what can u do about bad treatment from managers?

MummyHol

I'm writing this on a friends behalf, hope some1 can help

He's been working for a company for 3 years and has progressed to manager. He's worked his bum off and always done really well. Since the recession hit, the company hit a ''bad patch'' and made redundant all the experienced area and district managers in favour of newer (and cheaper) staff. The general opinion is that those whose faces didn't fit have been pushed out of the company. Needless to say, the newer and inexperienced area managers are pretty useless! I don't mean to be rude about them, they're nice enough people, but they can't give the support that the store managers need and don't really know enough about the field they're in to be any help.
My friend is now being leaned on to go beyond the call of duty (so to speak), he has been happy to do this in the past as he had the support he needed and received recognition for his efforts. However, now he is entirely demotivated and is becoming resentful of having to do extra for nothing. Since the redundancies, he has to run the store alone 3 or 4 days out of every 6 because the area manager takes his only sales advisor to his store to cover because they've layed off too many people, he has to run around correcting the mistakes of other stores in his own time and at his own cost (diesel, etc) and without being paid any overtime (he does this to keep his customers happy and loyal) and he also has the area manager on his back about dropping figures- a result of having no staff half the time, no doubt!
To top it all off, this week the reginal and area managers both visited the store, arriving separately, (to take his sales advisor again) and went straight to talk to the sales advisor and completely ignored my friend, who is the manager of the store! I find this very rude and unproffessional.

My friend doesn't know if his should just ignor it and bite his tongue, or say something about their poor treatment of him. He doesn't receive an ounce of recognition anymore.
He's also concerned about the repercussions of complaining because his company is using redundancies to get rid of those whose 'faces don't fit'.

Any advice appreciated, thanks

epsilondraconis

The next time regional and area managers come to his store, why doesn't he go and have a chat with them. Make it informal and ensure it doesn't look like he is complaining.

Perhaps he could begin to build up a relationship with them so he better understands the situation the company is in and whether any additional help will be forthcoming.

As a result of your friend not speaking to the regional and area manager, perhaps they are not aware of all of the additional work he is putting in.

I wouldn't approach it as a complaint - more of an information gathering exercise so that he knows what is going on and the managers understand the additional efforts that he is putting in. He can ask them whether they can find another sales advisor to assist them and reduce the time his sales advisor is asked to do other things.

It seems that there is a lack of communication here and once that is corrected, perhaps things will improve.

Good luck.


Edit: Also the more the regional and area managers understand about the additional work your friend is putting in, the more they will see that he is working extremley hard and going above and beyond the job description. If you were a regional or area manager and you had a loyal member of staff doing that, would you get rid of them.

So it doesn't seem like he is blowing his own trumpet when talking to them, he could say things like "it will be nice when the organisation is in a much better financial position because perhaps then I can claim fuel allowance for all of the additional miles that I am currently doing". i.e. They then know he is doing all of the extra and not being paid for it. You never know, if the regional and area managers have a conscience, they may say to him that he needs to put in a claim.

MummyHol

Thank you epsilon, i will pass on ur suggestions.

He has made his area manager aware of the issues of others stores messing up so regularly and that he's making deliveries out of hours, unpaid (and outside of his job description) because of these mess ups. The manager just gives an 'oh dear' attitude and askes my friend what he (the area manager) should do!?

Also, he's now been told that his sales advisor will be going to this other store permenantly in 3 weeks, so he needs to replace him (£12k/yr for between 48 and 55hrs/wk... its laughable).

Does anyone know what the rules are about working alone? (i'm concerned because the job has its hazards)

epsilondraconis

MummyHol wrote: »

Does anyone know what the rules are about working alone? (i'm concerned because the job has its hazards)

Perhaps this would help:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/workalone.htm

Emmzi

MummyHol wrote: »

The manager just gives an 'oh dear' attitude and askes my friend what he (the area manager) should do!?

In these situations I usually have suggestions.

"Would it help to send him here for a morning so I can explain the stock control system"

or
"I can give you the customer contact number if you would like to get some feedback for his appraisal or for coaching."

I have no problem helping people in similar situatioins but also no problem dropping people in it but looking helpful, if I know they are an !!!!.

Maybe the area manager has his own doubts and wants to get shot of the ineffective managers but needs it confirmed in his own head first.

Zazen999

No offence to your friend, but has he had management training?

MummyHol

Zazen999 wrote: »

No offence to your friend, but has he had management training?

Yes and he's a very good manager (no offence taken). Its an odd company set up though- the area managers (and upwards) don't really seem to consult with the store managers about their staff, they just act like the store managers don't exist (i hope that makes sense).

I'm a bit confused as to how i've made it seem like my friend is untrained?

Emmzi

MummyHol wrote: »

I'm a bit confused as to how i've made it seem like my friend is untrained?

Not sure as it wasn't my comment, but if I understood profit/ loss and what my salesmen made for my store, I'd be discussing that with AM regularly before he 'borrowed' my staff, and asking staff to refer to me before leaving the premises.

How's his general assertiveness?

flossy_splodge

MummyHol wrote: »

Yes and he's a very good manager (no offence taken). Its an odd company set up though- the area managers (and upwards) don't really seem to consult with the store managers about their staff, they just act like the store managers don't exist (i hope that makes sense).

I'm a bit confused as to how i've made it seem like my friend is untrained?

Maybe because if he was trained he would be able to handle this?
Unfortunately, in this country we don't really understand about management, we merely 'fire fight'.
I'm glad others who have responded have seen the possible up sides to all this but to me it reads like your friend has been recognised as being weak and uncomplaining so that why the more senior managers do not have any compunction about treating him with no respect and no care.
He seriously needs to get a 'good' management training book and learn how he should actually respond in each of these areas of complaint.
If he keeps on doing what he's always done, he'll keep on getting what he's always got - to quote a higher authority!

MummyHol

He's never had any problem asserting his authority but he constantly undermined by his managers. For example, they call his sales advisors mobile to tell him he'll be working another store and things like that. I can imagine it gets very difficult to manage your staff in that situation.

MummyHol

flossy_splodge wrote: »

Maybe because if he was trained he would be able to handle this?
Unfortunately, in this country we don't really understand about management, we merely 'fire fight'.
I'm glad others who have responded have seen the possible up sides to all this but to me it reads like your friend has been recognised as being weak and uncomplaining so that why the more senior managers do not have any compunction about treating him with no respect and no care.
He seriously needs to get a 'good' management training book and learn how he should actually respond in each of these areas of complaint.
If he keeps on doing what he's always done, he'll keep on getting what he's always got - to quote a higher authority!

Well he never had this problem from his previous managers, who always treated him with great respect and gave support where needed. 2 of those made redundant recently have said they would employ my friend in a heartbeat when (if) they find new jobs (not very easy in the current climate). I he used to get recognition and respect from those who knew the job inside out but doesn't get it from the new inexperienced management team then i would say its a problem with their managerial skills and not my friends