Problem children (minions) are problematic
Oct. 5th, 2019 10:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jebbypalSo I'm getting to put last year's crash course in management with problem child R (who is now reformed) with my latest -- freelance-to-permanent hire C (i can't think of any nicknames that aren't probably overly mean and I shouldn't). Thankfully C is still in his 90 day period, to the extent that i've put a notification on my calendar.
History behind cut text.
1) C is ... older. but not that much I don't think than me necessarily.
2) C's favorite past time is psychedelic punk garage rock. I'm told that ends up explaining everything about him.
3) C has 1 speed when talking or conversing (and working). Slow and one speed. (do not try to change topics mid-stream it doesn't work). His "ummms" are so long you can see him mentally putting the sentence together, reviewing it in his head, before ponderously delivering it with another um in there to make sure he hasn't forgotten what he was saying. I do not exaggerate.
[if you have met me, you know this results in as much difficulty in communicating as if someone is out phase and experiencing the universe on a 5-minute time delay. Slow is not me unless I'm doing complex mathematics]
4) C is an introvert cubed. I say this as a functional introvert forced to try to portray an extrovert at times. I feel for him. I try to give him his space and assume that with the wisdom of not being under 30 that he will ask for help and communicate.
WRONG
So there's always been some hiccups with Sir C. taking 10 hours for what should have been 4-5, but we assumed it was freelancer wanting everything perfect. he was working with my former underling A, and I told her to tell me point blank if he would be a help to the team as I had not had as much in depth experience overseeing him. She thought he would, we hired him.
Then the last 2 weeks happen and my person U that we moved into her spot when she left, who is now managing C, informed me that she told him C was a nightmare etc. So yeah, now I'm mad at A for more than leaving with barely 2 weeks notice [yes, i know, its all that's required, but jesus, once you are in management its standard practice to think through and at least finish off the large project. NOPE.]
So yeah. Things are beyond busy right now. I have tried to balance the work amongst the 4 people plus an addition 3 people who can do scut work (don't know the area or claims) as much as possible. And things kept happening and C not meeting timelines etc. Or doing so but in the sense it was emailed out at 8 pm or 2am (which dude, i can't throw stones, but yeah, i typically don't do it repeatedly throughout the same week).
I took work away from him so he could focus - at one point he hadn't even realized it had been taken away from him (even though it was due the next day and he was still working on something else).
On reviews of stuff he did, he'd neglect to note or inform us that there were still slides he hadn't done -- they were just half blank. (which means you didn't meet your deadline). There be multiple redraws for graphics but we wouldn't find out until they were to go to graphics which would not be enough time for them to do all because they didn't know they had 10 to do instead of 3. There'd be things that we heard from client with a list of 3 refs to use to fill out -- he'd use 2 different refs and act like he didn't know about the others even though he'd entered the comment originally about the other 3. And any time he'd have an issue, he'd enter into the routing system, carry on an electronic conversation for several rounds even though no conclusion was reached, and see nothing wrong with it. [which some of blame lands on other team members who didn't force issue, but meetings being what they are, they'd assume he was fixing it until they got the next round]
so we discussed it yesterday, as he needs the feedback, and who knows, maybe he'll surprise me. [with me already being told by HR and higher ups that if he can't fit into expectations adequately, I'm fine to cut losses in the 90 day period]
1) not meeting timelines and needing to flag proactively or ask for help with priorities;
C: well...its been a little...difficult..with the compressed timelines.
[cue me looking at U and asking if the timelines were compressed. shocker: they haven't. but this was first thing so neither of us got confrontational over it]
Me: okay, but think about how we can help you with this and please be sure to let people know more than an hour before the timeline that you won't meet it
2) triage your work (eg, proactively identify large graphic lifts and/or parts of client comments that will take several hours to do and needs back and forth with team)
C: Well, how would I even notify anyone that graphics needs to be done....and honestly, I don't even know who works in graphics here.
Me and U [internally and through our eyes to each other]: WHHHHAAAAAT??? (READER, our project coordinator only asks at every meeting if anyone needs to send a few slides to graphics or for people to notify her to how many redraws are needed post client feedback)
Me: outlines process, and tells U to take him over to creative department for introductions immediately after the meeting. (Reader, it is literally 3 cubes down. right next to a meeting room we ALWAYS use).
3) Communication during our review process and if something does not end with a definitive resolution in the electronic system, talk to people or ask for a meeting
C: Well, that doesn't seem to be the culture here.....there seems..to.. be a .....desire.....to document everything.
Me and U [internally]: that's it, we give up, open the window and we'll jump to our deaths.
{READER, i spend at least 2 hours of my day walking around talking to all my direct reports and to accounts and making sure that everything is going okay, is there any problems, want to talk about things, do we need a meeting. Part of our new hire orientation is a joke that our company almost overcommunicates]
Me: well, i think maybe the impression has been you need to not be disturbed in order to focus, but if you pay attention, you'll see almost everyone in the team talking about things. So yeah, try it.
So yes, I feel like C has been working in an alternate reality compared to the company I work in. We will see what happens in the next 2 weeks but seriously, he needs to cut back on the trips with Dr Who and the psychedelic mushrooms and look up to see what this place is really about.
