This story relayed to the blog by a reader prior to 2012, with the promise of a future publication date.
Setting: I was a manager for a well known staffing and placement firm. I'd been hired into a dumpster fire - among my first duties were hiring an almost entirely new staff. Also among my first duties was to stop the bleeding- the location's largest client was diminishing rapidly, and was nearly 90% of the revenue.
Within 6 months, all hires were made and revenue had bottomed out and started rebounding. Of course, that meant I had been selling... a lot. Also, call me Red Pilled before the term had its current meaning, I managed to get into it with an HR Nazi... who was a subordinate. Here's how it went down:
One of the relatively new hires was as a "staffing specialist." We will give her the fictional name, Susan. She was good enough at her job - caught on quickly, etc. Not very sales minded, but didn't push too hard against new sales, so there was that. On the looks scale, she was a solid 7.5, and she knew it. Of course, she was liberal minded [editor's note - "Susan" attended anti-Trump inauguration protests... enough said].
I made a sale to yet another new client. The information and billing approval packet was sent in. Corporate always wanted certain information on all new clients, to make sure we were dealing with actual companies, etc. And then, out of the blue, there's an email chain from Susan to one of the approving managers, with my name cc'd:
Susan - I wanted to make you aware that this business is in a house.
Approving Manager - Yes, it's in the approval packet your manager submitted. The house is zoned commercial, owned by a commercial entity, and from the pictures, has been renovated to do business. There's no question it is not a dwelling.
Susan - Well, I just wanted you to know. We are not supposed to send temporary associates to someone's residence due to risks. So, even if approved, we may not be able to fill an order here.
Approving Manager - Whether you fill an order will be up to your manager. The place in question is perfectly acceptable, so the risks you mention are not present.
At this point, I return to the office after making several sales calls the day this email exchange started. This was prior to email being common on cell phones. I read the chain of emails. It's clear Susan wishes to undercut me to the approving manager. It's also clear it didn't work.
Me (to Susan only, not including the Approving Manager) via email - Susan, if you had issues with the place, then the correct procedure would have been to bring those issues to my attention. Furthermore, your tone could be interpreted as combative, of not downright insubordinate. You will refrain from emailing the Approval Manager or any other manager on this matter. If an order is placed, you will be expected to perform your assigned duties.
Susan was certainly upset, though she tried not to let it show. I thought that was the end of it. Until her 6 - month review. In fact, we went through her review, which was generally positive. She truly met or exceeded expectations in all categories. In fact, other than that one day, she had always been pleasant to work with. Not knowing anything beyond what's been written, it would appear to be a single shit-test, which was passed easily.
As with all reviews, once the supervisor has been through the categories and discussed performance in each, the employee is allowed general comments, questions, and concerns. At this point, Susan pardons herself, and comes back in with the District Manager (my boss, whose office happened to be located in our branch) in tow. She produced the email chain, printed out, giving copies to me and my boss.
Susan proceeds to have a near meltdown about that day, explaining how hard it was to work the rest of the day after being told she was being insubordinate. She also reiterated how passionate she was that this location was a residence, and not an actual place of business. And she wanted to know what the District Manager was going to do about it.
My reply was swift. I asked her to read the time my email was sent (4:56 pm). "Perhaps that did interfere with your ability to shut off your computer, gather your things, and walk to your car," I said. I then continued: "If you were so concerned about the location being a residence, you could have just stopped by and asked to take photographs. Surely the photos would have been enough evidence, one way or the other. And as for the claims of insubordinance, I just gave you a review of 'meets and occasionally exceeds expectations,' I'd prefer not to have to replace a solid Staffing Specialist, just because she had an email disagreement with the approval manager. I don't think he took your email as insubordinate, but he might have."
(Of course her email was insubordinate towards me, but by making it my "concern" that the insubordinance was directed toward the other manager, it took the focus off of me and put it on her. Classic reframing)
The District Manager agreed with each of my three points. Susan reiterated how emotional she had become that day, and the District Manager reiterated my point, again, that it was the end of the work day when she received it, and it couldn't have impeded her work very much.
I left the company not long after due to unrelated reasons (more money), but given your blog and it's attack on stupid stuff HR people do, I figured you'd like this one. Last I checked, "Susan" works in HR for a different entity. Terrorizing other men, no doubt.
