Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. My employee won’t follow one particular instruction

I have an employee who doesn’t have any performance issues. However, there is one very specific bit of instruction I have given to her and the rest of my team several times in several ways, but she’s still not following those instructions. I’ve tried reminding in team meetings, explaining why it’s important to do, doing it myself and then telling her how I did it, sending an email with specifics (“you must do this once each week without reminders from me”), yet it’s still not getting done.

My problem is how to move forward. It seems a bit hyperfocused of me to obsess over this one bit of instruction that isn’t being followed when every other area of her job performance is fine. So I don’t think it’s necessary to move to a documented or written warning. But I can’t let this continue, as it’s a broader problem to me at this point — disrespect. What should I do? It would seem to come out of nowhere to pull her aside to say, “Why aren’t you updating that information as I’ve asked of you several times?” Her response would be, “I have all of this other stuff I’m doing and doing well and you’re worried about this?”

No, that’s exactly what you should do. If you can’t rely on her to do what you’re asking, that’s a problem, and it’s something you should address. And this might just reflect the limitations of a short letter, but when I look at the list of what you’ve done (mentioning it in team meetings, explaining it’s important, reminding her via email, etc.), what I don’t see on the list is clearly telling her that it’s a problem that it’s not happening. That’s the missing piece here. No more team reminders; clearly, your message is getting lost that way. Instead, sit down with her and say, “We’ve talked several times about the importance of doing X. You haven’t been doing it. What’s going on?”

This is an accountability/reliability issue, and the way you reinforce accountability on your staff is by pointing it out when commitments aren’t kept. “You agreed to do X; it hasn’t happened; how come?” is a normal and necessary conversation for a manager to have, even if the rest of someone’s performance is good.

2. Should I ask if I’m going to be fired?

I’m currently in a temp job where I don’t perform as well as my coworkers (I was told when starting that performance numbers were very important). After wondering and worrying over when I was going to get fired for a few months, I finally just emailed my manager, acknowledged that I wasn’t performing as well as my coworkers, and asked if I should I assume that I would be fired soon. She said not to assume anything at this point.

It’s been a few weeks, and I’m still stressing out about when I’m going to get fired. (Two of my coworkers were fired yesterday. Though not for performance reasons, the firings certainly added to my stress.) Would it be bad to ask if I am probably going to be fired soon again? The not knowing is very demoralizing, and I’d rather just know than have to wonder. But I’m not sure if “reminding” them about it will make them more likely to fire me.

Stop asking. It’s not that you’d be reminding them to fire you — if they want to fire you, that’s not something they’re going to forget. It’s that it’s a bit unprofessional and incredibly high-maintenance to be asking that all the time (and potentially does makes it more likely that they’ll get fed up and fire you if you’re already borderline). However, you can certainly ask for feedback on how you’re doing, and for advice on where you can improve — which is more likely to get you useful information than a “am I going to be fired?” conversation (unless that conversation ends in “yes”).

That said, if you’re aware that you’re not doing well in this job, it makes sense to be actively searching for something else. Even if they never fire you, being in a job where you’re struggling isn’t a good situation to be in.

3. I’ve been too pushy at work

I feel I’ve been a bit too bossy at work lately. Two people have just started in a program that until now had been woefully understaffed. These people will be senior to me once they get their bearings, but in a different program (no direct reporting). I was hoping that they would be able to provide some direction regarding projects we will be working on directly together — projects that they will have the lead on but that I need to make some decisions for now. I am in dire need of answers/direction and trying to be helpful, but I realize I’ve been probably hoping for too much too fast, and my frustration is is coming off as being pushy. I realize I probably need to step back and let them do their thing.

Given my interest in fostering a postive long-term working relationship, I’m a bit unsure how to approach this. I haven’t acted totally overboard on anything yet, just probably unpleasant to work with (despite lots of smiles) and perhaps came off like I’m trying to tell them how to do their job. (And while I can come off as agressive and too direct, I’d like to learn to be much more diplomatic.) Am I overthinking it? Or is this appology-worthy? How would I frame a truthful aknowledgement that I may have overstepped, and I’m happy to follow their lead?