U asked if there was possibility to put his old underling on the team (M, who is dreadfully junior, but fast learner). Me initially: U trust me, you learn more from your problem children.
Me now: If I could spare M off of what she is working on...but i can't....
History behind cut text.
1) C is ... older. but not that much I don't think than me necessarily.
2) C's favorite past time is psychedelic punk garage rock. I'm told that ends up explaining everything about him.
3) C has 1 speed when talking or conversing (and working). Slow and one speed. (do not try to change topics mid-stream it doesn't work). His "ummms" are so long you can see him mentally putting the sentence together, reviewing it in his head, before ponderously delivering it with another um in there to make sure he hasn't forgotten what he was saying. I do not exaggerate.
[if you have met me, you know this results in as much difficulty in communicating as if someone is out phase and experiencing the universe on a 5-minute time delay. Slow is not me unless I'm doing complex mathematics]
4) C is an introvert cubed. I say this as a functional introvert forced to try to portray an extrovert at times. I feel for him. I try to give him his space and assume that with the wisdom of not being under 30 that he will ask for help and communicate.
WRONG
So there's always been some hiccups with Sir C. taking 10 hours for what should have been 4-5, but we assumed it was freelancer wanting everything perfect. he was working with my former underling A, and I told her to tell me point blank if he would be a help to the team as I had not had as much in depth experience overseeing him. She thought he would, we hired him.
Then the last 2 weeks happen and my person U that we moved into her spot when she left, who is now managing C, informed me that she told him C was a nightmare etc. So yeah, now I'm mad at A for more than leaving with barely 2 weeks notice [yes, i know, its all that's required, but jesus, once you are in management its standard practice to think through and at least finish off the large project. NOPE.]
So yeah. Things are beyond busy right now. I have tried to balance the work amongst the 4 people plus an addition 3 people who can do scut work (don't know the area or claims) as much as possible. And things kept happening and C not meeting timelines etc. Or doing so but in the sense it was emailed out at 8 pm or 2am (which dude, i can't throw stones, but yeah, i typically don't do it repeatedly throughout the same week).
I took work away from him so he could focus - at one point he hadn't even realized it had been taken away from him (even though it was due the next day and he was still working on something else).
On reviews of stuff he did, he'd neglect to note or inform us that there were still slides he hadn't done -- they were just half blank. (which means you didn't meet your deadline). There be multiple redraws for graphics but we wouldn't find out until they were to go to graphics which would not be enough time for them to do all because they didn't know they had 10 to do instead of 3. There'd be things that we heard from client with a list of 3 refs to use to fill out -- he'd use 2 different refs and act like he didn't know about the others even though he'd entered the comment originally about the other 3. And any time he'd have an issue, he'd enter into the routing system, carry on an electronic conversation for several rounds even though no conclusion was reached, and see nothing wrong with it. [which some of blame lands on other team members who didn't force issue, but meetings being what they are, they'd assume he was fixing it until they got the next round]
so we discussed it yesterday, as he needs the feedback, and who knows, maybe he'll surprise me. [with me already being told by HR and higher ups that if he can't fit into expectations adequately, I'm fine to cut losses in the 90 day period]
1) not meeting timelines and needing to flag proactively or ask for help with priorities;
C: well...its been a little...difficult..with the compressed timelines.
[cue me looking at U and asking if the timelines were compressed. shocker: they haven't. but this was first thing so neither of us got confrontational over it]
Me: okay, but think about how we can help you with this and please be sure to let people know more than an hour before the timeline that you won't meet it
2) triage your work (eg, proactively identify large graphic lifts and/or parts of client comments that will take several hours to do and needs back and forth with team)
C: Well, how would I even notify anyone that graphics needs to be done....and honestly, I don't even know who works in graphics here.
Me and U [internally and through our eyes to each other]: WHHHHAAAAAT??? (READER, our project coordinator only asks at every meeting if anyone needs to send a few slides to graphics or for people to notify her to how many redraws are needed post client feedback)
Me: outlines process, and tells U to take him over to creative department for introductions immediately after the meeting. (Reader, it is literally 3 cubes down. right next to a meeting room we ALWAYS use).
3) Communication during our review process and if something does not end with a definitive resolution in the electronic system, talk to people or ask for a meeting
C: Well, that doesn't seem to be the culture here.....there seems..to.. be a .....desire.....to document everything.
Me and U [internally]: that's it, we give up, open the window and we'll jump to our deaths.
{READER, i spend at least 2 hours of my day walking around talking to all my direct reports and to accounts and making sure that everything is going okay, is there any problems, want to talk about things, do we need a meeting. Part of our new hire orientation is a joke that our company almost overcommunicates]
Me: well, i think maybe the impression has been you need to not be disturbed in order to focus, but if you pay attention, you'll see almost everyone in the team talking about things. So yeah, try it.
So yes, I feel like C has been working in an alternate reality compared to the company I work in. We will see what happens in the next 2 weeks but seriously, he needs to cut back on the trips with Dr Who and the psychedelic mushrooms and look up to see what this place is really about.
U asked if there was possibility to put his old underling on the team (M, who is dreadfully junior, but fast learner). Me initially: U trust me, you learn more from your problem children.
Me now: If I could spare M off of what she is working on...but i can't....