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New manager

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I dont really even know where to begin with whats wrong with her. Shes has been working at our store for less than a week and has already reduced 4/5 of our staff to tears (me and my sister included), has had comlaints to her boss from us and has made two of us feel physically ill and sick at just the thought of working with her.

I work at a well known coffee shop (wont say a name in this post but im sure some of you know), I have been there for 6 years and just within the last few days since she has been there I have been so very close to just throwing it all in.

She knows bugger all about the job and has come in and basically told us we are all shit at our jobs and need to do it her way, has yelled at us in front of a shop full of customers, and just makes everybody feel very uncomfortable. Im sorry, but with 6 years experience behind me, and our store being 3rd in our region, i think i know a bit more about it than she does.

We have put in complaints to the area manager and managers from the other local stores (who are closer to being friends to us than just colleagues), so everybody is aware of the situation. We are also keeping a diary of all and any incidents that happen to give to her boss as proof. I just want her totally gone out of the shop, we dont need her and frankly there are already staff here who are more than capable of doing a managers position.

Does anybody have advice for me in this situation? As i said, i dont want her there anymore, and as much as it is so so tempting I dont want to throw in my job after 6 years and in the current climate because of her. How likely will it be that she can get fired? Practically every member of staff is willing to put in a grievance against her as we all want her gone, surely they cant ignore a whole team of staff?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    It's hard to fire someone in the general sense, but if she's in her probationary period and gets lots of complaints against her its more straightforward for snr management to say 'its not working out...'.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I really bloody hope this is true! Any ideas on how long that period will last? I mean even complaints within the first month has got to be bad, let alone a week?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have you made your complaints official? You need to put them in writing - not in the sense that she thinks she knows best, but her bullying nature and the abuse in from of customers.

    It's the last two that will concern her manager.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yea well we're going to give it another week or so. I have all of next week off so I will see how it is when i get back, and then, as you say, put in an official complaint in writing. I didnt want to do that straight away as they'll just put it to one side and say give it time for her to settle in
  • LauraOLauraO Posts: 535 Incredible Poster
    Hi Lexi,

    Sorry to hear you're having a rubbish time at work at the moment, it sounds as though you enjoyed your job before this new member of staff started but she has made it a hard environment to work in :banghead:.
    I have been so very close to just throwing it all in

    It can feel very very tempting at times to quit your job when another member of staff makes you really angry, but it's best to think this through thoroughly and give it a chance to get better, so try and stick in there for now. If you are really tempted to quit then it might be sensible to look for a new job whilst still working in your current job so your income doesn't suffer.

    However, if you're happy to stick it out for now you should give yourself credit for dealing with it maturely so far by seeking advice about the situation and following procedure. Documenting all the occasions where this member of staff has upset you or your colleagues is a very sensible approach and will also mean you have others who can back up your claims if needed.

    To start with have you considered having a conversation with her about it? Have a look at this article about Managing your Manager it's got some good tips about communicating with your boss etc.

    If this hasn't worked, or you do not feel comfortable doing this, then the next step is to complain formally. This is a great article on Raising a Grievance at work and will help you understand the best steps to take when making a complaint. As Slarti suggested making a complaint in writing is a good start if the initial conversation with the person in question hasn't been successful. It also gives you the chance to make sure you say everything you want to in the way you want to. The next step as you mentioned would be to speak to her Manager (the examples of times she has upset people that you have been documenting will help you here).

    ShyBoy mentioned the probation period that most employees have when they first start a job. This does depend on the employer and the level of responsibility the employee in question has - so it could be anything from a few weeks to 6 months. During this period it is easier for the company to fire someone, give the employee areas to improve on or extend their probation period. There is some good information on Direct.gov about fair reasons for dismissal if you want to get your head around the law.

    As I said before each employer is different, but it might be worth looking at your own contract to see what grievance procedures your particular employer follows.

    You've had some good responses and suggestions from Slarti and ShyBoy and I hope this helps as a good starting point too, please let us know how you get on, and stick in there, hopefully your week off will help a bit :thumb:

    LauraO
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks for that Laura, as I say I have a week off but i'll keeping in touch with the girls there to find out whats going on. Our assistant manager has just been off so hasnt worked with the new boss yet, so i cant wait til shes back tomoro, as i know she doesnt take any crap to herself or us.

    Also, the area manager has suggested sitting down with her if there are any problems, and she has said this to us too, but i wouldnt actually feel comfortable doing this. If i had one of my colleagues or her boss there with me, as sort of a witness, then I would probably do it, but to be honest, I dont feel like this will change anything. At the moment, i think its a case of giving it time and then deciding with the others what to do
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well today was my first day back after my holiday and im already stressed out and upset about the whole thing.

    Our assistant manager has left due to health issues so that just leave 2 of us who are full time and know what we're doing. We have a new assistant manager who is lovely but obviously doesnt know anything, so thats very stressful, having to stay on top of everything.

    We are short staffed, again stressful. More are being employed but again, newbies need training. Its just such hard work trying to keep everything to standard and trying to deal with a boss who i feel is overbearing, unnecessarily strict and just not nice to be around. We used to be able to have a chat and a giggle at work but now i feel like we cant in case we get yelled at.

