Work drama

[mdsoccermom]

Thanks. I really like the big boss. Super nice and yes it is good there is the weekend for everyone to think about it. The way it is set up my boss has a lot of discretion as to how the office is run. I don't necessarily agree with her leaving early but she gets her work done.

As for getting the rats fired, one I have no control over but we can make her life miserable by not doing her favors, helping her with projects, etc. We don't have to do those things but have before because we liked her. As for my assistant, she will be gone before long. We can't justify her position and my boss has looked the other way with her calling in sick so much. I told her to require a doctor's excuse. I will have to look at the employee handbook but I don't think it is addressed so we can require it.

We will see what happens Monday.

A good manager does not strive to make one's life miserable.

 

[kirstenb1]

A good manager does not strive to make one's life miserable.

I'm not sure it's a case of "make one's life miserable". From the description, it sounds like she actually went out of her way to "make one's life pleasant." That's a privilege that sounds like it should come to a grinding halt, since it was so obviously not reciprocated.

OP, I abhor a tattletale above almost any other character flaw. Treat the rats like rats.

 

[mdsoccermom]

I'm not sure it's a case of "make one's life miserable". From the description, it sounds like she actually went out of her way to "make one's life pleasant." That's a privilege that sounds like it should come to a grinding halt, since it was so obviously not reciprocated.

OP, I abhor a tattletale above almost any other character flaw. Treat the rats like rats.

Her exact words were that she can make one's life miserable. There is a difference between conducting business as it should be conducted, and doing things maliciously. If she wants to stop giving the employee the privileges she has enjoyed, fine. But to say she wants to make the person's life miserable? HIGHLY unprofessional and not management material. She doesn't like the behavior the is employee has exhibited, but her attitude is not exactly stellar either.

 

[NMAmy]

Her exact words were that she can make one's life miserable. There is a difference between conducting business as it should be conducted, and doing things maliciously. If she wants to stop giving the employee the privileges she has enjoyed, fine. But to say she wants to make the person's life miserable? HIGHLY unprofessional and not management material. She doesn't like the behavior the is employee has exhibited, but her attitude is not exactly stellar either.

The whole thing sounds more like middle school than a work environment.

 

[manning]

Years ago when I just started working I was told by my boss about the office snitch. He also said if there is ever a cutback "guess who the first one to go is"

I think someone eventually will be unpleasantly surprised!

 

[crashbb]

The whole thing sounds more like middle school than a work environment.

I was thinking grade school.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I'm really surprised by so many of the comments on here. And truthfully, quite happy that I don't work with some of you.

Call me a snitch, a tattletale, a rat.... whatever. But if I did something the boss didn't like and his reaction was to give me the cold shoulder and not speak to me for weeks at a time, I'd have HR on the phone so quickly that I'd leave a trail of dust behind me.

I honestly cannot believe that anyone is condoning such behavior in a work environment.

 

[mdsoccermom]

The whole thing sounds more like middle school than a work environment.

Absolutely.

 

[Allison]

Again, be VERY careful. If you get rid of her now without strong documentation, it's going to look like retaliation. Which, from what I'm reading, is exactly what it would be. You said yourself that you disagree with the boss leaving early, but you overlook it because... you're friends?

Dangerous. I'm sorry. I know that's not a popular opinion, but yeah. Do not treat your staff any differently than you did 48 hours ago.

This is exactly what I was going to say. You are heading down a path that could really backfire on you. I'm surprised at some of the unprofessional behavior being encouraged on this thread. We have specific policies against that kind of thing.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I'm really surprised by so many of the comments on here. And truthfully, quite happy that I don't work with some of you.

Call me a snitch, a tattletale, a rat.... whatever. But if I did something the boss didn't like and his reaction was to give me the cold shoulder and not speak to me for weeks at a time, I'd have HR on the phone so quickly that I'd leave a trail of dust behind me.

I honestly cannot believe that anyone is condoning such behavior in a work environment.

I have managed thousands of people. I would do it in such a way that HR would be the ones walking the rats out. When your manager is through with you, you are done - if the manager knows how to handle it. It might take a few months, but you are most assuredly done.

 

[tasha99]

I wouldn't try to make the snitch miserable, but I wouldn't make any effort to spare her job. Someone who can't be trusted with the little stuff (and a salaried employee taking off early isn't a big deal if she is getting her work done) can't be trusted with anything. If the person who told was so upset by it, she should have had the courage to say something to the people taking off directly. A tattletale makes for bad morale, and there's no way the snitch is a team player.

 

[Myothername]

I would have agreed 100% with your comment until yesterday, I do agree that it is right to give the cold shoulder to someone, however I expressed to a group of my employees this week a tough situtation. I didn't say anything inappropriate (of course this is my opinion), was direct, but not harsh and followed up with reassuring comments. Where did it get me? In the hot seat! These employees have now filed a complaint against me for suggesting to them that they be onboard with changes! I did everything I could to make it an open, honest discussion. It didn't work! I was yelled at! I would never yell at a superior! I am disheartened that people think they can verbally abuse others and complain to get what they want. I guess they are thinking right. Complainers usually get what they want.

