I have a horrible time loving people well under certain circumstances. I can not find my compassion for instance when someone is using false advertising to make themselves seem needed. I recently hired a new person to work on my team at the office. New girl seemed great in interviews, charming, personable and she said she had all the necessary skills.
It's been a week and already I have a list of red flags as long as my arm. What do you mean you don't know how to use email? Are you serious... everyone knows how to copy a file?! And my personal favorite... why are you still standing there over an hour after I asked you to do something like you have nothing to do!!
Oh sure she's friendly but it's hard to focus on how nice someone is when I'm being blindsighted every two minutes by the thought of "but she said she could do that during the interview". I'm not talking complicated stuff either. Things like open the network drive. Copy these files to a USB. Send that to me in email. Easy stuff- stuff my god daughter probably can do and she's 7.
It scares me. I picked her. I picked her out of 20 people. I picked her based on the information she gave me. It makes me upset. Upset at her false advertisement and even more upset at how gullible I have become with old age. I saw what I needed to see. I saw what I wanted to see.
I need a peacemakers class. I'm snappy and irritable. She doesn't get it. She thinks I'm just being mean I'm sure. I'm hormonal already this week and I'm going through home drama but I had expectations. I expect at the very least for people to be who they tell me they are.
What would you do? Have you been in this situation?
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4 comments:
If you're in the position to reprimand her, be honest and direct. "I was really excited when I hired you because you expressed talents and skills that we needed to fill this position. While I think you are a wonderful person and very charming, I am not seeing you display the skills I need to get this job done. You need to know that if I do not see you perform the skills you said you could, I'm going to have to replace you. We cannot afford to have this job continue to go unaccomplished." Give her a list of what you need to see her do and a timelimit on how long she has to become self-sufficient. I am with you in hatingn this "false advertising," but even more frustrated by the companies that hold on to employees that just can't perform.
I second Meredith! I am right there with you...I cannot handle dishonesty! I know SO many people who *think* they are capable of stuff they are simply not capable of.
For example, a friend recently showed me his resume and had written that he was a competent "webmaster". He has no skills other than being able to upload files via FTP (his current ONLY duty with the website at work). But to him, that's "maintaining a website" and he'd affirm that's what he could do in an interview, I'm certain.
I like what Meredith suggested about being very up front with her about your expectations of her if she wants to keep the job. She may not realize how badly she is doing. Yes, YOU are the wronged party. But if you do what an old boss of mine did--stomp around angry without saying anything--she will have no clue what she's doing wrong, and can't fix it.
By the way, I really enjoy your blog!
We have this problem at work with at least three people in the department. Granted, the kind of work we do here isn't automatically transferable from other jobs, and we do have a learning curve and plenty of time to make mistakes, but after a certain point, the skills are either there or they're not. Simple as that. I have absolutely no say over whether these people stay with the company, although I voice my opinion to my supervisors often.
They've implemented a buddy system to help out the new employees. Someone they can partner with to ask all the dumb questions to. Someone to show them their mistakes. This hasn't really worked, though, because the "buddies" aren't willing to hurt someone's feelings by telling her she's doing something wrong.
Okay. I'm done venting. It's your problem, I know. I think you should sit down with her and be honest with her about what your expectations are. Ask her if she needs more training or instruction. Tell her that she's a really nice person, but that you need a good employee, not a good friend.
Thin the herd!
*gasp* Did I just say that aloud? Sorry. What I meant to say was, "I think Meredith has it right."
You'll do her a favor to cut her loose before she wastes too many months of her young life trying to fake her way through this job.
Just surfing through from the Faith Lifts blogring...we're both NEW!
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