Employee problems

[mikeydidit]

I have a situation that has occurred several times within the last few days that I need some advised on.

Let me begin with the project that we have been working on has been a nightmare. I truly don’t believe that I have been involved with a project of this size that no one wanted to do anything on, but all wanted it done by this due date. The bulk was placed on us.

During this, I had to call on one of my senior techs (and several others) to help. For the most part this tech is as good of an employee as anyone could ask for. He is at work about an hour early everyday, does what needs to be done with very little supervision, and does excellent work.

As you can imagine from my above statement about this project, we not only had a lot to do, but several things that just had to be done at the last minute. I called my tech and told him that I hated to pull him off the project that he was on, but I had to get this done. His response was that he was busy. I again told him that I knew he was, but I really needed him to help with this. He reluctantly showed up and did the normal excellent job that he does.

Several days later, the same type situation and again I got the same type of response and had to go through the same thing to get him to help. At this point I haven’t said anything; as I like to think things through instead of just react. I feel that if this happens again I will have no choice but to reprimand him for insubordination.

I try to be as good to my people as they let me. I feel that I have done a lot for all of my employees and do my best to be a good boss, which is why this is probably eating at me so badly.

How would you handle this? I realize that I am probably a lot better tech than a supervisor, because I really don’t know what to do.

Thank you for your time and replies.


"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)

 

[mrdenny]

Speaking from the technical side I'd say that he was write to push back on being pulled off of his other project to work on this project at the last minute.

Why should he have to put another project on hold because no one budgeted the company’s resources correctly? Was there a project plan that accounted for his time? Was he initially assigned as a resource for the project?

I'm currently on a project that is a major project for the company. However the PM didn't account for my time in the project plan (which I've yet to actually see after 4 months on the project). Because of this when ever they come to us with last minute requests to deploy this or that to QA or UAT, it goes to the bottom of the queue unless they book the time well in advance (at least a few days) so that other projects aren't impacted.

My management has said that they have no problem with us pushing back on these projects that don't schedule us in advance. Why should we have to pay for some other PM not doing there due diligence. Our SQL upgrade project which we just completed over the weekend has been in the works for the last 4 months. We did our due diligence, scheduled everyone’s time according to there estimates, and moved the rollout date to fit within everyone's estimates. Because of this the project went off without a problem, and no one was all that over worked. When ever the project manager from the other project would ask us to do stuff, we'd simply ask why a project that was scheduled out should be rescheduled because she couldn't schedule out time correctly.


Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000) / MCTS (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

 

[chiph]

How did you reward him for the last time he saved your bacon?

Chip H.


____________________________________________________________________
If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[mikeydidit]

I somewhat agree with you Denny, but our situation is different from most. We are a hospital. I seldom ever pull anyone (especially this tech) from their duties to have something like this done. I let them do pretty much what they want everyday and together we get things done, but this was a project that did affect patient care. In our business we have to drop things sometimes and take care of what needs to be done. If I do not feel that it is something that just has to be done, it goes on the bottom of the pile like all the rest.

I would have planned this better had I been the one to do it, but it was all being done by two other groups. Our networking group and an outside contractor that works on equipment here. Their is no love loss between these two groups, which is why most of it was so improperly planned.

Also this was not something that I sent him to do. I worked with him to get this done. As I mentioned before I am still a tech and still like to put my hands on things too. As for the reward, the best I could do was to brag on him and his work in front of the networking group and the contractor. I also thanked him for coming down when we started and when we got finished. In the end we received a memo that was sent to all the higher up's telling them that we saved their bacon basically. I printed it out for all of them that were involved.


"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)

 

[rn4it]

I'm a tech, the company I work for has 3 sister companies that I support. There is no single board that governs all the companies. So when it comes time to conflicting projects it can get interesting. I can be working on a project that I think would be beneficial for all companies and get pulled off it for something that doesn't make much technical sense. Ultimately, it's my bosses or his bosses decision. I will remind him of the importance of the currennt project that I'm working on and how it'll be effected. Ultimately, it's his decision, the businesses decision how I spend my time.

This employee should be told how much he/she is valued, but reminded that he his an employee and there's other forces that dictate how his time is spent. This should be reinterated in a tactful tone, not an authoritative tone. I don't think he should be repremanded, just reminded, what he thinks is important the business might not.

 

[mikeydidit]

Thank you rn4it for your reply. My thoughts on this are about the same which is why I posted this. I still don’t like the reprimand/HR part of this job. (That was reflected in my evaluation)

I gave this tech his evaluation about 1 month ago and told him them how much I do appreciate everything he does not only for our department but for me as well. I gave him the highest score that I have ever given, and let him also know that. I would love to give some of these guys a day off with pay from time to time, but the taxpayers of Louisiana think that's a bad idea. So praise, a lunch here and there, and breakfast on weekend jobs from time to time is about the best I can do and I do that as often as I can.

I still like fixing/working on things better. It sucks sometimes being the boss.


"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)

 

[BJCooperIT]

Does this person only report to you or are other people making demands on his time? Is there a personal goal plan on which his review/bonus/raise is based?

If you pull him off a project that will affect his finances or have someone else complaining in his ear, then he needs assurances that dropping everything will not adversely affect him.

There are time when I am "waist-deep" in code. If I am suddenly yanked away, it may take hours to recover from an interruption. Could this be the source of his reluctance?

None of these reasons should earn him a reprimand.

[sup]Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.[/sup][sup] ~George Bernard Shaw[/sup]
Consultant Developer/Analyst Oracle, Forms, Reports & PL/SQL (Windows)
My website: Emu Products Plus

 

[mikeydidit]

No one likes to be yanked from something that they are doing including me. That is one reason that I do not bother them with nonsense just because someone thinks they need to be next to have their work done. I eliminate that for all my people and I am the only one that they answer to.

