I feel a little torn, since yesterday, actually. I'm not too sure what I should do. The team I used to work with down in Melbourne has been significantly understaffed since October, and a few of the team are pretty exhausted.
One of them has been in Sydney since Monday. She's one of the people I'm closest to, and who I would stake my reputation with, so we're fairly tight. She's been overseeing the team since James left in October, and I know her strengths and weaknesses. Lately, I feel she's been treating one of the guys in Sydney somewhat.. with less love than the rest of the team. He's up in Sydney by himself - the rest of the team are based in Melbourne. He has no mentor here, no peers he can work with; all his communication with the team is via email or phone.
Since I've been in Sydney, I've been sitting opposite him, more to keep him company and guide him when he needs some help. He's been with the business close to a year, but he still doesn't know who he should contact to get things done, and he doesn't have that personal interaction with them. So I sit close with him to guide him as much as I can, and also so he doesn't feel so alone. Even then, I'm travelling between three desks/offices/warehouses. He doesn't do himself any favours by turning down work etc. He can be assertive - perhaps that can be seen as rude. I get along with a lot of people to know that some of the team make fun of him down in Melbourne, and there hasn't been a lot of complimentary things said about his work the past eight months.
I partly think it has to do with his isolation in Sydney; it makes it tougher for him to do his job, with most of the senior managers located in Melbourne. It got a little serious yesterday. His temporary manager - the person I get along with really well - was telling me an incident that happened. In front of a customer, a manager (not his direct manager) asked him to do a task. He said it wasn't really within his role. The manager told him he was to do what she asked him. He responded by saying he would speak to his manager about it, and if she agreed to it, then he would do it. All of this was said in front of the customer, which the manager was less than impressed with.
She's so disgusted that she spoke to the HR Manager to have a chat about his behaviour. He might even get a written warning. He doesn't know he's about to have quite a serious talk with the HR Manager, and I'm a little worried he might shoot his mouth off to her. I kind of want to forewarn him about it, but I know that I can't, because I was told in confidence.
I feel for him though - the situation has been pretty tricky. It's one of those projects that everyone has been working hard to avoid, so he got stuck with it. It's a project that can go seriously wrong, and fingers will be pointed in different directions. He knows all of this, which is why he's been trying hard to get out of it, but no success.
Not a smart move. Let's hope he'll be OK, and it's not as serious as I suspect. It's not a good sign if your manager doesn't stick up for you. And it's not a good sign when your manager thinks you're quite hopeless, which is what she thinks of him. Sigh. I want to help him, but there's only so much I can do. I can see what everyone says about him, and I defend him where I can, but his reputation is very quickly going southerly. He might be out of a job soon. I know that's the intention, and if he's not quick enough to catch on, he might get a shock soon.
I'm not sure how much involvement I should partake in this one. I've been giving him hints, but he doesn't get it. Sometimes it's not a good feeling to know exactly what's happening in this business, and see how much people talk. I'm lucky enough to have enough of the right people backing me up; it's a shame he has no one to defend him. Maybe he really is that bad then? From what I've seen sitting opposite him, he's not as bad as what people say.
Let's see how this one pans out.
One of them has been in Sydney since Monday. She's one of the people I'm closest to, and who I would stake my reputation with, so we're fairly tight. She's been overseeing the team since James left in October, and I know her strengths and weaknesses. Lately, I feel she's been treating one of the guys in Sydney somewhat.. with less love than the rest of the team. He's up in Sydney by himself - the rest of the team are based in Melbourne. He has no mentor here, no peers he can work with; all his communication with the team is via email or phone.
Since I've been in Sydney, I've been sitting opposite him, more to keep him company and guide him when he needs some help. He's been with the business close to a year, but he still doesn't know who he should contact to get things done, and he doesn't have that personal interaction with them. So I sit close with him to guide him as much as I can, and also so he doesn't feel so alone. Even then, I'm travelling between three desks/offices/warehouses. He doesn't do himself any favours by turning down work etc. He can be assertive - perhaps that can be seen as rude. I get along with a lot of people to know that some of the team make fun of him down in Melbourne, and there hasn't been a lot of complimentary things said about his work the past eight months.
I partly think it has to do with his isolation in Sydney; it makes it tougher for him to do his job, with most of the senior managers located in Melbourne. It got a little serious yesterday. His temporary manager - the person I get along with really well - was telling me an incident that happened. In front of a customer, a manager (not his direct manager) asked him to do a task. He said it wasn't really within his role. The manager told him he was to do what she asked him. He responded by saying he would speak to his manager about it, and if she agreed to it, then he would do it. All of this was said in front of the customer, which the manager was less than impressed with.
She's so disgusted that she spoke to the HR Manager to have a chat about his behaviour. He might even get a written warning. He doesn't know he's about to have quite a serious talk with the HR Manager, and I'm a little worried he might shoot his mouth off to her. I kind of want to forewarn him about it, but I know that I can't, because I was told in confidence.
I feel for him though - the situation has been pretty tricky. It's one of those projects that everyone has been working hard to avoid, so he got stuck with it. It's a project that can go seriously wrong, and fingers will be pointed in different directions. He knows all of this, which is why he's been trying hard to get out of it, but no success.
Not a smart move. Let's hope he'll be OK, and it's not as serious as I suspect. It's not a good sign if your manager doesn't stick up for you. And it's not a good sign when your manager thinks you're quite hopeless, which is what she thinks of him. Sigh. I want to help him, but there's only so much I can do. I can see what everyone says about him, and I defend him where I can, but his reputation is very quickly going southerly. He might be out of a job soon. I know that's the intention, and if he's not quick enough to catch on, he might get a shock soon.
I'm not sure how much involvement I should partake in this one. I've been giving him hints, but he doesn't get it. Sometimes it's not a good feeling to know exactly what's happening in this business, and see how much people talk. I'm lucky enough to have enough of the right people backing me up; it's a shame he has no one to defend him. Maybe he really is that bad then? From what I've seen sitting opposite him, he's not as bad as what people say.
Let's see how this one pans out.
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