View Full Version : Interesting new things since my promotion - and some challenges
I was promoted as our customs compliance manager maybe three weeks ago. I'm gradually taking on the duties. Previous person was fired - disorganization and lack of delegating things were things even I saw she had issues with. I should be fully in the position by sometime in October. We're short-handed and until all but two customers come off my desk, I can't fully assume all duties of new position.
The long and short of my job description is that I have to keep all of our folks filing customs entries on the straight and narrow so nothing raises a reg flag with Customs. Making sure there are proper procedures, auditing 10% of the customs entries, doing any remedial training as needed, keeping our records in good order and easily accessible, along with many other things customs-related. It falls under the phrase "responsible supervision and control" in the import regulations.
One of the most important things is that all customs entry related files must be kept in good order and easily accessible. Customs could walk in at any time and ask to see specific files. There are audits scheduled by Customs when there are things of concern. And if you can't produce requested files - say hello to fines! By law, we have to keep all files for five years. We keep them for eight. But what happens more regularly is that Customs sends a request for more information via mail. You need to find a file fast.
I'd have to say my biggest challenge will be the disorganized staff. A few people hoard files. One woman was cleaning out a desk drawer - and found several files going back to 2006! Mind you, we moved in October! That woman's desk is perpetual chaos. Another desk is even worse. Papers and files are so strewn about that they sometimes get mixed up - papers in the wrong files, for example. Files on the floor, too. These are small 6'x6' cubes, so having files on the floor mean they often get tripped over.
My departmental manager and I have been working with these two ladies to help them get organized. Part of our issue if that if someone is out, either for scheduled time off or calling in sick, the others in the department have to be able to step right in and cover things. While the general messiness is more under the oversight of the departmental manager, related issues of not being able to find files when necessary because of a Customs request come under my oversight. So the two tie in together.
You *have* to be well-organized to do this job well. One of the first things I did was pull all of the Customs-related reference materials - and there were a lot of them - out of the cube of the former compliance person and put them out in the open. It's all in big fat binders, so I lined them up on top of a lower filing cabinet. I've gotten comments from other departments on how nice and organized it is now - in addition to my own department. I streamlined the daily process for paying import duties. Instead of requiring the entire file to be filed under the needed date, I just need one document now. This is how other brokers do it. I've been told I can streamline processes to my heart's content, just as long as things are compliant with Customs regs.
I've got tons of stuff to keep track of. But I'm gradually adding things, so it's not so overwhelming. Our national compliance manager is a huge help to me. She's new at corporate, having been the import manager of one of our local offices before, but she's super organized, as well, and really knows her stuff. What she's now doing just has a broader scope than in a local office. She's putting together binders for all of the local compliance people. In the spring she's going to bring us all together for two days. I'm really looking forward to that. I'm on a Facebook group for brokers, and I'm learning a ton. I'm not afraid of asking questions if I don't know things. I'm learning stuff from coworkers who've been at the customs side longer than I have, but just didn't have the desire to get into the regs or go for their broker's license.
I'd be interested in hearing from others who've helped employees get organized when the disorganization interfered with job tasks.
Otherwise, I just thought I'd share an update. I'm having a ball. One coworker told me, "You're having too much fun!":moon:
Good on you, Tradd! So happy for you I am. :)
Tussiemussies
7-28-12, 5:24pm
Congratulations Tradd!
I will think on this, but I'll tell you that in my experience, the people who are organized are organized, and the people who are not organized can't get that way and the latter really have all kinds of job performance issues in addition to "organization." They can't prioritize and cannot bring things to a finish. That's one thing I've found myself explaining to low performers: here's what "finished" looks like. Get there.
I've written up performance expectations like this one:
"You will clean out your middle drawer in December of each year (down time) keeping no paperwork that is more than 12 months old. You will report to me when that is finished."
yet, it's not done. how can it get any more clear? doh.