    I have heard rumours that myself and another girl may be able to get transferred to another store when they have room in the summer but a) i dont know if its true and b) i dont know if i can hold out that long. I cant come home from work everyday and be so stressed and upset and crying.

    Ive considered ringing the area manager and seeing if there's anything she can do, i.e transferring me herself, but i dont know. I used to enjoy working there but im dreading going in in the mornings
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    double post
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Get a sickline for stress, and make it clear the manager is the cause.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What will that do in the long term?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    double post again!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lexi99 wrote: »
    What will that do in the long term?

    It's becomes a health and safety issue, it also means that you management have to investigate - especially if you have already got staff leaving as a result of her behaviour. Like I said though, nothing will change unless you approach this in an official way. Gripes don't make any difference, formal complaints do.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've decided im going to talk to my area manager about getting me transferred to another store and if she cant then i'll be looking for another job. Ive been stressed and crying about this all evening yesterday and all this morning and I cant be dealing with putting in complaints and hoping that it maybe gets better. I just dont want to be there anymore
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Make sure that when you ask about a transfer, you stand your ground, but you also raise all of your concerns. Don't let the area manager fob you off with promises to get it sorted, but also dont let others continue to suffer.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well i will talk to the others at work and see how likely a transfer is (i know that the other stores in our immediate area dont have any vacancies), but i am definately going to start job hunting around anyway
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ive sort of been through similar but things have got better. We have had two new senior members of staff where I work, one who is in their first senior post and the other is a person with many years of experience and has been asked to take a hard line by the manager. This has caused many rucktions!

    What exactly is your new manager doing that is upsetting? You say they are asking you to work in their way, is that not possible? Sometimes it is actually easier to go along with things, let this new person have their way and if/when it fails say 'this is how we used to do it and it worked'. Otherwise they just view you as being obstructive, not working as a team and not respecting them in their role as manager.

    Ive been thinking about my recent work situation and what it would be like to walk into a senior role somewhere where the staff base is established. I think that in itself regardless of anything else that goes on is going to ruffle feathers. Change can be quite upsetting, distressful and disturbing but I also think its unavoidable in that kind of situation.

    You spend such a big chunk of your life at work that it nees to be a 'nice' place to be, youre obviously not feeling that at the moment so maybe you need to make changes in you and your behaviour to make it a little bit more tolerable. You will only get more angry/frustrated/stressed if things continue as they are.

    Just out of interest what has ben the repsonses to your complaints?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sneer, I think a few of your questions have been answered or at least alluded to, in the first post in the thread.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Basically, she has toned it down a bit. Words were said between her and another member of staff and she is just letting us do our thing mostly now.

    Its still not a very nice place to work and i have in fact just got back from handing out some cv's locally, and am going to do the rest of monday. The people said they were looking for people for summer so im feeling quite positive at the moment
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Today me and the other girls (5 of us in all, maybe 1 or 2 more) decided we are going to open a grievance against her. We are all willing to give statements on her misconduct and bullying to us. I am still keeping my options open by looking for another job, and am going to see if there's any chance of a transfer but at least for now, her behaviour needs to addressed and dealt with.

    I was feeling quite positive earlier but now im nervous and feeling quite sick as im the one who has to phone the big boss tomoro and get it all started. She is a lovely lady but im scared in case this all blows back in my face somehow. Also work in going to be very uncomfortable for the time being
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Majorly, majorly pissed off, cant see through the tears crying.

    I spoke to the area manager today and told us the procedure for a grievance but most of the stuff that is upsetting us isnt strong enough for one. We need to have specific incidents of what has happened and most of us, including me, dont have anything, i.e. she hasnt been rude to me personally etc. Its so upsetting and frustrating i feel like im fighting a losing battle here because i now cant do anything against her. There are only 2, maybe even 1 person i can think of who has any incident to report.

    I am now going to send her an email just letting her know how we are all feeling, i.e. i cant stop crying, we have all said we have felt physically sick at the thought of going to work. I am also going to officially request a transfer or tell her that I am seeking another job and will be forced to resign. If nothing is worked out, i dont think i can last another week there.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Could you randomly all phone in sick one morning citing stress so that there is no staff, however as someone who used to manage someone who was a nightmare i can tell you its practically impossible to get rid of them, but you should keep a diary of everything that happens and that she says etc. The problem with much bullying is that its so subjective and what you might consider inappropriate someone else might think was perfectly reasonable, especially if its just a tone of voice or the way someone looks at someone else
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    We had a meeting yesterday and alot of stuff that the staff isnt happy with was brought up, so overall a positive meeting. Whether or not she'll stick to the changes remains to be seen.

    I do have a job interview for a local coffee shop on friday but im not sure its going to be as good as the job i have now so dont know about that. Quite dissapointing as i got myself quite excited about working there as well :(

    Im also going to get on to the other stores and pester them to hire me when they have a vacancy/enough money to hire me. If i knew that i was getting out eventually, i.e. a few months then i could probably maybe suck it up and deal with it, but if things go back to the way they were at the beginning of this thread i would have no qualms about walking out, new job or no new job.

    I hate all the stress and anxiety im under all the time now, its been like this for pretty much a whole month now and im sick of it, i just want this all to be sorted out now
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