I've been in my current role a few months and it's been quite challenging.

6 Comments

1. Tiana MumfordJune 24,2022 at 9:44PM UTC

   Good evening! It’s tough when it or if affects your work . Have you spoken to anyone else in leadership regarding the matter and feel nothing will change ? If so then it maybe time to consider looking again . I hope you get it worked out !

2. AnonymousJune 24,2022 at 11:08PM UTC

   Sorry to hear that...perhaps since there is more than one issue and if Human Resources or a supervisor can't help with them: it is indeed better to look elsewhere where you could check inquire or see if job descriptions have key words such as "work independently" or "takes initiative" with "little to no supervision". Nevertheless, good luck.

3. JenniferJune 25,2022 at 12:15AM UTC

   I'm sorry that things are so frustrating right now. I've been there, and it's absolutely maddening. It's not clear if you're looking for advice or just venting, but I'd hate for you to give up on a role that you enjoy. If you are looking for advice, I have a few questions,

   -Is your current job at the same company where you had an issue with your direct report? How long have you been in the role/at the company?

   -Can you be more specific about the boundaries you're referring to and how your coworker is violating them?

   -Is the coworker a peer/junior/superior? Do you report to the same manager?

4. AnonymousJune 25,2022 at 6:03AM UTC

   Thank you Jennifer. Here's the answer to your question.

   #1 - Same location, but different employer. I’ve been in the role since March 2022.

   #2 - I’m the head scheduler and this other person backs me up when I am out and for travel only. She “accidentally” handles the calendar outside of her duties. Tries to take over regardless of what she’s been told. There’s been about 3-4 situations (that I’ve caught).

   #3 - We’re the same level and have the same manager. They won’t do anything but make excuses for her. She’s been there awhile and they cater to her.

5. JenniferJuly 4,2022 at 8:12PM UTC

   Sorry for the late reply. Thank you for the clarification around what you meant by boundaries. Since the term "boundaries" gets thrown around for everything from inappropriate questions about sexuality/family to work-appropriate (but still uncomfortable) touching, allll the way to the absurd, like having a boundary about Kate eating oatmeal for lunch on Wednesdays. The spectrum from things that no one should have to tolerate EVER to things that are just a part of coexisting in a society with others.

   Your pest is intentionally circumventing your authority, which is clear since you spoke to her about it. Was she ever the head scheduler, or did she fill in between the last head and when you took the position? Are people reaching out to her directly, and she's scheduling them when they should be reaching out to you instead? Is she giving preferential scheduling to the people who reach out to her?

   Some suggestions:

   -Restrict her calendar access to read-only while she is not backing you up, and only grant her modification permission when appropriate. Most calendar/scheduling programs let you get pretty granular with user permissions.

   -Isolate Travel in a separate workflow so that you can further prevent her from EVER being able to access non-travel scheduling. This might look like having multiple calendars just overlaid on each other, with her only having access to the "travel" calendar.

   -Set up notifications for whenever a change is made to the schedule so you are at least immediately aware when she oversteps.

   -Even better, set up the scheduling/calendar software to require your permission for all schedule additions/modifications. Then you can prevent her from doing it all together.

   -When you become aware that she has scheduled something outside of her authority, send a friendly email to the person who reached out to her, letting them know that you were hired earlier this year, and they can reach out to with all of their scheduling needs. Be suuuuper careful with tone, keep it light, helpful and sincere. CC Your boss and your pest. For the people reaching out to her knowing they should be reaching out to you, an email like that is often enough to direct them back to the proper process. (They don't want you cc'ing their manager next time!)

   Honestly though, I don't like how your boss is handling this. It doesn't bode well for the kind of support and guidance that you'll get from him/her. If this is just a conflict-avoidance thing, you are probably free to be pretty direct with those around you about the issue and how things should be handled moving forward. If she is somehow protected/favored, it prob won't be worth the hassle. Best to just look elsewhere

6. AnonymousJuly 10,2022 at 8:27AM UTC

   Hi Jennifer.
   She was the lead scheduler but she's been out for a couple of years. Really questioning why they hired me, when the plan was for her to return. In my conversations with someone who used to work with her, she tries to take over like she's done here. Whenever I call her on something, she acts like she doesn't know anything about it or doesn't remember. I've started monitoring and documenting things I schedule. I have an interview for another job coming up.

   Thing is I don't want to run or quit, but it doesn't seem like things will level off. I don't want to feel like I have to fight to perform my job.

   Thank you for the input,