system like a prison wardon.

We do have a progressive discipline policy but I am concerned by the time we take the time to enforce it this manager will have scared off a couple other good employees.

Thank you all for suggestions.

Squishypig · May 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-21-03 AT 10:40AM (CST)[/font][p]First off, I don't think I would necessarily utlilize the progressive discipline right off the bat. Is she really doing anything "wrong" besides being an an ineffective manager? This employee doesn't really need discipline, she needs counseling and training on how to be an effective leader for her department. I would sit her down and express my concerns over all the transfers in her department, maybe even in a quantative way (i.e. "Jan, it seems that since you have became a manager in this department, the transfer rate has increased by 10% and is higher than the average of any other manager."). I would ask her what she thinks the reasons are and then discuss what I feel the reasons are for the high transfer rate. I would also explain exactly what the tracking program is for and it is not for the managers to keep such close tabs on their employees. I would inform her that we are not sure that she is a good fit for that particular position and would like to develop a 30 day improvement plan with her input at the end of which time, it would be decided if she should stay in that position, be moved to another position or be terminated.

We were recently in a very simlilar situation. We had an employee who was very knowledgeable in the technicalities so she was promoted to manager. Despite 2 months of intensive counseling, she was not improving in her role as a manager. The job satisfaction of the staff dive bombed, there was tension that was not present before, the corporate management team was frustrated and we decided that it just wasn't working out and terminated her. The turnover rate dropped from 17% to 5% in the first month she was gone plus no less than 3 stellar former employees (who left because of her) came back to work for us. It is like a completely different workplace filled with positive vibes and happy employees. I wish you luck in dealing with this manager.

Looks like we are neighbors! I am up the road in Baton Rouge!

Johnette
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mbeam · May 2003

What if you start enforcing your progressive discipline policy and let the supervisor know that you'll be following up regularly (weekly, bi-weekly) to check in on how things are going.

Would also recommend having her turn in a performance improvement plan indicating what she's going to do to better orient new employees and keep the ones she has - this can then be the focal point of the follow-up discussion. If it's a valid comparison would show her the turnover #'s & average tenure for her department as compared to other parts of the organization and set goals to improve it.

Also, would recommend more involvement by her supervisor - have him/her talk informally with team members that report to her, attend meetings she's having.

pecohr · May 2003

I have in the past requested that a manager (usually on a PIP) bring the performance items that they will be discussing with ee's to me first. We do a role playing exercise with the manager using me as the employee. I have found that by challenging some of the more anal issues in this format that I could get the manager more focused on selecting realistic performance issues.

It's time consuming and a pain in the rear but my job also includes helping/teaching the manager/s to be more effective in their jobs.

Good luck,

Crout · May 2003

The myth of "at-will" again rears its ugly head. You should really go through a documented process that could include some training and discipline before giving this person the ax. Keep in mind that if your big concern is morale, simply lopping off her head without giving her a chance to change will also have a negative ripple effect throughout your office. How much training have you offered this person? I think that Don has a good point when he says that she might be misreading the culture of your company in regard to tracking time.

How would you handle this manager?

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