I’d really appreciate your feedback – I learn so much from how you phrase your responses, and has been extremely helpful in a transition from an academic setting where I was quite comfortable speaking my mind to a non-academic one, where I feel I’ve got a bit of re-learning about culture to do.

It’s hard to say whether it makes sense to apologize without knowing more about the situation, but if you do decide to, I’d say something like this: “Hey, I’m sorry if I came across as overly pushy about XYZ earlier. Honestly, I’ve been so excited that we have people in your roles now that think I ended up being a little pushy, but I didn’t intend to. I’m looking forward to working with you on this stuff once you have your bearings, and until then, just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you.”

4. How to pass along a resume to someone at my new job

I have a relatively (one-month) new job on the editorial side of a magazine – I love the magazine and I love the job. A colleague-turned-friend at my old gig (who loves the magazine equally) is applying for a recently vacated position on the art direction side of the magazine. It’s the natural progression of her current career trajectory, I believe she would be a great addition to the team, I know she loves the publication, and she is a fantastic person to work with, so I have no problem feeling confident in recommending her for the job.

The problem is how to go about it. As a relatively low-placed person on the editorial team, I have little opportunity (so far) to interact with the art team. I’ve exchanged maybe five words with the art director, who my friend would be reporting to should she be hired, so I don’t really have the chance to casually mention it over lunch. I want to help push my friend’s application to top of the pile – even just to help give her the chance to be interviewed, as I’m sure there will be a lot of applicants for the job – but I don’t know how to go about making my recommendation because of (1) my low-on-the-totem-pole status (having said that, it’s a small team of 10-15) and (2) my lack of interaction with the person I should be dropping her name to.

Email the resume to the art director with a note that says, “I’m not sure where you are in the hiring process for the XYZ position, but I wanted to pass along Lucinda Montblanc’s resume because I think she might be a strong candidate. Lucinda and I worked together at Teapots Inc., and she was great to work with — incredibly talented, ___, and ___. (Fill in with specifics about why she’d be good.) If you’re interested in her, I’d be glad to tell you more about what I saw of her work.”

5. What kind of jobs would be okay with me being short-term?

I’ve been laid off for 10 months. I have a bachelors in Computer Information Systems from 3 years ago, but (of course) not that many years of actual experience. I’m still learning new things and looking for work. However, my nest egg that I’ve been living off is drying up. I project that by the end August at the latest, I’ll have no money left. I’ve had interviews, but none that panned out.

To help my finances, I’m thinking of finding a job to get me by until I can land something in software development. I should have done this WAY before now, but I don’t know how I’d handle having a job while actively looking for another. Until I ran across your blog, I didn’t even ponder the logistics and problems that can occur there.

I want to know: are there any general types of jobs out there that would be OK with me having them while seeking something else? Jobs that aren’t in the the fast food/restaurant industry*? I know as a hiring manager, you’d probably balk at a question like this. Jobs typically want candidates that won’t jump. However, I’m thinking you probably know of some non-sketchy industries where they’re aware you’re not in this for the long haul. I don’t like the idea of faking enthusiasm to get into a position, then jumping to something “real” at the first opportunity. It makes me feel dishonest.

*It’s not a pride thing; I lost a lot of weight over the past few months and know a food service job would eventually have me putting it back on.

Typically most professional jobs, other than temping, do want you to stay for a solid amount of time (although there are exceptions to that, like short-term contract positions). But retail, call center work, and yes, food service are all places with a lot of turnover and where it’s often totally fine to go in without the intention of staying for years.

(And I know you said no food service because you don’t want to regain weight — but I wouldn’t be sure that would happen; typically when you work around specific types of food, you get sick of it quickly.)

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. Should I say something about my coworker regularly bringing her granddaughter to work?