I also issue rather a lot of directives to all staff including good performers about how to organize electronic files. While I don't want to micromanage anyone's hard drive, my expectation is that I can sit down at anyone's computer and see a logical organizing principle in place there. They are responsible for that, and if they can't figure out how to organize their hard drive then *I* will lay out an organization scheme for them.
But key is having them dump files that are not current and useful.
Iris, yes, I've had to issue a few directives already, but I think the departmental manager and I are going to have to get rather explicit on organization. Especially with the new people who will be starting.
It is helpful to not assume that everyone knows how to set up a good filing system. I always wanted (and really needed) help especially for electonic files and getting new people started right with some written notes on good practices can get them going in the right direction at the beginning. So much easier than trying to fix messed up files. (Ask me how I know this.)
It is helpful to not assume that everyone knows how to set up a good filing system. I always wanted (and really needed) help especially for electonic files and getting new people started right with some written notes on good practices can get them going in the right direction at the beginning. So much easier than trying to fix messed up files. (Ask me how I know this.)
We definitely don't assume about the filing thing. We've actually got a system based on 1-31 days of the month. In a rolling file cart - or desk drawer - you put files under the specific date they need something done to them. We use colored Post It flags with notes written on them to indicate what needs to be done. We're not color coded. For example "docs" on a flag indicates I need to be looking for shipping documents that day or "$$" for a file on which the customer has to pay before we release the shipment. There are guidelines for when you put a file under a date: three days before vessel sailing for X, five days after vessel sailing for Y. Very industry specific. New people are trained on it, most have used it before, we find. I've actually written up guidelines.
Most in the department use it pretty well. The issue is more with closed files and in progress stuff - issues like people not doing their billing when they should be. Me, I generally do it as soon as I can print the customs documents and I have no more charges I'm waiting on. Some folks bill once a week, which contributes to stacks on their desk.
Also, we don't have very many electronic versions of documents. Info is either in our industry-specific software or it's on paper. There are a few things maintained as general references on public drives on the system, but what each person decides to keep on their own computer is very different.
It's definitely ironic, that as a minimalist, I ended up in an industry that BY LAW cannot throw stuff out for at least five years. And the fines for not keeping it are STEEP. You can keep information in digital form, but Customs has to sign off on it, and you have to make sure you have multiple backups. As this point, most brokers decide it's just easier to still do paper.
We're into this work/thinking style at my job. 4 basic types . three of us are concrete sequential, boss is abstract random so the way we do things and learn things can be quite different but both valid. Perhaps you all can do this test and see how you all work. It would be very difficult to impose structured sequential order on an abstract random person. Knowing this can give you a lot of insight into the personnel. I'm thrilled because I could never "get" why I couldn't understand my boss' directions and she is now happier to know why as well. I'm a smart enough person just a different kind of person from her!
You can keep information in digital form, but Customs has to sign off on it, and you have to make sure you have multiple backups. As this point, most brokers decide it's just easier to still do paper.
Sounds like you've made some real progress, Tradd!
Curious -- is there only one copy of each paper form? Not poking at you for an appropriate solution (besides, digitizing everything is not a trivial effort). But if the forms/data are that critical, what protection do you use against natural disasters or theft? Just curious more than anything else.
A couple of thoughts from my old workplace:
- Every year, we had a day designated for cleaning up cubes and meeting rooms. Paper and electronic files were reviewed in accordance with company data-retention rules and either stored properly or recycled (or placed in locked trash receptacles if it was company-confidential or -proprietary). Gaylord boxes on each floor were available for surplus equipment, office supplies, trays from the cafeteria, whatever. People were not supposed to schedule any meetings or other major preoccupations for that day. In more flush times, the company even provided coffee carts in the various workplaces. They eventually split the day into one half-day for paper and one half-day for electronic files, but the idea remains the same. It helped even the less-organized to know that they didn't have to do anything that day but clean up. It also was an ideal time to introduce new rules about where things were kept.
