I’m sorry – I had to cut off on the Lena update there as I was minuting all afternoon after lunch and have been so busy that I haven’t been able to write until now!
So, the email from Lena sent at 10:45pm on Monday night said:
She’s very sorry, but she won’t be able to meet as she’s not well and is taking today as sick.
Can you believe that?
And now it’s Friday and we’re supposed to be having our meeting and she’s still off sick!
I guess, though, while this is a bit ridiculous, I have to face reality: this is no longer just a bit of conflict, this is a performance issue.
Which raises a whole other question: do I have a duty to report it to my bosses? Or should I wait and try and resolve it first? If I tell them, am I a tittle-tattle? Should I at least try and figure out what the Dickens is going on with my Proj-Co before landing her in it with the Big Cheeses?
One lovely commentor last week suggested that perhaps Lena had applied for my job and not got it which was why she was being difficult. Is that it? Or is she just not getting the right support in her current role? I mean I was stuck here until ten doing that documentation – does that happen with Lena a lot? Not the poor quality, but being stuck on her own in the office until late because, at her level, that’s not on at all.
Or is there something else going on underneath it all. Maybe something’s going on in her personal life...
I’ve moved our meeting to Monday at 11am, but which aspects to I tackle first? And should I even be mentioning the personality issues and just focus on the performance?
Wow – who would’ve thought I’d have SO many questions this soon in!
On a good note: with all the other crap, I’m not stressing my butt off about being a good PA. I’m just getting on with it and Jeremy and Kate appear more than happy – indeed, Kate’s talk went down really well and she bought me a muffin to thank you for all my help. Every cloud and all that! Thank HEAVENS for good bosses...
Focus on performance. Document everything.
ReplyDeleteYou’re a good boss to care about her hours. Now imagine what the result would have been if she had finished the project (regardless of the hours) and had it delivered with poor quality and full of errors?!
Maybe you’ll luck out and find out that her appointment was an interview.
I can relate to everything you're going through in your new role. I've had to deal with difficult staff in the past and I've found the best way forward is "killing with kindness". Occasionally, the issues have stemmed from being awarded the position that individual may have felt they were owed. It's better to try to understand if there is an underlying issue and this in the end will be a positive reflection of yourself to your bosses who will appreciate you've done all you can before reporting to them. I'm sure they won't be oblivious to any extra hours you have to work in order to complete her tasks. Keep writing...I'm loving your blog!
ReplyDeleteYou're obviously really busy in your new role but please try and update this on a more regular basis!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat happened next?!?!??!??
I agree - an update is well overdue...hope you're OK...
ReplyDeleteSorry guys!!! Been crazy busy here and lots has been happening, I promise I'll sit down later and give you a proper update!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, it great to know you're reading!
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