ChristyPosting
09-06-2006, 03:21 PM
I need some help on this one.
About 10 years ago we hired a receptionist and filing technician. She was pleasant and got her work done although not as quick as expected.
Due to staff turnover she has made her way up the ladder and is now the senior receptionist and technician. Part of her job duties are to oversee the other receptionists and technicians as well as put together yearly expenditures and propose the upcoming years budgets based on previous years invoices.
The problems are:
1. She doesnt get her work done and she makes sure she knows what other areas of the business are doing as well, so much so as to interfere. Besides our reception division, we have research and development, design and manufacturing, and shipping and receiving. Of course the reception division is responsible for receiving and directing those phone calls, but when a phone call comes in and "Leroy" in design doesnt answer, she goes throughout the building to track "Leroy" down and tell him to answer his phone. "Leroy", our senior designer, has asked her several times to let the call be picked up by the anwering system, but she argues that the caller doesn't want to leave a message.
2. If Leroy is heading out of the office to a meeting, she insists to know where, how long, and what the discussion is. She claims she needs to know this so she can be informed in case someone asks where Leroy is.
3. The General office has become her territory. She likes to keep the breakroom clean which is good but she demands that no dirty coffee cups be left anywhere but on the 2nd shelf of the cupboard. If anyone leaves a lunch plate to something sitting out, she says it will be thrown out. Somedays staff goes into the breakroom and leaves the light off as it gets warm from the sun coming through the windows. She walks in and turns the light on and says that everyone needs to turn the light on because reading is bad for their eyes.
4. As technology is coming along and we have been able to direct customers to our website, it appears she is doing less and less (she does not maintain the website), yet she claims she has so much work to do and no time to do it. Yesterday I watched her outside pulling weeds around the building as the budget summary for 2005 is still incomplete. That summary is needed for the 2007 budget proposal.
5. Her parking spot is not an option for anyone else. It is very close to the door. When she takes vacation time, others park there. It has happened when she has come in late that other employees have parked in that spot because they tought she was off. She has come into the office and made it know that parking in "her spot" is not an option. I, as well as others, who have worked for this business 20 years, have far more seniority on her, yet she feels that we should honor her views. To most of us, it is irrelevant as we are fine with walking a 100 feet or 20 feet, it is just the point of the whole thing. As far as seniority of position, she is below most of the other employees with the exception of those 3 she supervises.
Why does this affect me? Why am I posting this? Because on a personal note she is becoming more of a Monster and policing the office beyond her responsibilities. Her walking about the office to see where Leroy is and to make sure everyone is at their desks while her work piles up affects me when I ask to have something done and get the response "I'm way too busy".
She was a very good friend but is slowly becoming someone who is avoided or is "not part of the gang". Mostly because of her lack of understanding of how to effectively and efficiently get her job done, but also because of her need to know what everyone else is doing all of the time.
We have mentioned this to our owner/president. He has said he is going to address this soon as he sees it also and probably moreso than the lateral division employees. The employees she supervises have also said they have no idea what she is doing. They have also complained that they are doing her work and trying to take up her slack as well.
I have used Leroy as one of the employees she tracks, but it's just not Leroy, it's pretty much everyone.
The situation isn't good, but before it becomes an all out battle, something needs to be corrected.
Do other companies have the same types of employees letting their responsibilities and position go to their head without getting their own work done?
My question is: How would you handle this if you were in our owners shoes? We are a business of about 40.
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
About 10 years ago we hired a receptionist and filing technician. She was pleasant and got her work done although not as quick as expected.
Due to staff turnover she has made her way up the ladder and is now the senior receptionist and technician. Part of her job duties are to oversee the other receptionists and technicians as well as put together yearly expenditures and propose the upcoming years budgets based on previous years invoices.
The problems are:
1. She doesnt get her work done and she makes sure she knows what other areas of the business are doing as well, so much so as to interfere. Besides our reception division, we have research and development, design and manufacturing, and shipping and receiving. Of course the reception division is responsible for receiving and directing those phone calls, but when a phone call comes in and "Leroy" in design doesnt answer, she goes throughout the building to track "Leroy" down and tell him to answer his phone. "Leroy", our senior designer, has asked her several times to let the call be picked up by the anwering system, but she argues that the caller doesn't want to leave a message.
2. If Leroy is heading out of the office to a meeting, she insists to know where, how long, and what the discussion is. She claims she needs to know this so she can be informed in case someone asks where Leroy is.
3. The General office has become her territory. She likes to keep the breakroom clean which is good but she demands that no dirty coffee cups be left anywhere but on the 2nd shelf of the cupboard. If anyone leaves a lunch plate to something sitting out, she says it will be thrown out. Somedays staff goes into the breakroom and leaves the light off as it gets warm from the sun coming through the windows. She walks in and turns the light on and says that everyone needs to turn the light on because reading is bad for their eyes.
4. As technology is coming along and we have been able to direct customers to our website, it appears she is doing less and less (she does not maintain the website), yet she claims she has so much work to do and no time to do it. Yesterday I watched her outside pulling weeds around the building as the budget summary for 2005 is still incomplete. That summary is needed for the 2007 budget proposal.
5. Her parking spot is not an option for anyone else. It is very close to the door. When she takes vacation time, others park there. It has happened when she has come in late that other employees have parked in that spot because they tought she was off. She has come into the office and made it know that parking in "her spot" is not an option. I, as well as others, who have worked for this business 20 years, have far more seniority on her, yet she feels that we should honor her views. To most of us, it is irrelevant as we are fine with walking a 100 feet or 20 feet, it is just the point of the whole thing. As far as seniority of position, she is below most of the other employees with the exception of those 3 she supervises.
Why does this affect me? Why am I posting this? Because on a personal note she is becoming more of a Monster and policing the office beyond her responsibilities. Her walking about the office to see where Leroy is and to make sure everyone is at their desks while her work piles up affects me when I ask to have something done and get the response "I'm way too busy".
She was a very good friend but is slowly becoming someone who is avoided or is "not part of the gang". Mostly because of her lack of understanding of how to effectively and efficiently get her job done, but also because of her need to know what everyone else is doing all of the time.
We have mentioned this to our owner/president. He has said he is going to address this soon as he sees it also and probably moreso than the lateral division employees. The employees she supervises have also said they have no idea what she is doing. They have also complained that they are doing her work and trying to take up her slack as well.
I have used Leroy as one of the employees she tracks, but it's just not Leroy, it's pretty much everyone.
The situation isn't good, but before it becomes an all out battle, something needs to be corrected.
Do other companies have the same types of employees letting their responsibilities and position go to their head without getting their own work done?
My question is: How would you handle this if you were in our owners shoes? We are a business of about 40.
Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.