tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33004692.post2599046472794640079..comments2023-10-31T12:58:36.729+01:00Comments on Evil HR Lady: What Happens When You Don't Take Care of ProblemsSuzanne Lucashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07129772885673695447noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33004692.post-86305896578550540832007-05-31T13:06:00.000+02:002007-05-31T13:06:00.000+02:00Anonymous--working on your breathing may be the be...Anonymous--working on your breathing may be the best solution right now. It's so frustrating when managers won't do their job.Evil HR Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14506069540151526951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33004692.post-70001994561159458242007-05-31T13:03:00.000+02:002007-05-31T13:03:00.000+02:00Thanks to EHRL and the other commenters. It helps ...Thanks to EHRL and the other commenters. It helps to have a sympathetic ear. It's hard to imagine leaving a job I love, especially since the public sector seems to have no shortage of situations like this. I'm going to work on my breathing for now. Part of the battle will be to stop getting so hopeful when management says they're going to fix the problem. Thanks for listening!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33004692.post-4945485684612058712007-05-29T14:52:00.000+02:002007-05-29T14:52:00.000+02:00My expereince is all in unionized environments. I...My expereince is all in unionized environments. I've been involved in a great many discharges (literally hundreds) with only two of them being overturned by arbitrators. Terminating unionized employees is almost always a matter of having the will to do so. The advice you've received so far here is quite correct, but I'll add a couple points based on experience and observation, that may or may not apply to your situation.<BR/><BR/>1) Being "afraid" of a grievance. Why should anyone be afraid of a grievance? Only because the people above one are wimps and think a grievance is a sign of poor management. The easiest way to get no grievances is to do whatever the union wants. I once worked for a plant manager (one with no prior union experience) who told me that he felt our grievance load was too high and that I needed to reduce the number. I told him that I cold reduce it to any number he wanted; to zero if that was the goal. He didn't think that was such a great idea when I pointed out to him that I could just cave-in to the union on enough items to be sure I'd reach his target. It sounds like that in your organization that precise mechanism is at work.<BR/><BR/>2) You work for a non-profit. That perhaps has a place in this situation. Accountability is harder to measure and often less an issue. The level of alturism in the mission of the non-profit may also enter into the way employees are handled. A hard-nosed manager might not go far.<BR/><BR/>3) This kind of employee problem often involves employees in a protected class. Managers have an additional level of anxiety (read fear) of doing anything in these cases, for fear of being seen as "insensitive". <BR/><BR/>4) Management turnover. Many organizations like to rotate managers through various positions: too quickly in my opinion. Unless employee relations is a high priority in such organizations, this creates a great temptation to ignore employee problems and leave them for the next manager to worry about.<BR/><BR/>The unfortunate truth is that (as has already been pointed out) the way "Tina" is handled is highly unlikely to change, as the problems are systemic. You'll need to continue to live with it, or leave this employer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33004692.post-91904682536983531352007-05-29T02:54:00.000+02:002007-05-29T02:54:00.000+02:00Very shrewd, very wise advice, Evil HR L. Because...Very shrewd, very wise advice, Evil HR L. <BR/><BR/>Because when it comes down to it, the only person's behavior we can control is our own. Being told to "rise above the situation" is not always satisfying but it's usually the best course. <BR/><BR/>Hang in there, writer. (BTW, that was a great description of the issue.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33004692.post-66831365680742687072007-05-28T20:31:00.000+02:002007-05-28T20:31:00.000+02:00It is certainly possible to fire someone who is no...It is certainly possible to fire someone who is not performing, union or not. For that to happen, the person's supervisor needs to do the non-inconsiderable work of counselling and documenting and disciplining. Then the management above the supervisor needs to be willing to act on the good work of the supervisor and terminte the slug.<BR/><BR/>Evil has laid out the situation just about as well as it can be. If your organization has let this go for ten years, you have a way bigger problem than Tina.<BR/><BR/>The best we can do now is make your organization's situation into a cautionary tale that others can learn from. Here's my contribution.<BR/><BR/>I instruct all my supervisor trainees in the Dinosaur Principle. Problems are like dinosaurs. They're easy to deal with when they're small. But if you let them grow up, they can eat you and your Land Rover.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com