He may have other things scheduled (normal moves), but if we do have a conflict I instruct my techs to have the other people call me and I will be the bad guy. The pay is the same here regardless of the job and as it is with every job, some are good and some are a pain like this one was.

I started this to resolve this problem before it got to the point of reprimand, which is my goal. But I can not be put in the position as his supervisor of having to beg him (or any of my people) to help when priority situation comes up. Again, being we all work for a hospital it just goes with the job.


"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)

 

[eyeswideclosed]

This is a big problem you have, you need this guy but he's now got the attitude that he decides what is a priority or not. I'm in the reverse situation, I'm a programmer my boss relies on for the big stuff but whatever he tells me to work on first I do it without hesitation. I look at it like this, he steers the boat and I keep the engine running, navigation is not my job it's his. And I am grateful to have such a good boss. Your guy is obviously very comfortable there and knows he's valuable, it's going to be hard to turn him around if he thinks he's untouchable. You may have to get tough and put some fear into him, knock him down a peg, make him know that although he's valuable he's not irreplaceable.

 

[GSmitherman]

I read your post and all I see is an employee questioning and informing a Supervisor that he is very busy. I did not read insubordination. The employee did what was requested. The employee did the requested job very well. Are you saying the employee is not allowed to question? This seems like a tech who cares about the job assigned to him.
Be aware should you reprimand him what will the outcome be? Are you going to cause the employee to quit caring? Will the employee say your the boss and then when he could have avoided a bad situation play dumb because you're the boss.
If an employee is insubordinate then a Supervisor should take the steps to correct the behavior. I believe the best discipline is achieved when the goal is to correct the behavior and not punish the employee.

 

[mikeydidit]

That is exactly what I posted above GSmitherman. I need to stop this before it gets to the point of having to punish him. I pulled 2 other techs off that last day to help and never had it questioned. They also know that if I didn't need their help, I would have not of bothered them. Also I was the first one in the door on this project and about the last one out. I had already spent about 8 hours doing other things on this project, before any of my people entered the door. So I wasnt asking anything of him that I would not do myself. I just needed help, not more greef. Is that too much for your boss to ask of you?? Help when he or she needs it. I thought that is what we were hired for. To do what our boss ask and do it when it needs to be done.

"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)

 

[rn4it]

I think what we'd nned to know is when the employee informed his boss that he was busy with other projects, what was his tone of voice. Based on his tone of voice could change from questioning to instubordiantion. I'm a networking guy and if I did what my supervisor/manager or VP did with out question then there are situations that would have been worsened by what they wanted me to do. There are times that I need to remind them of the other factors in their decision. Sometime people become tunnel visioned when there a urgent matter or a time sensitive matter. so Mikeydidit, How would you interpret the tone of your employee's voice??

 

[mikeydidit]

I would say defiant to say the least. Basically " I am busy and don't have time to help you and I am not going to do it" is what I got from his tone. The other techs were network techs; the employee that this is about is a telephone tech that was working on a move that is going to happen in about a week from now. This is one of my go to guys. Not only a good employee but a very likeable guy. But you cant tell your boss that you are too busy to help him, come on.

"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)

 

[rn4it]

Well then I'd have to say he should be reminded that you're his boss.

 

[eyeswideclosed]

He's comfortable and spoiled, needs to be snapped back.

 

[flapeyre]

Does he have personal issues that could be affecting his attitiude? You mentioned Louisiana, and I (also in Louisiana, and not back into my tree-bashed house yet) thought maybe some stress from insurance co., FEMA/SBA, family, that kould be Katrina-related, could be part of it.

Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[mikeydidit]

No we are in the northern part of the state and didn't get near the damage the southern part of the state got. As far as I know nothing is going on in his life that would have affected him. I would not have had to pull him the second time, if he would have finished last week like he told me he would. I found out a few munutes ago he told another one of my tech's that he wasn't going to do it last week and he didn't. I think he didn't consider what I had him doing to be his job. Not sure whats going on with him to be honest.

"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)

 

[flapeyre]

Hmm. Well, he's not leaving you a whole lot of wiggle room. "Defiant" is not acceptable. Maybe lighten his load a little. If he complains he's getting stuff taken away, just say, "Well, you said you were too busy, so I thought..." Maybe that will open him up and he will spill out what's really bugging him.

Feles mala! Cur cista non uteris? Stramentum novum in ea posui!

 

[Dollie]

What it sounds like to me is that he's got something due in a week that he's got no help on. After reading through everything, then seeing that he's a telephone tech working on some type of move (equipment/system/new provider) in the next week, he's garnered a bit of my sympathy. I get impatient as well, and it looks like I'm not the only one.

However, a tactful "Let me finish this and I will be down to discuss it with you in a few minutes" would have been better than "I don't have time", especially when dealing with a supervisor or boss.

If it's the Big Boss asking, the first thing I say is "Sure thing!", not "I'm too busy for you." I know who signs my performance reviews and paychecks!

 

[mikeydidit]

First let me thank all of you for your time and replies.

I have decided to just leave this alone. I think the fact the he told another tech that he wasn't going to do it and then was made to anyway, may be enough to correct this.

I try to be good to my people and work with them on all of our big projects and most of the time sensitive ones. Sometimes they let pressure get to them and thats where I step in and take the heat and get some sort of plan going. I have been a tech a lot longer than I have been a supervisor, so like I mentioned in the begining, I am sure that I am better at being a tech. LOL.

It was a lot easier when all I had to do was fix/build/install things.




"Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."
(Plato)