I have recently made a political move at work, and I have no clue whether or not it was the right move. Dan and I both thought it through and, after coming to the conclusion that there was no way I wasn't going to make this move, we figured it with either be A Very Smart Move or A Very Bad Thing.
There are smart people that hang out here sometimes, so I'm asking for your opinions.
The background is essentially this: I'm a temp with Wells Fargo through the Adecco Temp Agency, and I've been working with WF for about five months. When I first started, I was treated really well because they absolutely needed a new person, and they needed someone like me that they could delegate responsibilities to. As temps have a one-year contract with WF, they are pretty much treated like FTE's when it comes to responsibilities and workload, but get the shaft in perks and bonuses (of course). When I came on, they acted like they had OMG never seen a temp like me before, and dumped a TON of stuff on me with little to no training. I stepped up, I did my damnedest to excel, and I think I've been pretty much a total asset to our department.
The department breaks down to one manager, two team leads, and about fifteen employees and temps. The manager (to this point) has LUVED me, and one of the leads has always acted like she really liked me. The other treats everyone the same - she's nice as long as you remember Your Place. Let's call her Dyan.
I befriended a coworker named Cathy almost right off the bat. She has a very subtle sense of humor and she's smart as hell. We became fast friends, and become a closer every day I'm there. Unfortunately, Dyan isn't very smart and she has no ability to think ahead. She's constantly putting out fires instead of preventing them, and she's barely competent as a lead. She was hired as the lead because she absolutely SHONE in the collections department, so essentially she's a bulldog with a very narrow world view. She gets stuff done, but never with very much forethought, and putting out fires makes her feel needed and important. Because Cathy runs circles around Dyan in the brains department (and our manager knows this and loves Cathy), Dyan is extremely intimidated by her. She's forever trying to make small, manipulative gestures to remind Cathy of Her Place and assert petty, micromanagement control. If she thinks Cathy has made her look bad in ANY way, Dyan will "punish" her in nearly-but-no-quite-insignificant ways. Once Dyan thinks the scales have tipped in her favor again, then she's super nice and very pleased with herself.
I feel bad for Cathy, but Cathy sort of lets it happen as this is just a job for her and she doesn't really have the motivation to fight and do anything about it.
However, at a recent meeting I unwittingly out-articulated and out-shone Dyan in front of our manager, Mike. It was totally unintentional, and I was simply stating how I think a little forethought could really be an asset to the department (mentioning specifics), and it appears that Dyan's 'intimidation warning bells' went off, and now she's out to put ME in My Place. So, to balance the scales, she made a bogus report to Adecco to get me in trouble and I received a phone call from my Adecco rep to give me a verbal warning and to tell me I needed to be more conscientious of how I 'use my time'.
At first, I was in shock. I do more for that department than pretty much anyone else I can think of, temp or FTE. I'm self-motivated and ambitious, and I'm the ONLY one that works on hour-long-letters that other FTE's put back in the pile cause they don't want to deal with them.
While Cathy may not have any fight in her, I recently figured out that I sure as hell do. The problem is, I recently went to bat for a fellow employee that was cornered in her cubicle, on display, and publicly dressed down for giving an unflattering but completely and entirely true opinion about the leads. (She essentially said there was a problem with receiving conflicting info from the leads, which has always been a problem.) I went to Mike about it, in a very tactful way, and told him that I don't know what the motive for cornering Martha was, and I don't judge the methods (I'm going to hell for lying), but the RESULT was that it made people within the department feel as though they cannot bring up potential problems or they will be punished with public humiliation for being honest and proactive.
He agreed and talked to his leads. I don't know if he spilled the info that it was me, but I think they suspect it was. After about a day or two of contrition, they started micromanaging again to assert SOME form of control over a department that runs despite them.
So, anyway, I decided to dispute the verbal reproof, and I wrote a letter to Adecco. The political move I made was by making a copy and fowarding it to Mike. I fear he may believe I'm a drama-queen or trouble-maker and be less likely to hire me. The problem is, once you go to bat for someone you WILL have subsequent problems that will require some action, and it's nearly impossible to prevent any retaliation.
So, for anyone who has stuck with me to this point, please read the letter in the following post and let me know if writing this letter to Adecco and giving a copy to my manager sounds like a reasonable move, or The Worst Mistake a Person Who Wants to Keep Their Job Can Do.
Thanks, guys.
