Employee Awards Issue

happyandcontented

I am not doing any work, just reporting back what she said and why. It is really up to her how she chooses to deal with the situation now. I can't do any more than be a listening ear, she has to make the choice how to move forward.

Over the years she has been very helpful to her manager in passing on information that was given to her (rather than to her manager, as she is not well-liked)which has enabled the manager to do her job. I think she has decided to just go in and do her own job and let the manager find out any relevant information for herself. From my own observations of that team, there will be an impact.

Ja7188

I think that this is part of the issue. This is not the first time that her manager has behaved in such a way but it is the first time my friend has felt that she has effectively been boxed into a corner and been unable to bring it up for discussion because she doesn't want the other team member to feel bad about her award. Part of her feels deliberately manipulated by the situation. That is why she is so annoyed, she feels impotent and that that situation has been engineered by her manager.

Many of the comments on here would just reinforce her feeling that bringing it up would make her look petty, but it is not an isolated incident. People telling her to buck up are missing the point that it has affected her, whether it would affect them is really not the point. Listening to her, I think it was the straw that etc, etc.

If it's impacting her that badly, she should consider looking for another job. It's pretty clear that her manager hasn't done anything wrong here, but has simply made a decision that she doesn't agree with.

After some thought, she has decided to try to compartmentalise this specific issue but also to ensure that her manager does not get away with other things (perhaps more palatable issues to complain legitimately about) such as palming her own work off on my friend, sending her on the most difficult troubleshooting jobs to have it reflect well on her department, but then complaining that she is short-staffed and taking it out on my friend and too many more to list. I know this to be true, as I have seen it firsthand.

Are you sure it's palming work off rather than delegating? Is it or is not your friend's job to troubleshoot and if it is, perhaps she gets the more challenging jobs as she's one of the more experienced team members? I wonder if she and her manager just don't get on and it's six of one and half a dozen of the other...

In the past, my friend has just shrugged her shoulders and got on with it despite others ( including me) saying she was crackers to do it, but I doubt she will do that again. I think this incident, petty though some of you think it is, will have other unintended consequences for the manager further down the line.

If she's planning to drop her work ethic, I'd say it's more likely to have unintended consequences for her rather than her manager, whose perception will probably be that she's in a huff for not getting an award and is responding by not doing her job properly.

happyandcontented

Ja7188 wrote: »

If it's impacting her that badly, she should consider looking for another job. It's pretty clear that her manager hasn't done anything wrong here, but has simply made a decision that she doesn't agree with.

I work in the same organisation for another team and non of the other managers (mine included) ever nominate from within their own teams as they feel it is divisive.

For some unknown reason this year my friend's manager has gone against the unwritten rule, this is also the first year when she had only two long term employees within her team.

Last year two other long-standing team members ( who were very good at their jobs) resigned as they could not work with her any more. I know that is true because they both told me before they left. Both of those members of staff had home issues equal to the ones the person getting the award has and both were very vocal and so I doubt their manager would have singled out any of the team for an award whilst they were in situ for the reasons given to my friend.

Ja7188 wrote: »

Are you sure it's palming work off rather than delegating? Is it or is not your friend's job to troubleshoot and if it is, perhaps she gets the more challenging jobs as she's one of the more experienced team members? I wonder if she and her manager just don't get on and it's six of one and half a dozen of the other...

No, it is very definitely palming off as none of the other teams (including mine) are asked by their managers to do the tasks my friend is asked to do. It is the manager's job to do them but she can't get through the workload in the normal hours as they do so, she gives my friend her tasks to do. Which, up to this point my friend has done without question, despite being told by members of other teams that she shouldn't be doing it.

Yes, it is my friend's job to troubleshoot, however, her manager wants to appear helpful to other departments when they ask for assistance, but equally, she wants to keep my friend 'in house' as she needs her there. Therefore, she volunteers her to others to look good to senior management but then moans to my friend that she can't cope without her being there and makes comments about her letting her down by having reduced her hours.

Actually, very few people get on with her due to her lack of people skills and brusque manner.

Ja7188 wrote: »

If she's planning to drop her work ethic, I'd say it's more likely to have unintended consequences for her rather than her manager, whose perception will probably be that she's in a huff for not getting an award and is responding by not doing her job properly.

I have just spoken to her, that is definitely not her intention. She is just not that sort of person. All she intends is to do her own job, decline the additional tasks that are the manager's responsibility (and not hers) and not be a conduit for information that the manager should be told directly if she was better liked.

I am just responding to comments now, but there is not much more to say as my friend has decided how she is going to move forward and so I can only watch what happens from the sidelines.

warby68

If this manager is so bad that people have left because of her, then the award will be a very minor issue in a field of others and if your friend decides to fight any battle it should be about something more tangiible and discrete than a subjective pat on the back.

Like others, by the time you get to 50 if you haven't learnt to cope with unfairness in the work place, you need to look inwards a bit. You've said yourself your friend has a good easy life - often people like that do moan about small things. People with real challenges develop a sense of proportion.

In 30y+ I've never known an award system that wasn't divisive. Cynically, after a while you get to know who will get the awards long before they even do anything, in the same way as you know who will get a promotion.

happyandcontented

warby68 wrote: »

If this manager is so bad that people have left because of her, then the award will be a very minor issue in a field of others and if your friend decides to fight any battle it should be about something more tangiible and discrete than a subjective pat on the back.

Like others, by the time you get to 50 if you haven't learnt to cope with unfairness in the work place, you need to look inwards a bit. You've said yourself your friend has a good easy life - often people like that do moan about small things. People with real challenges develop a sense of proportion.

In 30y+ I've never known an award system that wasn't divisive. Cynically, after a while you get to know who will get the awards long before they even do anything, in the same way as you know who will get a promotion.

Yes, that is the route she is going down, and I doubt it will take long!!

I take your point about people with 'easy' ( and that is subjective isn't it?) lives moaning about small issues but actually, my friend isn't like that, she is aware that in comparison to the other team member her life is easier (not easy though, as she does have her own family caring issues)but she is very grateful for that and counts her blessings. Despite my user name I probably moan more than her!!

Our awards are a bit of a farce, but the management team appear to love them and feel they are 'motivational':rotfl:

System

Does the accolade come with a financial reward? If not, NEXT, move on.



End of thread.

happyandcontented

Not everyone is solely motivated by money, which is just as well for society imo.