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I was appointed 6 months ago as the site manager of a non performing nursing home. My 2IC was appointed a few weeks later. She had applied the position I won and my superiors offered her the 2IC position at my site with me mentoring her to teach her about aged care. She has current clinical knowledge and skill which is required at the moment due to the state of the facility.
Her 6 month probation is due next week and I have some grave concerns about her ability to perform her duties. Initially she was very keen however as time has passed, it has become clear that she is not performing to the standard expected of her position.
I have implemented the trinity with all of my directs (all of whom have been in their positions for 6 months or less as well). My 2IC has failed to engage in the process and continues to not attend one to ones on a regular basis, not deliver on time with projects and plans I need to see in order to achieve targets.
Recently it has come to my attention that she is being disrespectful of me behind my back to other members of staff and other members of other teams who are on my site to assist us. She has indicated that she is angry about not being given the site managers position and that she will only stay until after accreditation (a comprehensive audit legislated by government to occur every three years, if we don’t pass we could be sanctioned which could mean large fines and shutting our doors to any new admissions) which is due in 6 weeks. I have put a lot of effort into her and been openly supportive of her to her peers her staff and to my superiors. However based on this feedback from others over the last week it appears as though my support has not been appreciated and may even been seen by her as interference. I am forced now to “micromanage” her which just adds to an already overloaded workload for me but necessary because if I don’t do it. My site not to mention my reputation could be in jeopardy if we don’t achieve full accreditation.
I have listened to the podcasts about poor performance and will use the techniques. I suppose what I am concerned about is how I am feeling about this; I don’t feel confident about doing this even though I would consider myself a confident person generally. I know there will be pushback, significant pushback and she could up and leave which in some ways would be good, however that would leave me with no 2IC as I force march my entire team towards accreditation in 6 weeks.
I am also worried about the disruption leaving her in situ or getting rid of her will cause (damned if I do damned if I don’t). The site has been through so much upheaval over the last 12 months I naively thought I had started to turn things around, right now I am not so sure.
I would appreciate any feedback or advice anyone can offer. I am not exactly sure what I need to know or hear anything would be appreciated.
Regards
Frustrated manager
Addition by Subtraction
If she hasn't been attending 1-on-1s and is late on projects or plans, that seems to be pretty good evidence of poor performance and need for a change.
In the end, you'd like to keep the good work she does, while ridding yourself of her more toxic habits. Unfortunately, you rarely have that option. We're usually forced to keep both the good and the bad, or lose the good to get rid of the bad.
Through experience, my preference is towards the latter. The improvement in my productivity, that of my team, as well as the overall morale of the group is much improved when a toxic employee leaves. This improvement is often drastic enough to make the total impact of their departure minimal. If you and the rest of the team are on the same page when it comes to her behavior and performance, everyone will breathe a sigh of relief when she goes. Morale is likely to increase, as is overall productivity. You're likely to have others that are willing to take on some of her critical roles. And whatever is still left unaccounted for, you can either pick up in your new-found spare time (the time you used to spend managing this difficult person) or you might find that it doesn't need to be done and won't affect the bottom line. Poor performers often inflate the importance of their efforts, fooling us into thinking that they're more useful than they really are. Once they're gone you might be surprised to find how dispensable they've been all along.
Performance Management
Thanks for the comments. I think deep down I know this I just hate this part of my job, it is a necessary evil I suppose. You are probably right the impact of her staying given her current attitude would be worse than the impact of her leaving.
There is a third remote option, that when I confront her about her behaviour, she may realise that she has an opportunity to improve and indicate a willingness to do so, if I extend her probation by 3 months? I do have to talk to HR on Monday about my options within the organisation I work for? This may be one I need to consider in the mix.
I listened to the podcasts again about disrungtled directs and it has helped solidify my next steps,
Thanks again for the comments I realy do appreciate your candour.
Lots of questions I would recommend considering...
How frequently are you delivering feedback (negative AND positive)? Are you delivering systemic feedback about commitments not being met as well as feedback on specific consequences of those commitments? I'm concerned that you state that you have implemented the Management Trinity with all of your directs yet were just appointed six months ago. My experience has been that quick rollouts of the elements are not optimal, particularly if your staff is also new to their roles.
What efforts have you made to build the relationship with your direct? You mention O3 that are often skipped - what has been the reaction to feedback on this topic? What other things are you doing to build trust with your directs?
This sounds like a difficult situation - best of luck to you in working through these challenges.