Q: A manager who works for me won't take breaks, lunch hours or vacations. I tell her to take time off, but she never does, so I sometimes pay her a bonus for the extra hours.
Although I keep asking her to delegate, she refuses to do so. I have hired people to help her, but she hates to let go of anything. I frequently find important work in her office that has not been completed. She often volunteers for new projects but never finishes them. She loves to socialize and constantly interrupts employees to talk about personal matters.
I don't want to let her go, because she is a very nice person, and training a replacement would take a long time.
A: You have a management employee who socializes too much, distracts employees with personal conversations, fails to finish projects, won't delegate and leaves important work undone.
In return for this disastrously poor performance, you have paid overtime bonuses and hired people to help her. You are rewarding the very behavior that you want to stop.
She may be ignoring everything you say because you've been wimping out on your management responsibilities. As a manager, you must clearly communicate job expectations to people who work for you. If they refuse to meet those expectations, you need to take steps to correct the situation.
Start thinking of yourself as the boss, then act like one. Tell this manager that you value her contributions, but she needs to take your requests seriously. Explain the problems created by her behavior, clearly describe the changes you expect and let her know what consequences will follow if she fails to improve. Then, if she continues to ignore you, take corrective action.
Because you have tolerated her slipshod performance for so long, she may not believe that you're serious. So you must follow through. If you don't, she will get the message that it's OK to continue on as before.
Q: I recently got a business administration degree, majoring in hospitality. After serving three internships, I've decided that I do not want to make hospitality my career. Therefore, my alma mater's placement office is of no use to me. I am planning to talk to some headhunters. Is that a good idea?
A: Before beginning your job search, you need to define your goals. What type of work does appeal to you? As a start, consider other industries in which your hospitality knowledge might add some value.
Don't give up on your college placement office too quickly. Because business administration is a very general degree, placement counselors should be able to help you explore possibilities other than hospitality.
Headhunters are recruiters paid by businesses to find candidates for vacant positions. They typically do not serve as career counselors for applicants, but they might be glad to take your resume if they work with entry-level jobs. That can't be your only job-seeking strategy, however, because most recruiters are inundated with resumes.
- Marie G. McIntyre is an Atlanta-based workplace coach. Her weekly column is syndicated by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Send questions at www.yourofficecoach.com.