- Our Security staff maintained a wall of files -- government regulations, requests for deviations from company policies, etc. Everyone used the same bank of files, and files were expected to be removed and returned to the one place. Tags indicating that a file was out (and who had it) stood in for each removed file. No questions about where a file was when someone was out sick or on vacation.
- As IT, we were far more electronic than paper. There were LAN shares and document databases where things were supposed to be stored (i.e., not on local hard drives). LAN shares and document databases were backed up daily; employee hard drives were not. Again, this gets back to the "one copy" issue -- even though a given file typically may have been worked on by the same person each time, the ability to have someone else (you, auditor, etc.) come in and find the latest info in a file was important, and this served that well.
Good luck moving your team forward!
Steve, I'll just use the most basic entry document, the CF 7501/Entry Summary. In each file, there are several packets of documents put together in a certain order - Entry Summary/7501, Entry short-form/3461, commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading. There is one with the signed originals, including commercial invoice/packing list with original ink notations (tariff number, etc.). Then a second one with copies of everything in original entry packet. This extra packet is if Customs requires the entry packet to be sent to them (most entries go paperless, though), then there still is a set in the file. But we can always go into our system to print out the 7501/Entry Summary.
I'll have to consider some of what was done at your previous office and see if we could adapt any.
mschrisgo2
7-30-12, 12:38am
I've also been working in an industry where paper files are required by law to be kept- Forever!
They contain many irreplaceable documents. We are required to re-file them in the fire resistant, locking file cabinets at the end of each work shift. Leaving files out (any where) would be grounds for immediate dismissal.
However, the issue of electronic documents is not as easy to deal with. Some people seem to naturally do a really good job of organizing while a case is in progress, checking that final paper copies were made, and then deleting from the hard drives when done. And then there are the not-naturally-organized people, who never delete anything and spend untold amounts of time searching and/or reacquiring documents. (these are the same people who are complaining that their computers are running too slow!) Guidelines are being developed and training will be done, mostly, in this case, sharing and codifying what is working, and requiring everyone to now use the same system.
And then there are the not-naturally-organized people, who never delete anything and spend untold amounts of time searching and/or reacquiring documents. (these are the same people who are complaining that their computers are running too slow!)
That is one benefit of going through the pain of setting up and maintaining an electronic version-control system. If someone checks out a file to update it and fails to check it back in, the next person to request that file will be informed that they cannot update the file (no synchronization issues) and that Joe or Jane Employee already has it checked out. That can get a little messy when Joe or Jane is no longer with the organization, but it sure beats rooting around a bunch of hard drives for the most up to date document. Every system is different, though, and what works in one industry will be less than optimal for another.
... but it sure beats rooting around a bunch of hard drives for the most up to date document.....
yep, that's my nightmare. About 20 years ago I had that experience, the experience of an employee who flitted around from PC to PC, updating her document files each time. After she left (abruptly, and oddly--but that's another story) I had to follow her around to find the latest and best versions of her documents. Never again. From that experience I formulated The Rules for document preservation.
Fortunately, we are not document centric and most things produced by staff here do not need updating or preservation.
Yet, I am always surprised by staff who just don't get that not everyone can have the electronic file on their hard drive, update it at will, and never synch their versions with one another. doh.
We're into this work/thinking style at my job. 4 basic types . three of us are concrete sequential, boss is abstract random so the way we do things and learn things can be quite different but both valid. Perhaps you all can do this test and see how you all work. It would be very difficult to impose structured sequential order on an abstract random person. Knowing this can give you a lot of insight into the personnel. I'm thrilled because I could never "get" why I couldn't understand my boss' directions and she is now happier to know why as well. I'm a smart enough person just a different kind of person from her!
What's the assessment used to deterimne & define these types?
UPDATE:
My two coworkers with the most disorganized desks have been talked to this week, as a direct result of issues resulting from their disorganization (billing not being sent out to customers, important documents AWOL). The woman who was borderline is getting better.