[ May 20, 2004, 01:39 AM: Message edited by: Ralphie ]
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
The letter:
quote:May 18, 2004 Adecco Employment Services 1400 NE 48th Ave Ste 300 Hillsboro, OR 97124-5017
Dear Adecco Employment Services,
I’m an employee of Adecco, currently serving as a contract employee for the Wells Fargo Barnhardt Center branch. My direct manager is Michael -------, and my direct team leads are Dyan ----- and Valerie --- ----. I answer mail in the customer communications department, and write letters to customers as my primary task. In the five months that I have been a contract employee with Wells Fargo, I have been given greater responsibility with letters and mail, and I’ve been entrusted to handle some of the most complicated mail and problems within the department – payment disputes, account explanations, and sensitive letters to unhappy customers.
I recently received a message on my home answering machine requesting that I return a phone call to Adecco representative Kirsten. As I had recently had a small issue with a paycheck, I concluded that this was the reason for the phone call. I called Kirsten the next day from work, and I was surprised to discover that the purpose of her phone call was to administer a verbal reproof, reported by a team lead, as to how I was using my time at Wells Fargo. She had informed me that I was spending about half an hour a day when a fellow Wells Fargo employee started her shift to talk to her, and about half an hour a day around the time that my shift ended. She was very nice about it, and simply ended the reproof with “So, be conscious of it.”
I believe that this claim is entirely groundless. I also believe this reproof will more than likely go in my permanent file as an employee of Adecco, and worse may effect my ability to gain employment through Adecco in the future. Please use this letter as my written, formal contest against this verbal reproof.
Kirsten let me know that the time the fellow Wells Fargo employee “comes on to work” was around 10:00a. The only employee to begin her shift at this time is Catherine -------, the letter auditor of the department. All letters written by customer communications agents must go through Cathy, including any faxes that may be sent to customers. It is very common for most every agent in the department to approach Cathy, as they require her consent to send out all of their letters.
To add to this, Cathy is extremely helpful and approachable when it comes to potential problems an agent may have in writing a letter. Daily I consult with Cathy on some escalated problem, and there have been many occasions when she has assisted me in figuring out extremely complicated payment disputes that would otherwise take me twice as long. She does this at the cost to her own production, and I’m extremely grateful for all of her assistance. As this is the case, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to determine exactly what of our conversations would constitute as professional use of time, and what would be decidedly personal. I’m extremely skeptical that any log or record of our conversations has been, or could be, developed. I, myself, would have a very difficult time calculating exactly how I’ve allocated my time in conversations with most anyone in my department. As with most organic conversations, they are a peppering of both personal and business.
And to be perfectly frank, the blanket statement that I regularly spend 30 minutes each day in conversation of any sort with Cathy at the beginning of her shift is patently untrue. It is far more likely that I spend an extended amount of time at Cathy’s desk toward the end of the day when I am tackling the most difficult letters than first thing in the morning. I regularly approach her desk during the day to have letters approved (as is department procedure) and to consult with her on various professional matters, but I have yet to simply loiter at her desk, wrapped in mundane conversation for any unreasonable amount of time.
At times, there has been mention that when a question arises about correspondence sent by a customer that all agents within the department should go to the team leads for information. I have been coached in this, as has everyone within the department. I have, on more than one occasion, mentioned to my team leads that I hesitate to do so as they are usually far too busy to answer my queries. In many cases, I end up wasting time waiting for an acknowledgement, or it has been the case that the lead will quickly scan the letter and give me a quick, uninformed answer that I have later found out was not entirely accurate. We have also been told, as a group, that we can consult each other when we have questions because the team leads are so busy. When trying to determine the best course of action I have realized that, when the results of asking a fellow team member a question has garnered the wrong response, then this is the time I should have asked a team lead, and when asking a team lead is a nuisance, then this is the time I should have asked a fellow team member. Admittedly, this makes it at times confusing to know exactly whom the most appropriate person to consult for information is.
So, to make things easy, fast and accurate, I go to the most approachable and reliable source of information I know. I go to Cathy.
In the brief amount of time I have been in the customer communications department – a little over five months – I believe I have set an outstanding record as a contract employee. I have been given responsibilities quickly because I have proven myself a quick learn, capable, efficient and tenacious. I have thrown myself into thinking of different ways to stream-line procedures for our very young department, and I have put a lot of time and effort into making sure I am in compliance with all of our procedures. I believe I have been helpful to other employees, exhibited a very positive attitude and have been approachable and courteous. I make a point to participate in Connecting Daily, a fifteen minute ‘meeting’ that is held within all the departments of Wells Fargo, and can only be prevented from becoming lack-luster through such participation. I believe I stand out in this regard. If you question my reputation within the department, I think you will find all of this to be true.
