Staffing Issues - Need advice from managers working in Public sector (Government)
Here comes a long vent...
I am a manager who has worked in the public sector for about 2.5 years and I am now at the end of my wits with 2 staff members working under me. Back when I used to work in the private sector, staff easily gets kicked to the curb if they do not meet their supervisors' expectations. Now, where I am, it is almost impossible to get rid of anyone, unless that person blows up the entire office building, runs around with a hacking knife, scams the organization for a couple of million dollars then brutally kills the head boss' puppy . It's that ridiculous.
I want very badly to get rid of these 2 staff members, but here where I am, NO ONE gets fired. That's why most people in my department has been there for 30+ years. If people break the rules, they might get a slap on the wrist. The only way to actually "get rid" of a person is if the position is declared 'surplus' or obsolete, or if there is a severe department budget cut. I need some advice from managers from the public sector out there... what would you do in these circumstances if you have these people working under you??
Staff A -- has the best qualifications you have ever seen. Unfortunately, he is also irresponsible, anti-social, incompetent and stuck up. He refuses to collaborate with other staff members in the department. The only time he seems to open his mouth is to gossip or to complain about people or work (to the 1-2 colleagues who are actually friendly with him). He hardly ever talks to me, and also refuses to provide me with any project updates, unless I walk over to him and ask him, gently. And even then, he seems unwilling to provide any meaningful information. Worse, 9 out of 10 times when I walk to his cubicle, he's not there. He is usually between 30 to 1.5 hour late for work each day, takes his lunch hour break at almost exactly 12:00pm on the dot, and comes back a little after 1pm on a good day. Regardless of when he comes in, he always leaves when the clock strikes 4:59pm. When I politely email him to remind him of the rules about office hours, he ignores them, or rolls his eyes at me, complaining about morning traffic. I also cannot count the number of times he emails me at 9:30 saying he can't come to work because of a headache. His work quality is poor and I don't remember a time when I actually felt he did a good job. He doesn't take constructive feedback, or any type of feedback, well. He's extremely defensive about everything. Actually he screwed up so many times and I spent endless hours cleaning up his mess. He has also said to me that there are parts of the job that "he just doesn't want to do, because he doesn't want those things on his resume". So when there is a demand for those tasks, I have to get other people to work overtime to compensate while he surfs the net at his desk. To sum it up, I am afraid to assign him any work because it means I will have to re-do it once he's finished.
Staff B -- has almost no qualifications. His demeanor is almost like a bulldog. You don't want to mess with him. You know if you mess with him, he will bite you. He is good friends with one of the executives (equivalent to a VP of the organization). So anytime there is a problem, he goes directly to the head honcho and by-passes me. If he doesn't like the work I assign him, he will simply say, "I'm too busy to do your work, I have something else I'm working on". Again, the "work" that he has assigned to himself has nothing to do with the department or his role. When i confront him about this, he will say, "But the VP says it's ok for me to do this". The VP is also starting to assign work to him directly without going through me. When I ask him about the status of the work he is doing for the VP, he tells me he has already informed the VP and will discuss it with me if and when he has time. He works in his little silo and doesn't like team work. He also picks and chooses what he likes to do instead of what is needed. Worse, Staff B and this other staff member, "Staff C" in my department are arch enemies - and i find myself spending most of my days trying to break up their cat fights. When I don't take Staff B's side, he will report me to HR saying I'm not doing my job as his supervisor and that he is reprimanded for his complaints. He is also extremely smart and has a way to break office rules without getting caught or getting penalized. Some days, I find him leaving at 2 or 3pm, or "working from home" when the office policies strictly prohibit this. When I confront him, he will then say, "but the VP allowed me to do this before".
I feel a little helpless - here is an employee who supposedly report to me, but has absolutely zero respect for me. I cannot exert any authority over him for he fears no one, and he knows that the VP will back him up if I make a move. I have tried to get the VP to help in the past but since she is my direct supervisor too, I am afraid to complain too much, for it will reflect poorly on my management skills as well. I am in line for a promotion and really don't want to piss her off.
I cannot control these 2 staff members. I have no issues with the other 12-13 staff members in my department, but these two are truly the biggest trouble makers I've encountered. What are your suggestions? And how would you deal with this situation?