J, the woman who had the issue of sleeping at her desk, among other issues, such as refusing work, comes back on Monday from being off since the 4th of July for back issues. It was a pinched nerve. She had some sort of surgery that relieved the nerve. She was walking pain free the next day, she said. She will be on half days for a while, not sure quite how long. She will take back three small customers that I had given her and then had to cover while she was out, as well as a customer of hers I was covering.
Two new girls begin 8/20 and 8/22. One of them will be trained on a very large customer I handle. She has loads of transportation experience, but no brokerage experience. Since the customer is so complicated, I'm going to train her first on just the transportation side, while I handle the brokerage side. That alone will relieve a lot of the load on me, although it won't be totally gone, although I will still be spending a good bit of time training her.
Things with this large customer have slowed down a bit (standard this time of year), so I've been able to spend significantly more time on the new position responsibilities. I spent much of this afternoon writing letters to Customs, petitioning for relief on fines due to a weird situation that was not our fault.
I'm really enjoying the stuff with new position, although I'm not yet fully doing it. I pay very close attention to detail, which is very necessary. I range between anal and paranoid about getting duties paid (SIGNIFICANT fines if not paid within 10 days after Customs releases a shipment). Lots of varied stuff. I'm learning so much at once that my head is swimming, but lotsa and lotsa notes. :)
Customs work does seem to involve some of the most bureaucratic and difficult governmental requirements to follow.
I'm curious - seems like having things computerized these past many years would have made it easier, so are most forms digital or is there still lots of actual paperwork?
And is the whole thing moving towards complete digitization at some point?
Customs work does seem to involve some of the most bureaucratic and difficult governmental requirements to follow.
I'm curious - seems like having things computerized these past many years would have made it easier, so are most forms digital or is there still lots of actual paperwork?
And is the whole thing moving towards complete digitization at some point?
Filing the customs entries is for the most part electronic. Most of the entries I do go "paperless" - aka no documents need to be sent down to customs. However, depending on what is being imported, significant amounts of documents might need to go down to customs. EPA and FDA can be HUGE headaches! The copious amounts of paper required are incredible!
Part of the issue about going totally electronic isn't necessarily Customs, but the OGA (Other Government Agencies) - FDA, EPA, USDA, FCC, DOT, ATF. Those agencies often require huge amounts of paperwork. You have to send something down to customs via the courier who makes the rounds of the brokers, freight forwarders, airport cargo handlers, and customs. You get it back actually signed off.
Customs is actually in the midst of a public opinion gathering phase (lots of webinars and such) on "The Role of the Broker" as part of a revision of the import regs dealing with customs brokers. Modernizing regs to fit our current business environment is part of the discussions, but reading the regs is kind of funny - half in paper era, half in electronic era. Can't make up its mind!
You might also find this interesting:
http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/trade_transformation/external_trade_trans.ctt/external_trade_trans.pdf
This is a picture of my catalog rack with reference materials for brokers exam. It's a 12" rack, holding close to 5500 pages or so. First part, untabbed, is my new import regs book (2000 pages), untabbed since I'd just gotten it. The last little section is my text book, but the large portion in the middle is the tariff book (3000 pages). This will sit on my desk once I pass the exam in October. We have online versions mostly now, but you still have to have paper copies in the office. Some of the legal notes are missing in the online versions. The entire monster gets hauled into the exam with me! It weighs about 35 pounds.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-gqrlc9lUix8/UCR96ZkUs6I/AAAAAAAAFcE/HIkT_CY0ifA/s640/406206_429320350454292_536228165_n.jpg
Thanks, Tradd. My job has something to do with records management in an indirect way, so the record nerd in me is fascinated to see what your position entails.
Thanks, Tradd. My job has something to do with records management in an indirect way, so the record nerd in me is fascinated to see what your position entails.
Hee! :) I told our GM that I love getting paid to organize and his eyes just crossed!