Sorry, I have to jump the post and vent myself.

Work place drama totally sucks doesn't it. I am dreading going to work Monday. I have no idea what to expect. Yes I am a salary person and so is my boss and yes we put in more than 40 hours a week. I had to make 2 trips to the office already this weekend to fix some stuff. I love my job but hate the drama. I am not a drama person at all.

 

[Myothername]

As for the rats going to HR because I decide to make them dotheir job instead of sitting around talking on their phones andnot eating lunch with them anymore or buying their tupperware, do you honestly thing HR will give a darn? I am not going to be overtly rude and ugly. I am just switching on the professional persona. This used to be an office where we were all friends, babysat each other's kids, went to tupperware parties for each other, vacation together, etc. Not anymore. If that is how she wants to be it will be a business atmosphere all around. As for getting rid of the one rat who is my assistant, it will be simply a decision based on our numbers. We really can't justify having her any longer. It won't be right away but when it comes up I will just have to act like I am sorry to lose her. I am just so disappointed in her. I thought she was more mature than that.

 

[Minnie]

You are right. No one did anything illegal. But the people in our office are very very close. Lots of us vacation together, are members of the same club and hang out on the weekends together, eat lunch together everyday together. She has ruined that and I will no longer bend over backward to help her out when she calls in sick on Mondays, wants to take a last minute week off from work, sits around talking or working on her tupperware sales when there is obvious work to be done. It will be all business now.

This type of work environment rarely turns out very well..... Especially if managers are included in the above activities... It turns into a middle school "click" not a professional atmosphere.

 

[teskak]

Start the email trail now.

"Susie, how are you going with Project X? When can you get it to me?" if she comes back with - delays because of xxxx. "Sorry, because you were sorting your Tupperware orders I thought things were ahead of schedule".

File the emails in a private "staff" directory. Keep this for all follow ups. Nothing by conversation, only in writing. All emails to be polite & pleasant, but trackable. If Susie is such a snitch, rest assured any reduction in her hours, and she will go down fighting with any sort of dirt on you - especially the allegation you have made the workplace unbearable and are carrying out a campaign against her.

Make sure from now on you are not accessing any sort of private websites during work time because that one can bite you in the butt big time

 

[bumbershoot]

...she found out really quick you don't rat out people when they do nothing wrong.

It is just so ungrateful for her to act this way. But again, nothing wrong was done by my boss.

Sounds like your boss DID do something wrong, if her boss doesn't like what she did. So since something wrong was done, employee isn't lying.

And it's not ungrateful behavior if she didn't even know the situation about the boss going to bat for her. If only there were proper communication skills in your company!

...and my boss has looked the other way with her calling in sick so much. I told her to require a doctor's excuse.

Another problem with the boss! She's being too nice, and I'm going to bet that the upper management wouldn't like it if they found out about it.

I'm really surprised by so many of the comments on here. And truthfully, quite happy that I don't work with some of you.

Me too.

Call me a snitch, a tattletale, a rat.... whatever. But if I did something the boss didn't like and his reaction was to give me the cold shoulder and not speak to me for weeks at a time, I'd have HR on the phone so quickly that I'd leave a trail of dust behind me.

I completely agree.

Start the email trail now.

"Susie, how are you going with Project X? When can you get it to me?" if she comes back with - delays because of xxxx. "Sorry, because you were sorting your Tupperware orders I thought things were ahead of schedule".

Seriously?

How about "I notice you are sorting your Tupperware. Are you done for the day? If so, you can clock out for the day."

Why suggest the OP be so passive agressive? I swear, I heard "um...yeah...I'm going to need for you to come in this weekend..." in my head when I read your "trap" email... The employee will have to start watching Office Space twice a week to laugh about the OP's management skills if s/he starts doing this instead of actually communicating professionally.

Remember that keeping emails goes both ways! It was an email string my horrid awful P-A boss sent that ultimately got him fired, along with all the other, many, tons of emails he sent that were ridiculous... Sure, I'd already quit, but HR got a stack of printouts of those emails at my exit interview, and he was told he was done shortly after I left willingly.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

As for the rats going to HR because I decide to make them dotheir job instead of sitting around talking on their phones andnot eating lunch with them anymore or buying their tupperware, do you honestly thing HR will give a darn? I am not going to be overtly rude and ugly. I am just switching on the professional persona. This used to be an office where we were all friends, babysat each other's kids, went to tupperware parties for each other, vacation together, etc. Not anymore. If that is how she wants to be it will be a business atmosphere all around. As for getting rid of the one rat who is my assistant, it will be simply a decision based on our numbers. We really can't justify having her any longer. It won't be right away but when it comes up I will just have to act like I am sorry to lose her. I am just so disappointed in her. I thought she was more mature than that.

This is just the strangest office situation I've ever heard of. I wasn't looking forward to going back to work tomorrow after a wonderful vacation, but now I'm kinda counting my blessings.