Any advice would be appreciated...
I am a manager who has worked in the public sector for about 2.5 years and I am now at the end of my wits with 2 staff members working under me. Back when I used to work in the private sector, staff easily gets kicked to the curb if they do not meet their supervisors' expectations. Now, where I am, it is almost impossible to get rid of anyone, unless that person blows up the entire office building, runs around with a hacking knife, scams the organization for a couple of million dollars then brutally kills the head boss' puppy . It's that ridiculous.
I want very badly to get rid of these 2 staff members, but here where I am, NO ONE gets fired. That's why most people in my department has been there for 30+ years. If people break the rules, they might get a slap on the wrist. The only way to actually "get rid" of a person is if the position is declared 'surplus' or obsolete, or if there is a severe department budget cut. I need some advice from managers from the public sector out there... what would you do in these circumstances if you have these people working under you??
Staff A -- has the best qualifications you have ever seen. Unfortunately, he is also irresponsible, anti-social, incompetent and stuck up. He refuses to collaborate with other staff members in the department. The only time he seems to open his mouth is to gossip or to complain about people or work (to the 1-2 colleagues who are actually friendly with him). He hardly ever talks to me, and also refuses to provide me with any project updates, unless I walk over to him and ask him, gently. And even then, he seems unwilling to provide any meaningful information. Worse, 9 out of 10 times when I walk to his cubicle, he's not there. He is usually between 30 to 1.5 hour late for work each day, takes his lunch hour break at almost exactly 12:00pm on the dot, and comes back a little after 1pm on a good day. Regardless of when he comes in, he always leaves when the clock strikes 4:59pm. When I politely email him to remind him of the rules about office hours, he ignores them, or rolls his eyes at me, complaining about morning traffic. I also cannot count the number of times he emails me at 9:30 saying he can't come to work because of a headache. His work quality is poor and I don't remember a time when I actually felt he did a good job. He doesn't take constructive feedback, or any type of feedback, well. He's extremely defensive about everything. Actually he screwed up so many times and I spent endless hours cleaning up his mess. He has also said to me that there are parts of the job that "he just doesn't want to do, because he doesn't want those things on his resume". So when there is a demand for those tasks, I have to get other people to work overtime to compensate while he surfs the net at his desk. To sum it up, I am afraid to assign him any work because it means I will have to re-do it once he's finished.
Staff B -- has almost no qualifications. His demeanor is almost like a bulldog. You don't want to mess with him. You know if you mess with him, he will bite you. He is good friends with one of the executives (equivalent to a VP of the organization). So anytime there is a problem, he goes directly to the head honcho and by-passes me. If he doesn't like the work I assign him, he will simply say, "I'm too busy to do your work, I have something else I'm working on". Again, the "work" that he has assigned to himself has nothing to do with the department or his role. When i confront him about this, he will say, "But the VP says it's ok for me to do this". The VP is also starting to assign work to him directly without going through me. When I ask him about the status of the work he is doing for the VP, he tells me he has already informed the VP and will discuss it with me if and when he has time. He works in his little silo and doesn't like team work. He also picks and chooses what he likes to do instead of what is needed. Worse, Staff B and this other staff member, "Staff C" in my department are arch enemies - and i find myself spending most of my days trying to break up their cat fights. When I don't take Staff B's side, he will report me to HR saying I'm not doing my job as his supervisor and that he is reprimanded for his complaints. He is also extremely smart and has a way to break office rules without getting caught or getting penalized. Some days, I find him leaving at 2 or 3pm, or "working from home" when the office policies strictly prohibit this. When I confront him, he will then say, "but the VP allowed me to do this before".
I feel a little helpless - here is an employee who supposedly report to me, but has absolutely zero respect for me. I cannot exert any authority over him for he fears no one, and he knows that the VP will back him up if I make a move. I have tried to get the VP to help in the past but since she is my direct supervisor too, I am afraid to complain too much, for it will reflect poorly on my management skills as well. I am in line for a promotion and really don't want to piss her off.
I cannot control these 2 staff members. I have no issues with the other 12-13 staff members in my department, but these two are truly the biggest trouble makers I've encountered. What are your suggestions? And how would you deal with this situation?
Any advice would be appreciated...