Simpler at Fifty
8-11-12, 12:34pm
For the very unorganized people, have you thought of hiring a professional organizer? They are 'professional' and would understand the confidential nature of your business. Having someone that is an organizer help these people versus someone who is organized in the office might be the best thing.
I 'get' you Tradd because we share some of the same straights with getting things done and doing them right. But I know I intimidate some people and when I have tried to 'help' them, it did not work.
For the very unorganized people, have you thought of hiring a professional organizer? They are 'professional' and would understand the confidential nature of your business. Having someone that is an organizer help these people versus someone who is organized in the office might be the best thing.
I 'get' you Tradd because we share some of the same straights with getting things done and doing them right. But I know I intimidate some people and when I have tried to 'help' them, it did not work.
Simpler, I know I haven't, not sure about our departmental manager. I'll see about suggesting it, but I'm not sure the company would want to spend the money. Money I consider VERY well spent is the excellent temp we've had for about six-eight weeks. She does admin stuff. I LOVE having her to do the filing. :) I hate filing myself, and have little time for it.
I also know I intimidate some people. The thing is, I'm VERY good at what I do, and well, people are either threatened by it or think I'm showing off. One girl (whom I get along with very well) told me months ago to "Stop making the rest of us look bad." She considered my handling all my customers on both transportation AND customs side (within six weeks of my learning the customs side) and successfully handling a large volume of work to be making the rest of them look bad, because I adapted to the changes well. When I told my manager this recently, she said "You ARE making them look bad, but that's not your fault." Combine learning quickly, being very hands on, strong attention to detail while able to work quickly and efficiently, and computer skills that have the rest of the department coming to me first instead of IT - well, that intimidates without me even trying and threatens some people, too. I'm the first choice to train new people, my manager has told me. I'm not going to apologize to anyone for being very good at what I do. One girl who had been a manager and supervisor in previous jobs was upset that I was promoted to the customs compliance position. Thing is, it's not like we were competing for the position. She has no knowledge of the customs side, not going for her brokers license, totally befuddled by things you have to pay attention to. I think she was jealous of me having some authority, like she used to. Our manager has told me the future lead positions are open to whoever takes charge, etc. You think she would be taking charge and be something of a leader. Nope.
One thing I've noticed is that the majority of those of us who are at least somewhat organized consistently produce higher quality work and more of it.
One of the customers I'd been handling for five years was totally transitioned over to the 2nd most disorganized person some months back - she had already been doing the customs side. This customer requires a shipment tracking spreadsheet on Tuesday & Thursday. It was always sent unless we had major technical issues. Woman handling it now has major issues getting it out on the days required. Sometimes it only gets out once a week. I babysat her on the account for several months because she was new to the transportation side, being copied on every email, but I finally had to step back and let her go it on her own. We may eventually lose the account, since things are getting worse, not better. But that's the departmental manager's problem. I trained this woman very thoroughly and I gave her all my short-cuts and streamlined ways of doing things, when I was training her. She refuses to use ANY of them.
For the one who is the worst case, I've helped in a few ways. Found an extra file rack to hang on her cube wall to help get stuff off her desktop. I suggested that she needed to get some stuff off her desktop, which she agreed with. Helps a little. Her overhead bin was a jumbled mess of reference materials, UPS/Fedex envelopes, and so on. I told her I was going to get something to help her organize it, found a standing file rack I'd recently taken out of MY overhead, and put her stuff in it. She loves it and is keeping it up. The manager is helping these folks more with the process, and I'm putting my oar in occasionally about the tools. I have an ability for mentally matching up items with who needs them and I can often pull what we need out of spares in the supply room.
I don't have much pressure from above to stay organized at work, but I know it hurts me not to be. I LOVE this:
"You will clean out your middle drawer in December of each year (down time) keeping no paperwork that is more than 12 months old. You will report to me when that is finished."
