Background
Ten years ago, you started working as a clerk for DMD Medical Supplies. Six months ago, Liz Jakowski, the human resources director, promoted you to office manager. You manage two employees: Jack Snyder and Ruth Disselkoen. Your office provides secretarial support for the four members of the executive team. Two years ago, Liz had assigned Jack to support Ralph Alane and Jessica Hilo. Ruth was assigned to Samuel Daley and Frank Daley. The work flow was equally balanced.
You’ve noticed that in the last three months Ruth has cut her breaks short to complete her work, complains of being tired, and at least twice a month requires overtime hours costing the company an additional $200 a month. In the last three weeks, Frank Daley has complained to you a few times about the poor quality of Ruth’s work.
On the other hand, over the last three months, Jack frequently seems to have little to do. He has begun coming in late a couple times a week and taking more than the allotted break times. What work he does have, however, is always professionally completed.
Clearly, you must investigate to determine what is causing this change and how to improve the situation. Since nothing has changed in the personal lives of either Jack or Ruth, you conclude you must focus on the in-office work situation. You learn the following facts:
Samuel and Frank Daley share a part-time administrative assistant who works only 15 hours a week.
Ralph Alane and Jessica Hilo share a full-time administrative assistant.
Jessica Hilo has been on medical leave for the last four months, and Liz Jakowski isn’t sure whether Jessica will be able to return to work.
Jessica’s duties have been temporarily reassigned to Ralph and Frank.
Although you don’t have the authority to change who Jack and Ruth are assigned to work for, you clearly need to change the work the two do so that both Jack and Ruth work regularly without requiring overtime.
My Response so far, please help
In the past three months, my department has been experiencing some issues we never had before.
I have notice the following:
-November Frank complained about Ruth work quality
-Ruth was taking shorter lunch breaks
-Ruth complain about being tired
-Jack coming to work later
-Jack taking longer allotted breaks
-Ruth requesting overtime hours
-Company paying extra $200.00 every month
Ruth report to me on many occasion that she is tired badly, and need extra hours to complete projects. I have asked Liz when Ms. Jessica Hilo will be returning and she said she isn’t sure whether Ms. Hilo will be returning. Regarding Jack tardiness, I have been observing him for weeks, and tardiness is against this company policies and regulations.
Following my observation I have come up with the following solutions.
They are as Follows:
-Meet with the Human Resources Manager, Ms. Liz Jakowski; Executive, Mr. Frank Daley; Executive, Mr. Samuel Daley; Executive, Ralph Alane to discuss the workload for both Ruth and Jack.
-Suggest to Ms. Jakowski the exchanging of Administrative Assistant. I would ask that Samuel and Frank Daley Part-time Administrative Assistant be transfer to Ralph & Jessica, while Ralph & Jessica Full-time Administrative Assistant be transfer to Samuel and Frank Daley. That would be only if Jessica work is shared 50/50 with both Ralph and Frank.
-I would suggest all Jessica work go to Ralph Alane only and not share with Frank Daley. Reason being, Ruth already has Frank and Samuel work on herself and adding half of Jessica work is over working her. With Ralph doing 100% of Jessica work and his own, the company can hire a Full-time Administrative Assistant and that will give Jack more work to keep him busy.
-I would give Jack a warning and make sure he know that his action has consequences. Those consequences start with suspension without pay for a period of one month to getting fired.
-Meet with Ruth and Jack to update them on their new work responsibilities.
- I would encourage Ruth to attend Time management workshop.
You are the manager: Is the workload balanced or not? If not, rectify that. If it is, then are the two working at comparable efficiencies? If not, find the cause and rectify that. I am not certain why you are going to other executivies to reassign work before you know workload balance, and individual productivity issues. Seems to me the office issues might be you.
Be sure you read through several of the Similar Questions below, especially the responses.
Your proposed solutions are a good start in addressing the issues within your department. However, before implementing any changes, it is important to gather more information to fully understand the situation. Here are a few steps you can take to investigate further:
1. Schedule individual meetings with Ruth and Jack separately to discuss their recent behaviors and any possible concerns or challenges they might be facing. Be sure to approach the conversations with empathy and understanding to create an open and supportive environment where they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns.
2. During the meetings, ask specific questions to gather more information. For Ruth, inquire about her workload, the reason for cutting her breaks short, and her concerns about feeling tired. For Jack, discuss his reasons for coming in late and taking longer breaks. Document their responses to have a better understanding of their perspectives.
3. Talk to other team members who work closely with Ruth and Jack to gather additional insights. Ask for their observations on their work habits and any issues they may have noticed.
4. Review the performance metrics for both Ruth and Jack over the past few months. Look for any patterns or trends that could provide additional information about their productivity levels.
5. Analyze the workload distribution within the department. Assess how the tasks and responsibilities are currently allocated and whether there are any imbalances or inefficiencies. This will help in determining how tasks can be reallocated to ensure a more equitable workload for both Ruth and Jack.
6. Determine if there are any training or development opportunities that could benefit Ruth and Jack. For example, if Ruth struggles with time management, suggesting a time management workshop could be helpful. For Jack, consider if there are any skills or areas for improvement that he could focus on to increase his productivity.
7. Once you have gathered all the necessary information, schedule a meeting with Liz Jakowski, the Human Resources Manager, and the relevant Executive team members to discuss the findings and propose potential solutions. This could include redistributing tasks and responsibilities, considering the reallocation of administrative assistants, or even hiring additional staff.
Remember to approach this investigation and subsequent actions with fairness and transparency, ensuring that any proposed changes take into consideration the well-being and career growth of your employees.