A reader writes:
Is there anything I can do to stop a resentful employee from complaining behind my back?
Here’s the situation. I have an employee, Sally, who was moved to my team around six months ago. While I didn’t arrange for the transfer, I thought at the time that it was a good thing: Sally and I were friendly, and for months I’d heard her tales of woe about her bad managers. They were treating her unfairly, she said, and gave her unclear feedback and set unreasonably demanding expectations.
Her role in my team has fewer responsibilities. I thought that with some coaching, she would be able to rise to the demands of this position. I have given her clear feedback on her work, pointing out repeat problems. I have set clear expectations, gone over these with Sally several times and put them in writing. I have run workshops and coaching sessions that sought to address some of the issues with her work. And yet Sally’s work is very poor, requiring several rounds of corrections; she hasn’t shown any of the growth I need to see for her to meet the expectations of the role. On top of that, she responds to feedback poorly – she sulks or snaps or tunes you out entirely. She has been moved onto a performance improvement plan, which is a requirement in my company – otherwise I believe the best thing would be to let her go sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, Sally is telling colleagues that she is being treated unfairly, that other people have been given chances and opportunities that she hasn’t been given, that the standards being set are “subjective.” I know she is convincing – because I was fooled myself in the past, and because a number of my coworkers have come to me, saying “Sally says she’s trying really hard” or “Sally says she’s being held to different standards.” Of course, these people don’t have the full picture, because much of the situation is confidential – I can’t go around saying “well actually, she’s a fundamentally poor fit for the role and has had lots of hand-holding.” Some of these people are employees who I manage.
Is there anything I can do to ensure my colleagues and team members don’t think I’m treating her unfairly? Is there anything I can do to stop Sally from this unhelpful behavior?
You can read my answer to this letter at New York Magazine today. Head over there to read it.
my problem employee is telling coworkers I’m unfair to her was originally published by Alison Green on Ask a Manager.
from Ask a Manager http://bit.ly/2DGFyPV
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