But I need to do it, like, once a month! So I'm printing this out stat and reporting to myself when it's done! ;)
I don't have much pressure from above to stay organized at work, but I know it hurts me not to be. I LOVE this:
"You will clean out your middle drawer in December of each year (down time) keeping no paperwork that is more than 12 months old. You will report to me when that is finished."
But I need to do it, like, once a month! So I'm printing this out stat and reporting to myself when it's done! ;)
:)
J, the woman who likes to sleep on the job, is working half days this week. Goes to her doc on Friday to get clearance to come back full days. She is most certainly a handful. She seemed to be happy to be back, even making that comment to several of us, but yet she certainly doesn't want to seem to work. Before she came in on Monday, I put on her desk the files for her customers I had been handling (including the few of mine she had only been handling briefly before she was back for one week before 4th of July). Overseas wanted answer on something today, I added J into email, and told them J was back and handling X company again. It was something very simple, but she asked me why I wasn't handling it. I reminded her she handled X company now and also told her the rest of us have been working long hours this summer, including covering her customers while she was out. She scowled at me and muttered something under her breath and turned back to her computer. Gee, this should be fun (not!).
Our manager is on vacation the rest of the week and she's made it clear to the department that I'm in charge in her absence.
I've become convinced this week that there are only two words to describe J: "lost cause." She was just working mornings this week until she went to the doctor today for a follow-up.
The phone has been ringing off the hook this week (which is kind of unusual). It rings into the department the person on the phone chooses from the menu options, and then someone, anyone, has to pick it up before it rings more than three times. The problem is that J couldn't be bothered to pick up the phone at all. You can hear who picks up each call, so it's easy enough to tell if anyone isn't picking up the phone at all. Manager talked to J earlier in the week about it at my mentioning it to manager. Manager's office is around the corner, so she doesn't observe what happens on the floor. J still wasn't helping out with answering the phone, so I quietly asked her to please help out answering the phone. She gave me a "WTF?" look, so I calmly repeated myself and walked away. The look on her face was really interesting. She's also tried to pass the buck on customers of mine she now handles and give them back to me. I calmly, but firmly told her, "You handle companies X, Y, and Z now." To say she ain't happy is an understatement. All she has now are very simple customers, who have another broker do their customs clearances, not us. The couple of customers she still had that we do customs on were taken away from her while she was off for six weeks. This is the result of her refusing to learn brokerage.
It's also rather interesting that J who was always pretty neat in her workspace, although she does have a lot of personal items, has turned into a slob (although she doesn't really have that many files). A customer, whom I used to handle, called this afternoon looking for documents J should have sent her. I had to search her desk for the file, through stuff strewn all over the surface of her desk.
What's finally happened, as I suspected it would: I'm the de facto import supervisor (at least until they get the "lead" thing figured out). Everyone from our GM, to our manager, to other departmental managers, are treating me as such and coming to me on stuff that is not Customs Compliance related. And that's aside from the folks within the department.
On a very positive note - our US CEO (based out of my office) and regional GM went to visit a local customer, who is very long term with us. I don't handle this customer, but had contact with them about their customs bond that needed to be increased, if they weren't going to be stopped importing by US Customs because of an insufficient bond. The fellow I'd be dealing with at the customer said some extremely complementary things about me to CEO and GM. I was just doing my job, although I tend to be very proactive when at all possible. :)
SteveinMN
8-18-12, 12:08pm
Tradd, your description of J almost seems like there may be a medical/biological component to her poor performance. You, as a lead, and your manager really cannot ask about that, but (generic) you can comment that (generic) you have noticed a fall off even from previous performance and offer a list of possible resources (company medical insurance, HR department, whatever; our workplace had an Employee Assistance Program, but we were a much larger organization) which J can use confidentially to address issues relating to her inadequate performance.
You can also suggest that J's current job does not appear to be a good fit for her and offer whatever resources you can from the perspective of career development or other positions within the company (I know I've read her backstory, but I'm not completely up on the details). It sounds like you've done a fine job of clearly articulating the expectations you have for J, but this kind of performance issue becomes very delicate very quickly (as I'm sure you're aware).