I do not know why my teams leads, or lead, chose to take this matter directly to Adecco as oppose to approach me on the subject and remedy the issue swiftly through some small amount of communication. As I am officially employed with Adecco, and merely serving as a contract employee with Wells Fargo, I can see how it would not be entirely unreasonable to go to my official employer. Whatever the reason, I find the idea that I have been anything but a loyal, hard-working representative of Adecco to be offensive. If it is not possible to remove such a mark from my record with Adecco, I request that this protestation be put side-by-side with the reproof.
As this issue pertains to the customer communications department within Wells Fargo, I am also submitting a copy to my direct manager, Michael --------.
I thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Antonia Dodge
P.S. This letter is in no way an attempt to foster any ill will between Adecco and their client, Wells Fargo, or any team member within. I very much enjoy working for Wells Fargo, and specifically the customer communications department, and hope to be able to do so for as long as possible.
[ May 20, 2004, 01:44 AM: Message edited by: Ralphie ]
Posted by fallow (Member # 6268) on :
Ralphie,
Sounds like a hell of an expenditure of thought and energy on a temp job.
Revamping your cv would take like no effort compared to that kind of nonsense.
fallow
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
I think it was a good move. You defended yourself, which is always a good idea. The letter was very polite and made your case without appearing to be whiny or demeaning to the company that you temp for. Office politics always suck, but unfortunately sometimes we get pulled into them. The trick is coming out on top, which I think you've done.
space opera
Posted by Lara (Member # 132) on :
That's proactive. I think the people at the temp agency will think you're a little intense, but it never hurts to be cautious.
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
quote:I think the people at the temp agency will think you're a little intense...
Yeah, they most likely don't receive this kind of letter for every verbal warning dispensed.
Posted by Lara (Member # 132) on :
Maybe they'll think twice next time Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Yep, they'll be like, "Damn...this chick has totally been slacking off lately, but we're afraid to reprimand her because she might just climb on top of the building and start shooting. Or, deliver an 800 page letter explaining why she shouldn't be reprimanded."
hmm...funnier when I was thinking it in my head
space opera
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
flish - Well, I AM trying to get hired on.
And I'd much rather bore someone into making them do what I want than take a sniper to the top of a building. Cause guns kill people, and are viciously expensive.
Maybe a shiv.
Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
I don't think it was a stupid move. If anything it shows people that you are a) serious about your job b) knowledgable about your job c) articulate and d) ready to defend yourself if necessary.
All desirable qualities in an employee.
On an aside - good grief, a formal warning for personal conversations? If that happened at my work, home of the One Hour Morning Tea Break, I'd be the only one left working here!
Posted by fallow (Member # 6268) on :
Ralphie,
re: letter
The part about Frank and Cathy... who didn't see that coming?
see you at the water cooler,
fallow
Posted by LadyDove (Member # 3000) on :
Toni- I like the letter and would definitely send it in. The only thing I would change is to remove the quoted portions (I think it might be TMI and kind of makes Cathy look bad). Also, I would approach Michael directly and tell him that you’re sending him a copy of the letter. I’d also ask him if he has seen anything in your time management that could use improvement. IME, men are more obtuse than women when it comes to office politics, but I doubt that he will appreciate a valuable company asset being attacked.
quote:To add to this, Cathy is extremely helpful and approachable when it comes to potential problems an agent may have in writing a letter. Daily I consult with Cathy on some escalated problem, and there have been many occasions when she has assisted me in figuring out extremely complicated payment disputes that would otherwise take me twice as long. She does this at the cost to her own production, and I’m extremely grateful for all of her assistance. As this is the case, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to determine exactly what of our conversations would constitute as professional use of time, and what would be decidedly personal. I’m extremely skeptical that any log or record of our conversations has been, or could be, developed. I, myself, would have a very difficult time calculating exactly how I’ve allocated my time in conversations with most anyone in my department. As with most organic conversations, they are a peppering of both personal and business.
And to be perfectly frank
quote:, wrapped in mundane conversation for any unreasonable amount of time.
[ May 20, 2004, 02:54 AM: Message edited by: LadyDove ]
Posted by fallow (Member # 6268) on :
*tosses a cracker to the dove*
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Um, I could be wrong, LD, but I think Toni has already sent off the letter and copy.
Anyway, I agree 100% with imogen's post. Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I'll weigh in and agree it was a good idea. There's another possibility here - that Mike doesn't know this letter was sent and will be very annoyed with Dyan. If you want a permanant job with them, use this as an opportunity to bring up the subject with Mike.
Approach him once you know he's received the letter and tell him you normally wouldn't send such a letter for a temp job, but you're very interested in how you are perceived because you like the working environment and job very much. Then outright ask him for a time frame on conversion.