Thank you, dear reader. Good story. One chock-full of good information.
Setting: I was a manager for a well known staffing and placement firm. I'd been hired into a dumpster fire - among my first duties were hiring an almost entirely new staff. Also among my first duties was to stop the bleeding- the location's largest client was diminishing rapidly, and was nearly 90% of the revenue.
Within 6 months, all hires were made and revenue had bottomed out and started rebounding. Of course, that meant I had been selling... a lot. Also, call me Red Pilled before the term had its current meaning, I managed to get into it with an HR Nazi... who was a subordinate. Here's how it went down:
One of the relatively new hires was as a "staffing specialist." We will give her the fictional name, Susan. She was good enough at her job - caught on quickly, etc. Not very sales minded, but didn't push too hard against new sales, so there was that. On the looks scale, she was a solid 7.5, and she knew it. Of course, she was liberal minded [editor's note - "Susan" attended anti-Trump inauguration protests... enough said].
I made a sale to yet another new client. The information and billing approval packet was sent in. Corporate always wanted certain information on all new clients, to make sure we were dealing with actual companies, etc. And then, out of the blue, there's an email chain from Susan to one of the approving managers, with my name cc'd:
Susan - I wanted to make you aware that this business is in a house.
Approving Manager - Yes, it's in the approval packet your manager submitted. The house is zoned commercial, owned by a commercial entity, and from the pictures, has been renovated to do business. There's no question it is not a dwelling.
Susan - Well, I just wanted you to know. We are not supposed to send temporary associates to someone's residence due to risks. So, even if approved, we may not be able to fill an order here.
Approving Manager - Whether you fill an order will be up to your manager. The place in question is perfectly acceptable, so the risks you mention are not present.
At this point, I return to the office after making several sales calls the day this email exchange started. This was prior to email being common on cell phones. I read the chain of emails. It's clear Susan wishes to undercut me to the approving manager. It's also clear it didn't work.
Me (to Susan only, not including the Approving Manager) via email - Susan, if you had issues with the place, then the correct procedure would have been to bring those issues to my attention. Furthermore, your tone could be interpreted as combative, of not downright insubordinate. You will refrain from emailing the Approval Manager or any other manager on this matter. If an order is placed, you will be expected to perform your assigned duties.
Susan was certainly upset, though she tried not to let it show. I thought that was the end of it. Until her 6 - month review. In fact, we went through her review, which was generally positive. She truly met or exceeded expectations in all categories. In fact, other than that one day, she had always been pleasant to work with. Not knowing anything beyond what's been written, it would appear to be a single shit-test, which was passed easily.
As with all reviews, once the supervisor has been through the categories and discussed performance in each, the employee is allowed general comments, questions, and concerns. At this point, Susan pardons herself, and comes back in with the District Manager (my boss, whose office happened to be located in our branch) in tow. She produced the email chain, printed out, giving copies to me and my boss.
Susan proceeds to have a near meltdown about that day, explaining how hard it was to work the rest of the day after being told she was being insubordinate. She also reiterated how passionate she was that this location was a residence, and not an actual place of business. And she wanted to know what the District Manager was going to do about it.
My reply was swift. I asked her to read the time my email was sent (4:56 pm). "Perhaps that did interfere with your ability to shut off your computer, gather your things, and walk to your car," I said. I then continued: "If you were so concerned about the location being a residence, you could have just stopped by and asked to take photographs. Surely the photos would have been enough evidence, one way or the other. And as for the claims of insubordinance, I just gave you a review of 'meets and occasionally exceeds expectations,' I'd prefer not to have to replace a solid Staffing Specialist, just because she had an email disagreement with the approval manager. I don't think he took your email as insubordinate, but he might have."
(Of course her email was insubordinate towards me, but by making it my "concern" that the insubordinance was directed toward the other manager, it took the focus off of me and put it on her. Classic reframing)
The District Manager agreed with each of my three points. Susan reiterated how emotional she had become that day, and the District Manager reiterated my point, again, that it was the end of the work day when she received it, and it couldn't have impeded her work very much.
I left the company not long after due to unrelated reasons (more money), but given your blog and it's attack on stupid stuff HR people do, I figured you'd like this one. Last I checked, "Susan" works in HR for a different entity. Terrorizing other men, no doubt.
Thank you, dear reader. Good story. One chock-full of good information.
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