New collection, where i ask the hivemind.
Suggestions for dealing with nasty grams from up and to the side of the hierarchical business chain?
That is: not my boss, not my boss's boss, but someone at the same level as my boss's boss, who seems to have a vendetta.
This keeps coming back, and is getting frustrating.
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Are they directed specifically at you?
ReplyDeleteStay professional but express your concerns with someone you trust who can look into it.
ReplyDeleteYep. Both to my face and to boss's boss.
ReplyDeleteDocument everything. If there is an HR contact that you feel comfortable talking to , forward the messages to them. He is creating a 'hostile work environment'
ReplyDeleteWhat the fuck? That's unprofessional as all hell.
ReplyDeleteDocument, document, document.
ReplyDeleteIs this over a particular issue or type of issue?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe I'm oversensitive.
ReplyDeleteI manage a software thing, pulling data is from a hundred data sources and getting it into our sql tables. There are always problems, largely as the data schemas are both erratic and inconsistent. That is, not only is each source different from each other, but for each time I get it.
As problems are discovered, I correct it and make sure it won't happen again. Maybe 90% I discover before they touch the production tables, 5% I or the team find and resolve before anyone else finds it. The other 5% is the problem. The error rate is lower now than its ever been.
This week, he found a fat thumb intervention. I fixed it, and modified the process to look for that style of fat thumb problem. I explained this.
I then get back "What checks and balances are you going to put in place to make sure this never happens again?"
If it was the first time he'd ask that, sure. The second, no problem. But, since I learned he tried to get me fired a few months back, hell no. Any respect due his position disappeared in a puff in that moment.
IIRC from previous discussions of this issue, is he the same guy who won't let you require the clients to send the info in a standardized manner?
ReplyDeleteMisha B Yup. We probalby don't have the leverage to require it of them. His clients give very nearly the worst files, with a couple of exceptionally terrible files at the end.
ReplyDeleteOh, man, I hate the "never happens again" thing. As a sysadmin, this is a red flag that the person in question is a manager who does not understand how computers work.
ReplyDeleteThere are techniques I learned in a "Crucial Conversations" course that could be useful here, but they require sitting down with the guy and assuming he's a rational person with the good of the organization in mind, and I'm not sure you're up for that (which is fine, really, he sounds like an asshat).
Yeah. We're not a technology company, and explaining that having a person between the computers necessitates errors doesn't go over so well.
ReplyDeleteI do wish I was better at self advocacy.
ReplyDeleteself advocacy is easier when you start with people you trust and respect. It's why I always try hard to get to know a new boss well and find things in comon, because if i have an issue, I want to feel comfortable discussing it with them. From there they can help set the ground work for a solution. It can sometimes be a misunderstanding of intentions, or sometimes there can be a problem, but having somebody to help you advocate, and facilitate a resolution can make sure everything stays professional.
ReplyDeleteHR chiming in. Document the fuck out of it. Keep telling your boss. Keep proof that his files are very nearly the worst of the worst. Even if, realistically he can't do it, offer a suggestion in the form of a standardized format he could ask his clients to use. Honestly, while some people bridle at standardized formats, others are like, "OMG, is THIS all I actually need to do? Fuck yeah!"
ReplyDeleteSo much documenting. CC your boss on all communications.
Boss's boss plays RPGs with his ten year old, and when last we talked complained of the difficulty of pathfinder and paladium.
ReplyDeleteI just sent along Dungeon World.
your bosses boss might be a decent person to talk to then. I would start by something along the lines of 'something has been bothering me and I feel like I can trust you to listen and give advice.' I would avoid asking them to solve your problems, but if you come to them as two people with a rapport they are more likely to offer solutions. I have done similiar things a few times and generally have been happy with the results.
ReplyDeleteMickey Schulz Thanks. I absolutely keep my boss all on communications. Him I trust. He knows the problems and issues, and we've both vented about the guy.
ReplyDeleteI'll probably do my usual: ignore it until I can't, then accidentally burn all the bridges and be unemployed for a month.
From the little you've said about the guy's communication, he sounds like a bully. Does you work have any policy about bullying?
ReplyDeleteBehind the blunt wording, his fundamental question ("What checks and balances are you going to put in place to make sure this never happens again?"), is a valid one.
Fortunately, this is actually a management question: What approach is the organisation taking to prevent and minimize the impact of these problems? and should be handled as such.
You've outlined the answer to how the organisation is handling this: "As problems are discovered, I correct it and make sure it won't happen again. Maybe 90% I discover before they touch the production tables, 5% I or the team find and resolve before anyone else finds it."
You've also stated the effectiveness of this strategy: "The error rate is lower now than its ever been."
I think your bosses' boss (who's at the guy's level) needs to point out to him.
Also, because you have a relationship with your bosses' boss, I'd suggest you get his advice on how you should handle these sorts of emails. I doubt he's happy someone is bullying one of his staff, and he'll most likely have some very good and specific guidance about what to do.
The next part of the game is a potential growth experience for you: working out where the bulk of the errors are coming from in the first place, and then coming up with ways to prevent so many of those appearing. You need to free up a bit of time to do that, but it is worth it in the long run, and your bosses will most likely back you doing this and take any heat that might occur from problems that slip through while you do.
Michael D Check and check. 8 months ago, I turned on a new system that made the process much more transparent and less error prone. Which I wrote.
ReplyDelete