I recently received a promotion, so two months ago I hired “Jane” to assume the role of my former position. Since she’s been here, Jane has constantly undermined me. She has told lies about my character and my productivity to other employees. It is quite obvious that she intends to do whatever she can to show that I am not fit for my new role. What is the best way for me to document her behavior? I don’t want the documentation to sound like a personal issue; though I must admit that she has referred to how “young” I am, which is offensive to me.
To read the answer, click here: Managing an Insubordinate Subordinate
In terms of documentation, simply state facts:
“On July 10, at 10:30 am I heard Jane tell Audrey XYZ. XYZ is not the case.” Don’t document how it made you feel. Just state what Jane did.
Don’t second-guess yourself as a hiring manager, especially if you’re new to hiring. A boss told me once, when I had to fire an employee I’d hired, that making the right hiring decisions 50% of the time is a good average for experienced hiring managers.
I agree Dorothy! Shortly after I started my HR position, I interviewed a candidate (with the position’s immediate supervisor). We thought she was WONDERFUL.
Turned out she was just really, really good at interviewing and “pulling the wool over people’s eyes.” Luckily, we found this out before she was offered a position.
I always thought I was a pretty good judge of character, but that one got by me!
My father once had an employee who bad mouthed him at work, once, and my father simply walked away. Then the employee was called into the office about 20 minutes later, and was handed their final paycheck. The union rep wouldn’t even say anything about it apart from apologizing to my father when he heard what had been said. I have always believed that respect and courtesy are an important part of the workplace, and if someone can’t respect you, then you should find someone who can. Provided that you are worthy of it.