You are her manager. It should have been a business atmosphere already... that's what your company is paying you for. You should have been making her do her job all along.

Like another poster pointed out, for your sake I hope you're the only one doing the documenting.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I would trust your boss's boss to do the right thing. If your boss is valued, a single incident is not going to be overblown. It is probably a good thing that this person has the entire weekend to consider the incident. Hopefully there isn't anything else hanging over her head right now.

Don't get involved or try to influence the decisions made above your head - especially since you know that the accusation is true. Doing so says that you don't trust the discretion of your boss's boss - not good for your career.

You now know what you have two office rats. I would begin working on cases to have them fired. No way would one of my employees get away with being an office rat. Heck, I'd set them up if I had to.

Be glad that you found out without getting your own back stabbed. People like this do not change. If they stick around, it is only a matter of time before this sort of thing happens again. This is not whistle blowing - this is betrayal.

Once again, I agree with Bama. I've worked in offices where everyone was a team player and bent over backward to get projects in on time, and we also had a great time going out in our off hours and lunches. That is until a rat got hired and started office politics.

Rats destroy productivity, morale and teamwork with their gossip, innuendo and passive/aggressive attitudes. It's been my experience that people who behave like this do it to cover the fact that they're not all that talented to begin with. Their only talent seems to be seeking out the highest ranking member of the company and kissing butt.

People like this leave a paper trail, however. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to set them up; I'd merely start with the paper trail already in progress and build on it. If the OP's rat had already enjoyed the boss going to bat for her to keep her even though the company could ill afford to keep her, I think her last rat tactic is about to backfire on her. She obviously misjudged her actions last Friday when she decided to stab that boss in the back by instigating an email "whistleblow" on an activity that had been going on and was overlooked for a long time.

I'm not sure it's a case of "make one's life miserable". From the description, it sounds like she actually went out of her way to "make one's life pleasant." That's a privilege that sounds like it should come to a grinding halt, since it was so obviously not reciprocated.
OP, I abhor a tattletale above almost any other character flaw. Treat the rats like rats.

Agreed.

As for the rats going to HR because I decide to make them do their job instead of sitting around talking on their phones andnot eating lunch with them anymore or buying their tupperware, do you honestly thing HR will give a darn? I am not going to be overtly rude and ugly. I am just switching on the professional persona. This used to be an office where we were all friends, babysat each other's kids, went to tupperware parties for each other, vacation together, etc. Not anymore. If that is how she wants to be it will be a business atmosphere all around. As for getting rid of the one rat who is my assistant, it will be simply a decision based on our numbers. We really can't justify having her any longer. It won't be right away but when it comes up I will just have to act like I am sorry to lose her. I am just so disappointed in her. I thought she was more mature than that.

This is your best action. I doubt seriously that you'll take the tactic of never speaking to her because that's not professional. But taking it to a professional level and holding her accountable for accomplishing her work in a timely manner cannot be judged as unprofessional. My attitude would be "Sorry, but the tupperware party is over. You're here to work, you're getting paid by the hour to do that work, so you'd better be working."

If it were me and I knew how long it takes to complete specific tasks, I'd start setting (reasonable) deadlines. Each time these deadlines were missed I'd be documenting it. I'd probably also start limiting internet time and put a monitor on all hourly employee's computers for the websites visited during business hours. If your numbers already state that the company can't afford two assistants, then the added documentation of how the second assistant doesn't do much anyway will push the decision into the "cut" column.

In all my years of working I've seen great teams destroyed by the introduction of rats and snitches. They nearly always rely on the "I'm just enforcing the business rules" defense and, with investigation, they nearly always turn out to be the worst offenders at not getting anything done.

I wish you the best of luck tomorrow, OP. Keep it professional and stick with the "everyone's here to work, not make friends" attitude until this issue is resolved. You can always try to rebuild the team after the rats have been exterminated. It's difficult to earn the trust the of team members back, and it'll take months or years to do so, but recovering from a rat can be done with patience.

 

[mdsoccermom]

As for the rats going to HR because I decide to make them dotheir job instead of sitting around talking on their phones andnot eating lunch with them anymore or buying their tupperware, do you honestly thing HR will give a darn? I am not going to be overtly rude and ugly. I am just switching on the professional persona. This used to be an office where we were all friends, babysat each other's kids, went to tupperware parties for each other, vacation together, etc. Not anymore. If that is how she wants to be it will be a business atmosphere all around. As for getting rid of the one rat who is my assistant, it will be simply a decision based on our numbers. We really can't justify having her any longer. It won't be right away but when it comes up I will just have to act like I am sorry to lose her. I am just so disappointed in her. I thought she was more mature than that.

See, it never should have been at that point to begin with. You totally blurred the lines all around. All along it should have been a professional, business atmosphere.

 

[Carly_Roach]

See, it never should have been at that point to begin with. You totally blurred the lines all around. All along it should have been a professional, business atmosphere.

Meh. Easy to Monday Morning Quarterback the past. OP can't change the past now. All she can do is work on the future.