My new secretary is making me want to put a bullet in my head...

[heatherrae]

i have an intern that i'm in charge of. I didn't hire him, although I probably would have. for a lot of things, he's great, but he didn't seem to understand that *i* am his boss. He wouldn't tell me if he wasn't coming in. he didn't tell me about a change in his schedule or what he's working on. I would think he was doing one thing that I asked of him, only to find out he was spending a few days working on a proposal that nobody asked for.

I finally had to have a talk with him and I told him i just wanted to make sure he understood the chain of command and what that meant, and also what I expected of him. He understood, but I later wrote an email, which I cc'd the CEO on and very nicely summarized what we spoke about. There would be no more confusion and everything has been great ever since.

sometimes, people need a clear message of what is expected, and sometimes you may not realize that you aren't communicating well to them either. It's very easy to think that someone knows what you're talking about, but maybe she absorbs things slower, or maybe you need to start further back.

I'm going to try, I suppose. However, the fact with the email message...I mean, come ON -- should I start in kindergarten and teach her to READ? lol.

 

[Bikini Mod]

I'm going to try, I suppose. However, the fact with the email message...I mean, come ON -- should I start in kindergarten and teach her to READ? lol.

Stiletto brings up a very good point. Sometimes we aren't all on the same wave length and that is why I used to bend over backwards to help my employees excel. However, I still had to end up letting a lot of people go.

I used to say it all the time, "If you are unwilling or unable to accept my help then you are clearly too stupid to work for me."

The fact that this bitch tried to go over your head to complain that you "aren't training her" so as to circumvent you being able to fire her tells me a lot about the type of person she is. She would NOT BE someone that I would want working for me. If she truly felt overwhelmed and wasn't able to be productive she should have been all up in your shit asking for help. You don't strike me as the type that would ignore a request for help from ANYONE, least of all someone who is supposed to be working for you.

 

[heatherrae]

Stiletto brings up a very good point. Sometimes we aren't all on the same wave length and that is why I used to bend over backwards to help my employees excel. However, I still had to end up letting a lot of people go.

I used to say it all the time, "If you are unwilling or unable to accept my help then you are clearly too stupid to work for me."

The fact that this bitch tried to go over your head to complain that you "aren't training her" so as to circumvent you being able to fire her tells me a lot about the type of person she is. She would NOT BE someone that I would want working for me. If she truly felt overwhelmed and wasn't able to be productive she should have been all up in your shit asking for help. You don't strike me as the type that would ignore a request for help from ANYONE, least of all someone who is supposed to be working for you.

I'm actually known for being a VERY patient person with people. She really, really tries my patience, though. She is the only one who doesn't "get it" that I'm just trying to make the office run well.

 

[stilleto]

a really good employee would go to you and tell you that you aren't training her adequately. She'd figure out a way to tell you that didn't insult you, or make her seem stupid.

they would not go over your head to complain.

I've been in situations where my manager wasn't training me well. I learn fast too, but of course i'm not a mind reader. I had to tell them that I'd like to take a step back and learn the acronyms of the business, or her codewords for things, or I asked if there was some kind of software tutorial i could take.
as a manager now myself, I can tell you that i feel warmth for an employee who asks that stuff, and it makes me realize that I haven't been doing a good enough job teaching.

 

[heatherrae]

a really good employee would go to you and tell you that you aren't training her adequately. She'd figure out a way to tell you that didn't insult you, or make her seem stupid.

they would not go over your head to complain.

I've been in situations where my manager wasn't training me well. I learn fast too, but of course i'm not a mind reader. I had to tell them that I'd like to take a step back and learn the acronyms of the business, or her codewords for things, or I asked if there was some kind of software tutorial i could take.
as a manager now myself, I can tell you that i feel warmth for an employee who asks that stuff, and it makes me realize that I haven't been doing a good enough job teaching.

Yeah, but say that you trained her how to get an auction date for a property last week. Then she asked you again this week and you explained it again. Then, you overhear her bugging the lady in the cubicle over to show her. Then, you overhear another attorney explaining it to her yet a 4th time. That is EXACTLY what she did. Then, she complains to the owners that no one will train her. Her best friend, who recommended her to me even wants me to fire her and says, "i feel so bad that I recommended her. I don't know why she is acting so SLOW."

 

[velvett]

I think you are just poorly matched and do not process things the same way - in other words no amount of training on your part or anyone else's will bring her to right playing field for you.

Find someone else and let her go.

 

[heatherrae]

I think you are just poorly matched and do not process things the same way - in other words no amount of training on your part or anyone else's will bring her to right playing field for you.

Find someone else and let her go.

this was the opinion of another attorney from our ohio office from meeting her today and listening to her complain about my not training her. He seemed to think that she wasn't ready for the level of responsibility of the position, because it requires quite a great deal of problem solving and independent thinking. I have no doubt that she can type, etc. but I found out that everything must be spelled out to the letter for her or she completely freaks out and freezes up and blames others. This isn't the kind of position where it is possible to spell out ever possible scenario.

I'm in the office tonight still, with the baby on my lap, doing HER work.

Sigh.

 

[stilleto]

Yeah, but say that you trained her how to get an auction date for a property last week. Then she asked you again this week and you explained it again. Then, you overhear her bugging the lady in the cubicle over to show her. Then, you overhear another attorney explaining it to her yet a 4th time. That is EXACTLY what she did. Then, she complains to the owners that no one will train her. Her best friend, who recommended her to me even wants me to fire her and says, "i feel so bad that I recommended her. I don't know why she is acting so SLOW."

from an outsider point of view, maybe the fact that she isn't usually slow and also had good references means that what you think is good training, was not.

it could be that you don't realize you're using buzzwords or codewords that she's not used to, which makes processing new information almost impossible.
or perhaps you're moving at a faster pace than what she's used to. My own mother is very very smart, but when teaching her something or reading to her, she requires me to go MUCH slower than I am used to.

you might also be switching gears too often.

I am not blaming you, just playing the 'devil's advocate'.

try just talking to her and asking her what the problem is.

 

[heatherrae]

from an outsider point of view, maybe the fact that she isn't usually slow and also had good references means that what you think is good training, was not.

it could be that you don't realize you're using buzzwords or codewords that she's not used to, which makes processing new information almost impossible.
or perhaps you're moving at a faster pace than what she's used to. My own mother is very very smart, but when teaching her something or reading to her, she requires me to go MUCH slower than I am used to.

you might also be switching gears too often.

I am not blaming you, just playing the 'devil's advocate'.

try just talking to her and asking her what the problem is.

I'm sure that I DO that! That is me at the office. I come buzzing in all cracked out on caffeine and hyper wanting to get 300 things done. I work hard and fast and like someone who has a bit of a crazy ass maverick in them like I do. I freak her out. I know that I do. I just hoped she would grow some thick skin, take some notes and take some INITIATIVE. However, she doesn't have it in her. She plays this "I'm helpless" game with men that usually gets her put on easier assignments. That doesnt play well with another woman.

The male attorney in our office told me today that she came to him and said that my expectation that she get her work up to date in two weeks or get a written reprimand was too demanding and there was no way she could do it. Take into account I've been working nights and weekends on HER WORK for weeks now. I'm in the office with a one year old sleeping on my shoulder! Without consulting me, he gave her a "more reasonable deadline of half of her work being caught up. I said NO! She is expected to do her work just like anyone else. I HATE when women play this game at work. If we want to be treated equal to men, we better not play the helpless damsel in distress every time we are given a challenge. It really irks me to no end.

 

[heatherrae]

At this point, I really want her gone. She lied on her resume and she annoys the piss out of me, frankly. I just cant put any faith in her.