A part-time work colleague has started bringing her granddaughter to work regularly. It isn’t a huge distraction, but I don’t think it’s very professional. Her granddaughter doesn’t stay for just an hour, she stays her for most of the day. Truly, I do get that childcare is hard to come by (I’m a working mom and have run into my own fair share of childcare nightmares), but this is becoming a regular thing, and no one is addressing it.

I’m not this employee’s supervisor. We just work in the same office and collaborate on several projects. Her granddaughter isn’t a huge distraction. She’s a quiet, sweet girl who doesn’t cause a ruckus. My only concern is with professionalism. Should I bring this up to her manager?

Is there any chance her manager doesn’t know but would care if she did? If so (like if the manager works from a different location), then yes, it’s worth mentioning. Or, is part of your job to think about and manage the way this stuff can look to others? (For instance, this could be the case if you have clients or reporters visit you at work regularly and think it looks unprofessional to them, or if you’re part of your organization’s management structure and thus charged with caring about things like this, or so forth). But if neither of those things are the case, since it’s not impacting your ability to get your work done, I think it’s not your issue to deal with.

2. Negotiating pay if I fill in during my manager’s maternity leave

I’m in an entry-level role at my company due to a poorly-executed career change, so I’m older than the colleagues at my level. Recently, the manager I’m working with was told by her doc to go on early maternity leave, which leaves her post open for about 6 months. I have been asked to take over during this period.

I’m excited to have this opportunity but am concerned about a few things. I’m on contract so I know they will not change my job title. When I asked for increased compensation, they said they could only provide periodic bonuses and would get back to me. Tomorrow, they will likely share details on the amount and frequency. I know for a fact that my manager makes at least $70k more than I do. The team is saying I should use this as a chance to prove my capabilities, and that they may convert me to a permanent role once my contract expires.

What would you recommend I do? If I’m reading this correctly, they’re going to low-ball me on the “side” bonus and promise (not a written commitment) a renewal later. The opportunity itself would be a good learning experience, but I’m tired of being undervalued. Apparently I can still turn this down, but another manager in the group would then have to take this on. I can also say goodbye to a permanent offer in that case.

Well, it’s very unlikely that they’re going to pay someone currently in an entry-level role anything even approaching $70K more. They’re also probably not expecting you to do your manager’s whole job; rather, they’re probably expecting you to just keep the basics running and fend off crises — which is a very different thing.

If you’re willing to take on the work, I’d try to get more than what they offer you right off the bat if that offer is low (but assume you won’t be able to get a ton above the initial offer; that just doesn’t tend to happen in cases like this), negotiate clear goals for the time period you’re filling in, and look at it as an opportunity to majorly build your resume and parlay it into something else afterwards (either there or somewhere else) — which, given what you say about your career change, might be worth far more than a few months’ extra pay anyway.

3. Employer wants my Social Security number before I’m even interviewed

I was recently contacted by a company that previously declined my job application. They have changed the description and my qualifications are now a match. They are a well-known firm. My problem is that the hiring manager scheduled a phone interview and sent an application and consent form (credit report) and asked that I fill them out and send them back ASAP. That requires my Social Security number. Shouldn’t she wait until she conducts the interview and face to face interview before asking me to give her my personal business? I will not give her the information unless I receive a job offer. I’m not sure how to articulate that in an email without sounding standoffish. Help please?

“I’m really excited about this role, but I’ve been advised not to give out out my Social Security number until we’re at a stage in the process where it’s necessary for a background check.”

You may need to give it out before you get an offer; it’s necessary for some (but not all) background checks. But they certainly don’t need it before an interview, and they shouldn’t be doing credit checks unless you’re applying for a job that deals directly with money. (Also, note that 10 or so states explicitly ban credit checks in employment.)

4. References when you’ve been a freelancer

I’ve read a lot of your posts, being in the second round or so of interviews, and it’s time to start worrying about references. You mention often that it is a red flag when candidates’ references don’t include any managers. What I’m wondering is how freelancers deal with this.

