Adventures in dysfunctional management...

[graculus]

A suggestion to one of my managers:

You know, when one of your team tells you that they're stressed out and that they can't take on any more work, it's really not a good idea to send an email suggesting you and they get together so you can give them some ideas on how to manage their time better.

That kind of comment is only going to mean you end up with their diary inserted somewhere painful...

Comments

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

Am wondering where on the body you can insert a diary without it being painful... Although, I guess it depends on the size of the diary, and whether (like mine) it comes with vibrate mode.

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Pedant! :P

[innocent-lex.livejournal.com]

Well, actually, it comes from someone mentioning Ann Summers, and me discovering that Ann Summers is on the net, and... goodness, that whole vibrating diary thing just popped in there.

But otherwise, I suspect it would be painful. Very.

[fledge.livejournal.com]

That sounds very much like my ex-manager. My sympathies. Sock her one for me too ;)

[graculus.livejournal.com]

Our previous area manager would have had you into his office, made you a cup of tea and sympathised with you, while promising to see what he could do (all the while knowing he wasn't going to do anything). But at least he would have done it nicely! :P

See below for the ironies of Investors in People...

[sg1scribe.livejournal.com]

Over the past nine months, my boss has laid off approximately one-sixth of the company and reduced pay rises to a myth because the company isn't 'making much in the way of profit'. Yesterday his new Aston Martin Vanquish was delivered....

[graculus.livejournal.com]

I work for local government, so it's not that, though the ironic and derisory laughter that recently echoed around our department on the news that (after 3 years trying) they'd recently been awarded the Investors in People thing had to be heard to be believed...

[erika-sanely.livejournal.com]

When we tell our managers were under-staffed and way over-worked, and while you say we can do an extra 15 samples every 3 hours we really can't because hey! we like having a spare 3 minutes to have toilet breaks they say to us the magic words "Well, you just need to work smarter."

And then? When you suggest things that are smarter, and would make your life easier, they say the other special phrase. "No. That doesn't suit us(the management)."

I never want to be a manager - I couldn't handle the lobotomy.

[ruric.livejournal.com]

You know, when one of your team tells you that they're stressed out and that they can't take on any more work, it's really not a good idea to send an email suggesting you and they get together so you can give them some ideas on how to manage their time better.

Oh I dunno - one could always take over the session to hand out some advice on their people skills! *g*

And so there with you on the IiP baloney. It's all a load o ::censored::...