Dagonee
Posted by zgator (Member # 3833) on :
I think it was a good idea and you worded it well. And it went to the right people I think. We had a similar situation at my company and the employee who had been reprimanded responded by sending a similar letter, only she sent it to everyone in the department. She was in the right, but sending the letter to everyone was a bad move.
I also agree with Dag's recommendation.
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
I think the real question is, why would you want to work there permanently, Ralphie? You want to put up with that every day for the next how many years? I've got applications in to get out of my job now and my manager isn't that bad. (He raised his voice with me and I will not put up with that.)
You're a temp, you can get a contract somewhere else where you won't have to put up with micromanagers. Hold out, Ralphie. Working in this place would drive anyone nuts.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I don't know - on passive/aggressive person in an office is actually a pretty good ratio. It's hard to find a job where everyone is nice, even when you're the one doing the hiring.
Dagonee
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
True, but it's never fun when that person is your supervisor. They're hard to ignore when they decide they want you to do more of their work for them. It's still possible, just more difficult.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Yeah, but if she stays on and this letter is helpful, Ralphie will have the power. Bwahahahahahahahaha!
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
Dag, I like the way you think. Go Ralphie!
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Toni, I think that letter would make perfect sense were you a consultant or FTE. As a temp, I think you might have been better off keeping your head down; you don't really HAVE any reputation that needs defending.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I really like the letter, Ralphie -- and has been said by others, it does show how articulate you are, and how aware you are of the inner workings of the office structure.
Did you already send it? Because if you haven't my only problem with it (editorially) was this line:
quote:She had informed me that I was spending about half an hour a day when a fellow Wells Fargo employee started her shift to talk to her, and about half an hour a day around the time that my shift ended
I must have read that line 3 times, and finally outloud, to get the flow of what you were saying there. It just didn't seem phrased right.
I think it was a good idea - - but I'm that kind of person -- I like to try to right injustices, confront people when there are wrongs, and generally let my opinion be known.
And I think you had every right to defend yourself if that complaint was going into your employee file.
Farmgirl
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
You go girl. I admit I'll be exorbitantly curious until it works out. I've had to go around people in office politics here. I've thought about it judicously, and so far it has been ok. And the fact that you did protest shows how seriously you take this job.
AJ
Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
Toni,
Speaking as someone who has let things like this slide in the past (to my chagrin) you did exactly the right thing. If this hurts your standing with your management, you want to be elsewhere anyhow.
And no, I'm not blowing sunshine... esepcially if your assessment of yourself as an employee is remotely accurate, and I have no reason to believe it's not.
Posted by Troubadour (Member # 83) on :
The only other option is for you to just sit back and take it - in which case you'll be putting up with Dyan's s**t forever, everytime she feels threatened by your intelligence.
Which, less face it, is probably going to be all the time.
So yeah, fight back. Good work, like the letter.
Posted by saxon75 (Member # 4589) on :
I agree with most of the other people who've already spoken. If you let people poop on you once, they'll continue pooping on you whenever they have the opportunity. And the longer you let it go on, the harder it will be to stand up for yourself. If this ends up causing more problems than it solves, it will only have proved that this isn't the kind of workplace that you actually want to be a part of.
Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
Ralphie, there are some companies in which talent and brains and hard work are appreciated and rewarded and others in which those things are decidedly not an asset. It sounds like this place is right on the cusp.
You will want to work at the first type. The second type are all either in the process of going out of business (though it sometimes takes a while) or they are the government, or a government sponsored monopoly. In any event, it will suck out your soul if you work for such a company for too long.
I approve of your letter, because it accomplishes the task of 1) formally rebutting the formal complaint and 2) putting this person on notice that you aren't bullyable.
But don't forget that there are lots of companies in which this sort of thing doesn't happen to begin with. Usually smaller companies, and companies in which people stay so busy they don't have time to waste taking shots at each other.
Because I don't care for politics, I have always tried to deliver substance, and completely ignore stuff like this. If it gets too unpleasant, though, I am always happy to go somewhere else. Certain toxic people just make the whole atmosphere around them unpleasant. If they can't be trained or bullied to do better, or ignored, and if management won't see what's happening and deal with it, then the best thing is just to leave and go somewhere else.
The culture of a company always comes from the very highest levels of management. What it's like to work there comes from the very top. That's why a lot of times these things are not correctable by people at lower levels.
[ May 20, 2004, 11:11 AM: Message edited by: ak ]
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Hey, I think being politely outspoken about the important things is fine. It was a good move, Ralphie. Hopefully your letter ends up in the right hands. I guess there's a time to let bygones be bygones, but make sure you're the one who chooses when to let that happen.
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