Steve, there is no other place for J to go in the company. She's doing the simplest workload possible - the customers whose transportation we handle, and she emails the few documents to the customer's broker, since we don't handle the brokerage. She refused to learn the brokerage part, beginning more than six months ago when we actually begun to be trained. When it was even being first talked about, late last summer, due to our merger, she was even saying then she wouldn't learn it.
I've come to the theory that J wasn't let go because her not being there would have been even more of a burden on the rest of us then there already is. She at least does the small customers.
iris lily
8-18-12, 12:47pm
It doesn't matter if J is happy or not, as you well know. When you assign to her work that is reasonable and have reasonable expectations that she complete it on time and accurately, it do not matter whether she likeee that.:D Tough T.
It's likely that she is on her way out. These things are often more long and drawn out than they should be with prolonged "pain" (ie inefficiency and work chaos) and after a while, management learns the signs of an employee going south and they stop coddling. It is healthier for all.
Simpler at Fifty
8-18-12, 12:52pm
"I reminded her she handled X company now and also told her the rest of us have been working long hours this summer, including covering her customers while she was out. She scowled at me and muttered something under her breath and turned back to her computer. Gee, this should be fun (not!)."
I wouldn't have said that Tradd. She knows you all worked hard while she was out. I would have been put off by that comment.
It doesn't matter if J is happy or not, as you well know. When you assign to her work that is reasonable and have reasonable expectations that she complete it on time and accurately, it do not matter whether she likeee that.:D Tough T.
It's likely that she is on her way out. These things are often more long and drawn out than they should be with prolonged "pain" (ie inefficiency and work chaos) and after a while, management learns the signs of an employee going south and they stop coddling. It is healthier for all.
Yeppers! She's ain't happy, but frankly, that's not my problem. She's brought these problems on herself by being so uncooperative. At least the complaining she used to do has stopped for the time being.
"I reminded her she handled X company now and also told her the rest of us have been working long hours this summer, including covering her customers while she was out. She scowled at me and muttered something under her breath and turned back to her computer. Gee, this should be fun (not!)."
I wouldn't have said that Tradd. She knows you all worked hard while she was out. I would have been put off by that comment.
Simpler, if she doesn't want to work, then she shouldn't have bothered to come back after being off for her back. She's there to work. She's attempting to get me to do work that was assigned to her. No go. It was assigned to her and she will do it. Tough if she doesn't like it. We've already compromised with her on way more than other companies would. She's in the place she's in due to her own attitude and actions. If she doesn't want to do the work within in her skill set and what she's made clear is the only work she will do, well, she knows where the door is.
The look on her face when she found out I'm now the compliance person was priceless. There were changes while she was gone for six weeks or so.
Frankly, the way things are going I'm actually GLAD she didn't want to learn brokerage. Training/remedial training fall under my job description and will be on my head once I've got my license and am the supervising broker. The way she is now, I wouldn't trust her to NOT do something as complicated as an entry properly. She'd have rejections left and right on entries, and these show in Custom's system. Too many and they're a black mark, and can trigger a customs audit. No, thank you!
We've already compromised with her on way more than other companies would. She's in the place she's in due to her own attitude and actions. If she doesn't want to do the work within in her skill set and what she's made clear is the only work she will do, well, she knows where the door is.
Tradd, is there anyone responsible for HR/personnel type functions at your workplace? If such a person exists, they should be in on this ASAP.
I still think J should be "invited" to review her very recent performance, with the suggestion that she promptly address any physical or psychological reasons for it (there's her bad back, but that's not what's behind this). If there are no internal sources of support and whoever runs HR in your organization cannot assist, J will be on her own to get help. But must be clear to J that if she fails to improve at work (even just her attitude) in the space of a couple of weeks, she will be put on corrective action.
