The Cellar - View Single Post

lookout123 · 07-14-2005, 02:07 PM

update:

shortly after the last post Jimbob sat clementine down for a conference call with the HR people. when she figured out what was going on she refused to walk into the office demanding that i hang up the call and discuss this with just her, no HR involved. i pressed the speakerphone button so they could hear and she promptly shut up and sat down.

i presented very well documented inadequacies that ended up costing me and the business a chunk of change and some clients' trust. she didn't dispute any of the facts whatsoever but kept returning to the "you are just picking on me and i don't know why" bit. the call got ugly on her part with accusations, etc. in each case i looked at my notes and said - "do you mean on X date, when i asked you to do ____ and it didn't get done? is that the event you are talking about?" and then she would attack the HR people for always siding with the broker. at which point, her representative on the call(who happens to be THE director of HR), broke in and told her to be quiet, quit interrupting, or she would remove herself from the case so that she could write Clem up for insubordination herself.

in the end, Clem received a written warning. she was all tears and drama and demanded to know what i wanted from her. my response was that:

A) you will listen, learn, and comply and become a VERY good assistant
B) you will decide you can't do the job and resign
C) you will refuse to comply and we will continue the process through termination.

Clem was and is not a happy camper.

Clem is also unhappy because i removed her flex time schedule privileges due to abuse and a lack of confidence that she is working when i'm not here. she is working the same number of hours, but it is now an 8-4:30 sched. with mandatory 1/2 hour lunch. (she stays half an hour later now, but she had the option)
yesterday, at 2 she tells me that i have to change the schedule because there isn't enough work to justify keeping her an extra 1/2 hour. i just stared at her and reminded her that she is working the same number of hours as before. she made crack that the previous 2 broker's had tried to change her hours and she kept her schedule the same anyway. she kept pushing and pushing and pushing so i gave her the freedom to choose.
A) find a way to stay busy for the whole day (learning new skills, organizing, working on marketing, etc.)
B) cut her hours down to 35 so that she doesn't get bored.

then i told her to organize the product literature area to give her something to do - a task she has been saying she would do for a month. of course, she went home without doing it.
Yep, HR agreed with me - that was insubordination. i expect another conference call with HR tomorrow.

i no longer feel bad at all. she is pushing herself right out the door.

07-14-2005, 02:07 PM	#45
lookout123 changed his status to single Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Right behind you. No, the other side. Posts: 10,308	update: shortly after the last post Jimbob sat clementine down for a conference call with the HR people. when she figured out what was going on she refused to walk into the office demanding that i hang up the call and discuss this with just her, no HR involved. i pressed the speakerphone button so they could hear and she promptly shut up and sat down. i presented very well documented inadequacies that ended up costing me and the business a chunk of change and some clients' trust. she didn't dispute any of the facts whatsoever but kept returning to the "you are just picking on me and i don't know why" bit. the call got ugly on her part with accusations, etc. in each case i looked at my notes and said - "do you mean on X date, when i asked you to do ____ and it didn't get done? is that the event you are talking about?" and then she would attack the HR people for always siding with the broker. at which point, her representative on the call(who happens to be THE director of HR), broke in and told her to be quiet, quit interrupting, or she would remove herself from the case so that she could write Clem up for insubordination herself. in the end, Clem received a written warning. she was all tears and drama and demanded to know what i wanted from her. my response was that: A) you will listen, learn, and comply and become a VERY good assistant B) you will decide you can't do the job and resign C) you will refuse to comply and we will continue the process through termination. Clem was and is not a happy camper. Clem is also unhappy because i removed her flex time schedule privileges due to abuse and a lack of confidence that she is working when i'm not here. she is working the same number of hours, but it is now an 8-4:30 sched. with mandatory 1/2 hour lunch. (she stays half an hour later now, but she had the option) yesterday, at 2 she tells me that i have to change the schedule because there isn't enough work to justify keeping her an extra 1/2 hour. i just stared at her and reminded her that she is working the same number of hours as before. she made crack that the previous 2 broker's had tried to change her hours and she kept her schedule the same anyway. she kept pushing and pushing and pushing so i gave her the freedom to choose. A) find a way to stay busy for the whole day (learning new skills, organizing, working on marketing, etc.) B) cut her hours down to 35 so that she doesn't get bored. then i told her to organize the product literature area to give her something to do - a task she has been saying she would do for a month. of course, she went home without doing it. Yep, HR agreed with me - that was insubordination. i expect another conference call with HR tomorrow. i no longer feel bad at all. she is pushing herself right out the door. __________________ Getting knocked down is no sin, it's not getting back up that's the sin Last edited by lookout123; 07-15-2005 at 12:46 AM.