I’m in a field that’s very small, specialized and somewhat incestuous, and it consists of a lot of freelancers and very few full-time staff members. I’ve freelanced for several years and am fairly respected for my work. But it does mean I don’t have a manager, and thus I don’t have any people who’ve managed me who can serve as references. This isn’t as much of a problem in my experience when interviewing for jobs within my field, because everyone knows what the deal is — but the other thing about my field is that it’s in poor shape, perhaps permanently, and eventually I might have to leave it. How do I go about this?

Yeah, this is different when you’ve been a freelancer for a while. When you’ve been an employee, not being able to give manager references is a red flag because it raises obvious concerns about why you don’t want an employer talking to any of your past managers. In your case, though, you simply haven’t had past managers — different situation. Instead, I’d explain the situation and offer the clients who worked with you most closely.

5. Bankruptcy cooties

I’m a recent grad applying for work. While I was in school, I was working full time in administration and sales, for a small retail environment. Sadly, the company went bankrupt about six months ago. I took the opportunity to focus all my energy on finishing my degree, including taking a semester abroad.

I’m working on a cover letter for a fast-paced organization and find my skills aligning with the job posting. Some of these skills are things I developed as a direct result of my former employer’s bankruptcy — switching hats rapidly, and covering complex duties on the fly. Would it be weird to discuss that experience in my cover letter? I’m not worried about “bankruptcy cooties,” for lack of a better term — the job is public sector.

Not weird at all. It could even potentially get mentioned on your resume, in the context of explaining work you did.

Read an update to this letter here.

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. Can I tell callers that my coworkers aren’t likely to call them back?

Part of my current position involves answering phones and screening calls. Sometimes that means putting people through to voicemail when my boss or coworkers don’t have time for calls. However, one of the things I’ve noticed is that there are some companies out there that call regularly, sometimes several times a week, and my boss and/or coworkers have told me they will not take calls from them. Usually I just transfer them to voicemail, but then they call back later when they do not receive a response. This is ongoing, sometimes for weeks or months at a time. I feel for these people, making call after call and not getting anywhere. Is it rude or helpful for me to give them a heads up that we’re not interested and/or that the intended party is not going to call them back?

Many of these are sales calls, but some could be other calls. Sometimes they won’t give me very much information. My boss likes me to find out what the call is regarding before he decides whether to accept it. When they won’t tell me, he usually will let it go to voicemail (and most of the time they don’t actually leave a message, but just hang up). A few days pass and it’s lather, rinse, repeat.

If they’re all sales calls, it’s probably fine to say, “I’m sorry, but she doesn’t accept sales calls. Please take us off your list.” But I’d ask your coworkers if they’d like you to do that before just doing it — because you could cause a major relationship disaster for someone if it’s not a sales call and you say “Jane isn’t interested in taking these calls” to the wrong person (like, say, a client or a vendor seeking payment).

You should check with the people you’re screening for about this too, but it’s generally okay to say to people who refuse to share the nature of their call, “I’m sorry, but I can’t transfer you if you won’t share the nature of the call, but I can put you through to her voicemail.”

2. My employer offered me a demotion or said I could resign or be fired

For the last 6 months, I’ve essentially been on “probation” with my supervisor, determining if this manager role is a good fit for me. His conclusion is that I do not possess the skills necessary for this role. Instead of terminating my employment, they offered me another position – a demotion to a role that I was supervising. They stated they do not want to lose me. Even though I do not yet have another job lined up, I have decided to turn down this role. I do not feel it would be a good move for my career, nor for this team. When I turned down this offer, I had the option to resign or to be terminated. I chose to resign.

Given the situation, what should I tell my team and colleagues? I’m not leaving by my own choice – even though technically, I am the one who has chosen to resign because I did not want the other options. I don’t want to leave on bad terms or badmouth my boss, as I know that can haunt you later! But how can I be honest about the situation without tarnishing my reputation or my boss’s?

