Need some work advice

[AllSeasons]

I’m in need of some advice related to the workplace. Person A and I report to the same boss and work closely on a major initiative. Person B reports to person A. Person A is not satisfied with the work of person B, so she asks me to help out person A. I do, but now person A feels that her opinion and work are not being valued. Person B has also confided in me that she’s not happy with the level of work that person A is doing, while person B has confided in me that she’s feeling bad that person A is not satisfied with her work. So I’m kind of stuck in the middle. Person A and I have a great working relationship, so sometimes I’m the intermediary between person A and person B.

For instance, person A wants something done differently for a project that person B is working on, so she talks to me instead of talking to person B. Now person B feels bad, because ideally, she should be getting that from person A, instead of me.

So, I’m trying to figure out how to best handle this. Also, person B has taken on the initiative and her team fairly recently, so I feel like they’re still feeling each other out, in terms of work styles, etc. As for me, I’ve only been working for this company for a few months.

Anyway, I should stop rambling. If you have any advice for me, please do share. Thank you in advance.

 

[LEMAITRE]

Person A needs to step up to the plate. PersonA is the Supervisor and with that comes responsibility to your staff. If your staff are not up to scratch and Person A’s efforts via using you as an intermediary is not working then it is up to Person A to inform and counsel Person B on his/her job performance. If Person B is not sure exactly what it is they are doing wrong then how can it be expected of Person B to change what they are doing? Person A the Supervisor needs to man up.

Sounds like they both trust you, maybe you could mediate a round table session to give them a push.

 

[1ke]

Redirect Person A immediately when s/he asks you to coach B and do not take on those responsibilities.

Suggest that B needs coaching directly from his/her immediate supervisor in order to have clear expectations and a clear chain of command.

Also let your boss know what is going on.

 

[1ke]

I would encourage you to read the book Crucial Conversations and to really practice the skills in this book. It will help you to become an excellent communicator and skilled negotiator, something that will get noticed in the workplace.

 

[Allegra]

Do your best to avoid conversations where one coworker is disparaging the other. Anything you say short of, “You mustn’t say that about so-and-so!” is going to be taken as agreement. What will end up happening is that when A and B get into it, one or both of them will evoke your name as one who is taking their side of the argument. I think there is probably an easy way to tell A that you don’t feel comfortable managing the work of B, seeing as B is A’s assistant and not yours.

 

[AllSeasons]

I would encourage you to read the book Crucial Conversations and to really practice the skills in this book. It will help you to become an excellent communicator and skilled negotiator, something that will get noticed in the workplace.

I’m reading “Difficult Conversations.” I definitely agree that being a good communicator is necessary for success in the corporate world.