Work dilemma- It's all going wrong ! advice please

whizzkid_3

Hi,
Things are going so wrong at work and I really don't know what to do for the best.

Six months ago i applied to manage the local branch of a retail chain which is a fairly small retail unit.I didn't get the job but I was taken on as a relief manager and worked in various branches until i had completed my training and was then offered the managers position in a store which is much larger,a great deal farther away,open longer and basically a lot harder to run.

I have been struggling to cope,the superviser has been totally unsupportive,the staff have turned against me and the area manager is now on my case .

I have been given three options

a- Stay and hope that i can turn things around

b-Return to being a relief manager accepting that i may not be given another chance at management with the company

c- Give a months notice and admit defeat

I am churning inside as i don't like to admit defeat but i really don't see how i can stay as the area manager has spoken to the staff and now has a list of complaints against me.

Would choosing option b while seeking alternative employment be the sensible choice or is it being defeatist ?

joinsussex

Have you tried calling a staff meeting and listening to people? You might then find out what their problem is. I'm not suggesting anything confrontational- just a meeting where you can lay down some ground rules (confidentiality, behaviour etc) then allowing them to talk, It might be a case of rumours, causing fear of change etc- until you find out what their problems are you wont be able to address them. A very useful site for looking at all these sorts of issues is businessballs, just google it. also mindtools. Good luck, at least have that meeting before you admit defeat- it might be something totally solvable (if thats a word!).

whizzkid_3

A staff meeting may well help if i decided to choose option a but i'm not sure i would be any happier or be more able to cope

Horace

Personally, I wouldnt quit because the job market is diabolical at the moment. The way to get the team on side is to have a meeting with them, you need to find a way of getting them to work with you and as a team. You also need to listen to what they have to say - it maybe that they are afraid of change and at the moment see you as weak (inexperienced manager) and therefore they will be obstructive.

Ask the area manager for some more management training - if there are complaints about you, you need to find out what they are and find a way of resolving them. I think you definitely need to call a staff meeting - having an open door policy might help them too especially if they have a work-related problem.

If your employer didnt see you as management material then you wouldn't have been hired.

jenhug

You can turn this around, but you will need to gain your staffs trust, and tell the area manager you would like some support.
Our young manager used to provide teas out of his own money if people were needed to work a little bit late, its amazing how a 20p machine made cup of tea and a tin of biscuits can sweeten people up!
Good luck, Take a positive approach and I hope it works out for you.

whizzkid_3

Thanks Horace.

It's a good idea to have a meeting but the way i feel right now i pretty much feel that i'm not coping and not doing myself justice as the shop is much harder to run than i imagined. I have been showing signs of stress and have been grouchy and unapproachable.I would like to think that turning the staff around might help but i'm not sure i would ever be happy working there

McKneff

It seems glaringly obvious what you should do. You say yourself that you are grumpy and unaproachable. If you cant get out of this mood then personally i would go for option 2, stay as a relief manager and look around for the next step in your career ie as a manager but with a different company.
Money as a manager is no substitute for good health

Zazen999

Hi

This sounds a bit of a nightmare but it can be turned around.

Firstly, your manager should be supporting you and you need to find out why he is on your case, tackle it head on by calling him first thing tomorrow and finding out the crux of the problems. [If you don't already know].

Secondly, the staff need to be brought onside. This can be done by calling them together and finding out the problems from their point of view. I used to use the SCOT matrix, to get people to identify
Strengths
Concerns
Opportunities
Threats
Both about themselves and the dept/store/wherever.

Then, get the most common issues [these will be in the concerns and threats bits of the SCOT] and deal with them first - then work down the list.

Get the most aggravating and influential member of staff into your 'inner circle' and make sure you are seen to be listening, and dealing with the things that they are suggesting - and - here's the important bit - insist that they present solutions to you so that they feel like you are taking them seriously [which I am sure you will of course].

Be fair and firm in whatever you do - make decisions but don't be afraid to admit that you were wrong on something.

Get them to contribute to business plans/the way things are done so that they take ownership. Get proper measures in place to show you are being fair [this includes self-measurement where bottom line comes into play].

There are plenty of management techniques for turning things around - however your manager needs to support you 100%, and if they don't do that then it will be practically impossible. I do think that him going behind your back and getting a list of complaints rather than managing you and acting as a team to get the store back on track is a bit underhand. However, during your discussion you can be honest and ask what you can do to get the staff back on side [in his eyes], and what you can do to address their 'complaints' Now, I have no idea of the level of the complaints - it might be that you have inherited a 'bag of !!!!!' and turning it around was an impossible task - or it could be that you just aren't cut out for the job [you have to be honest if you really think that is the case].

If you do think that is the case..........and I'm not being derogatory......you need to consider whether it is worth it. Most managers who make it to managerial positions will sometimes doubt themselves - but have the strength to overcome their areas of concern and manage the staff to take up the slack. [For example I am not a completer finisher, so I employed a staff member to do that for me so that I could concentrate on the things I WAS good at].

The fact that you have been given 3 options leads me to believe that the management believes you can turn it around. It might take balls of steel, and facing up to things that you don't want to - but it is doable.

Good luck - it's a bit of a ramble, but I've been there and turned my team from the lowest performing one into the highest in 18 months...and half of that time we were down to half the staffing - it does mean being strong, and brave. It is doable though.