Often in this situation, people work with their manager on messaging that lets them save face a bit — so that you’re not stuck saying “they wanted to demote me” and they’re not saying “we asked her to leave.” One option people often use is a simple statement that they realized (either on their own, or mutually with the employer) that the role wasn’t the right fit. Some people will assume there’s more to the story, but it’s a good, basic line to use when you don’t want to get into details.

So, it might sound like this: “I appreciated the opportunity to work with all of you, but ultimately didn’t feel it was the right fit for me.” Or, “I realized that ultimately I’m looking for a role with more ___.”

3. Alternatives to traditional team-building

I am investigating how to bring a group of very diverse coworkers together (2 women, 16 men, and both women are very new to the team). I started googling team building and I think it’s a rotten idea. What else do you suggest?

We are currently a group of people in the same space who don’t really connect with one another except for the occasional testosterone-filled chest beating. This usually lasts about 20 mins – all the guys get together and complain about a situation they can’t fix (cuz we work for the government and some things just can’t be fixed). Then they all go back to their desks and continue being solitary.

Is it causing any problems that they’re so solitary? Do people need to working together in different, more effective ways? If not, then I”d question if you even need to take any action. If if the answer is yes, then you figure out specifically what the problems are that you want to address (“not connecting enough” isn’t one, but things like “working at cross purposes” or “not communicating well about work needs” are), and then you address those. For instance, if you’re finding that people aren’t communicating well and it’s harming their projects, then you figure out what type of communication would solve that and implement systems to get it. The typical team-building crap like group athletic events or trust falls have no place here, as you’ve rightly concluded.

4. Employer followed up on my job application by text message

I recently applied to a minimum wage job at an ice-cream shop. A couple days after I handed in the application, I got a text from the manager, asking me what my availability was and saying to text back with my name and phone number if I was still interested. (There were a lot of typos and hardly any punctuation.) I texted back with my name and time frame and added that she could call me at the number she was texting.

It didn’t end up working out, but I’m just wondering if this is a common thing to do – on the application I didn’t say that my phone was a cell phone, so it seems strange that they would choose to text instead of emailing or calling.

Not common or wise, but not unheard of either. It’s typically the province of relatively unprofessional managers with a fairly chaotic style.

5. Should I give inexperienced candidates some guidance on interviewing?

I’m about to start scheduling phone interviews with applicants for two open graduate assistant positions, and I was wondering if you have any thoughts on whether it’s worthwhile to give the applicants any pointers on how to prepare themselves for the interview.

The positions I’m hiring for are administrative/reception in nature, so it’s more useful to me that they be able to learn quickly, follow instructions, prepare adequately than that they innately know how to prepare for an interview. Because most of them will be coming straight from high school or college, I feel giving them pointers on preparation will give me a better sense of them as people and workers. Plus, as a recent graduate myself, I know I would have appreciated this kind of help during my own job search. So far, I’m thinking I’d suggest this:
1) Be familiar with our website, mission, and goals.
2) Be prepared to discuss your expected course load, schedule (if you have it), and potential availability over the next few months/semesters.
3) Be prepared to explain, briefly, why you are a good candidate for this position.
4) Be prepared to discuss your career goals as it relates to your current program of study.

What I hope to take away from the phone interviews is whether the applicant can follow directions; whether the applicant will actually have time for this job; whether the applicant can perform with preparation; whether the applicant is a sane, logical person; and whether this person has potential to fit with the chemistry/culture of our grad school. (The faculty and staff can be hard to work with.)

Last time, I did one interview over Skype, because we were interviewing at a weird time of year and were crunched for time. I hired that one person and was extremely fortunate. I don’t expect to get that lucky again without doing my due diligence. Thoughts?

I think that’s great to do — you’re working with an inexperienced group of candidates, and you want them to be as equipped as possible to show you whether they’re the right fit for the job or not. And you’re right that you don’t want to test how well they interview; you want to get beyond that and see who will be great at the job, so setting them up as best as you can to help you determine that is smart. What you’re proposing will help you see who’s able to take a small amount of guidance and run with it, and who isn’t or doesn’t.