FMLA is one thing; a rough patch in life (divorce, death of a child, etc.) is one thing; I know from personal experience that it can wreak havoc on an employee and his/her work team. But if J is not willing to do her job when she is there, then she's either being insubordinate or waiting you out. I would not wait for her to decide to leave. I would educate myself on the requirements of FMLA and any other considerations in her employment (union contract, etc.). Then I would tell J in very clear terms that her work is not up to par (relative to the rest of the team, with whom she presumably shares a title and job grade). I would clearly list performance targets and dates for achieving them, let J determine what (realistic) additional training or equipment she might need to achieve those targets, draw up a document stating all of this that both of you sign, and schedule periodic meetings at which her progress is discussed and documented. There also should be a stop-loss date -- if, by end-of-year/her next annual review/whatever, J has not met the benchmarks for that period, she's out. Period. And lawyer up. I suspect J will be very well versed in what she can and cannot get away with.
The trouble you may soon face, Tradd, is that your coworkers see the situation with J -- and suffer the effects of her not doing her job -- but don't see "management" doing much to truly fix it. A bad employee can drag down an entire team. It may hurt to get by without J, but right now the lesson is that, if you can develop a pretty tough hide, you don't have to work very d--n hard to keep a job on your team. J's doing it....
Steve, J did not take FMLA leave. I straight out asked my manager about it. J has been there so long she gets five weeks vacation, so she used up the vacation she had left (at least two weeks). I was surprised she didn't sign up for FMLA. She is on her husband's insurance, not ours.
Corporate HR director based in our office. I'm sure at this point she has been involved. Manager has talked to J on previous occasions, but what it has actually involved, I'm not privy to that info. Since there was even dozing off at her desk involved (I've actually woken her up), before she went was off for her back, there's got to have been *something.* For now, since the manager is on vacation for a few days, plus visiting a customer out of state, it's essentially up to me to keep on eye on J. Document, document, document. She sits right across the little aisle from me. I'm often up and down to printer, copier, fax, to help others when they ask, etc., so I get a good look at her very often without even trying. I'm an extremely observant person (I can correctly ID who is in the bathroom stall next to me just from their shoes) and little details that other people miss I often catch. J, after all this time, still doesn't seem to realize that.
Every member of the team has advised manager how dissatisfied they are with J situation. I've privately told manager enough of this BS and J needs to be fired. I was glad when I found out J wasn't on FMLA, because as I said to manager, it was a good thing no FMLA as that wouldn't interfere with getting rid of her.
I really wish I had more free rein to talk with J and really tell her like it is. I'm very no-nonsense. I shoot straight from the hip and tell it like it is. It means no one tries to mess with me. Recently someone in accounting had a bug up her butt about something and decided to go after the quietest, most shy member of my team, leaving her in tears when she went to our manager. Another manager told my manager that the accounting chick carefully picked her victim, because if that had been done to me, I would have chewed up the accounting girl and spit her out - or at the bare minimum, flailing her raw with the extreme sarcasm I am quite capable of, per other manager. I suspect this is why, when I've given J files to do, she doesn't argue with me.
I hold myself - and others - to high standards, but it's quite simple.
1. Show up to work on time. On time means your scheduled start time, not 5, 10, or 15 minutes later. Yes, there are bad weather/bad traffic days, but you're a responsible adult (or we hope you are), so that means you should add extra time if the weather is bad.
2. Do your work
3. Keep your desk in decent order, put away closed files, and keep your active files how they're supposed to so we can pick up where you left off if you're hit by a bus. Or if Customs comes looking for something.
4. Don't spend *too* much time chatting
5. Ask for help when you need it, rather than screwing something up so bad, fixing it takes forever
6. Pitch in to help when someone is on vacation, out sick, or totally swamped and you have time in your day to help. Don't sit there picking the lint out of your navel. If you're caught up, ask someone else if they need help. There is ALWAYS someone who needs help. Just because you're caught up, doesn't mean everyone else is.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.