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Franke James is Editor/Founder of Office-Politics.com and Inventor of the Office-Politics® Game. Peter R. Garber has worked as an HR professional for over 25 years and is the author of many business books including: Winning the Rat Race at Work and 100 Ways to Get on the Wrong Side of your Boss. Dina Beach Lynch, is an Ombudsman, Author and former attorney. An award-winning mediator, Dina served as the Corporate Ombudsman for the 7th largest bank in the US helping over 48,000 employees to resolve workplace issues. Dr. Rick Brandon is CEO of Brandon Partners. He has consulted and trained tens of thousands at corporations worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries. Dr. Marty Seldman is one of America's most experienced executive coaches. His 35-year career includes expertise in executive coaching, group dynamics, cross-cultural studies, clinical psychology, and training. Arnie Herz, is a lawyer, mediator, speaker, author and consultant nationally recognized for his practical and inspired approach to conflict resolution and client counseling. Dr. John Burton LL.B. M.B.A. M.Div. Ph.D. is an ethicist, mediator, lawyer and theologian. John is currently located in Prince Rupert, B.C., Canada, working with Canada's aboriginal communities. |
I am honestly so torn, so tortured I cannot think anymore...
September 2005 Dear
Office-Politics, The manager is not my superior, by
the way. All my evaluations have been good to excellent. Currently
my unit is not performing well due to my one employee that is simply
insubordinate and incompetent. I have almost 3 years of documentation
and requests to my department chair that he should be fired and the
results of his actions and lack of action, but to no avail. To make
matters worse, my employee has picked up that I do not have true control
over the program and is becoming even more insubordinate and his work
quality is horrid. Thank you. Torn
up inside Dear Torn up inside, Bottom line, a happier healthier work environment is what you need and deserve. The question is how do we help you get there. Given the stress related illnesses and promised job description, I recommend that you consult with counsel to ascertain your legal rights and to determine the legal leverage, if any, you may have to cause a shift in the employment dynamic. I would do this at the outset since it is always best for you to know where you stand legally. It could also be valuable for you to speak to someone who can help you get empowered and deal with the enormous stress levels you are experiencing. An experienced therapist can help significantly. The situation does not appear to be working well for any of the players -- you, your employee, the supervisor, the dean, the program and the school. If I were running the school, I'd hire an organizational consultant to figure out how to get everyone working as a team in a healthy dynamic. Such a person would be able to help the parties define clear roles and responsibilities, lines of authority, ground rules for accountability and respect, and an exit strategy for those who cannot meet the objectives that serve the department and school optimally. Since you want this job to work out, perhaps you can do some research on organizational consultants in your area and interview a few to see if they believe they can help. In the process, you may gain some valuable tools and information on how to deal with the situation. After you identify one or two consultants you would work with, perhaps you can then speak to the Dean and propose the school hire one of these consultants to help everyone work through this challenge. The consultant should be able to help you figure out how to have the opening conversation with the Dean. It may be you can shift the current environment or it may be you need to switch jobs. Either way, I believe the assistance of legal counsel, a therapist and an organizational consultant should help you gain the clarity, strength and tools you need to create a happier healthier work environment for you. Thanks for writing to Office-Politics. Arnie Herz Arnie Herz, Esq. Feedback from Torn
up inside
The Ethics Letters that appears as a feature of this Website is an educational and discussion oriented column designed to help the reader better understand ethical issues. The matters discussed in the letter are reviewed in a summary/abbreviated way and are only meant to foster thinking on the part of the reader. If a person decides to adopt or implement suggestions, they do so at their own risk. No representation or warranty is provided in relation to suggestions or the contents of the letter. Neither the authors of the letter, Franke James, John W. Burton, Rick Brandon, Marty Seldman, Arnie Herz or the owners of this Website accept any liability whatsoever for any opinions expressed in the letter or for errors and omissions. Submission of letters to the Office-Politics Forum grants the Publisher, Nerdheaven Ltd. the right to reproduce, republish, repurpose and excerpt the submission in any and all other media, without compensation or contacting the author. Copyright Nerdheaven Ltd. 2002-2005
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