How About a Scenario for The Braintrust's Digestion

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Have a business case scenario for you to review and give your thoughts and solutions. The Department has several hundred projects to assign during the year.

Person A: Stated verbally and in writing to Person B they did not want to receive any additional projects.

A few days pass.

Person B: Receives a new work project from a Customer and assigns the project to Person C; this project is within Person C’s formally assigned area of responsibility. The work project is a requirement to re-accomplish a previously failed project performed by Person A.

Person C: Performs work project.

Person A: Writes Person B copying all Management asking why their project was assigned to Person C.

Person B: Responds reminding Person A they had specifically stated in writing and verbally they did not want to receive any more projects and this was a new project in Person C’s area of responsibility.

Person A: Responds to Person B and Management stating:

I found out you (Person B) reassigned my work to someone with less experience, different sex, different race, and different employment status. Person B do not involve me in your wrong doing.

Person A proceeds to send several separate emails copying management in several different departments stating they are going to elevate this action and they have written proof of their accusations.

Doubt it matters but Person A and Person C hold the same credentials, Person B holds higher level credentials.


How does this strike you? Legal ramifications? Avenues of resolution/discourse? What do you think Person A is claiming?

Have fun!

[Jeff Hail]

Not sure what the hierarchy structure is but..I am tempted to ask what type of business this is out of curiosity? Within the scope of the scenario my answers may differ slightly from say a production house, aerospace/ manufacturing, hospital, ranching, warehousing, grave digging etc.

Who does A report to? I assume not to B.
Does A have the authority to reject a new project without management approval and load level to B or others? What is A's delegation authority?
What is A's project load? Is it equal to others (B) or teams involved? Is A overloaded or top heavy?

If A has delegation authority and by doing so did not cause the train to stop or the wheels to fall off was any harm done to the company or customer? Was A just being a squeaky wheel at this time or have issues surfaced in the past?

A sending a broadcast email to everyone was out of line.

B was following instructions from A. B was managing then delegating. If it was out of step with the workflow process B needs to answer to why? It may not accomplish anything now but are clear responsibilities defined on who does what and when. If a structure exists for new projects why did the deviation take place?

A crossed the line with the " I found out, ...sex, race part". That was clear and open discrimination and grounds for termination in this day and age as the company now has exposure.

What wrong doing did B commit? Assigning to C who may have been assigned the project anyway?

A crossed the line again sending emails to multiple management folks that were accusatory. Should have been to direct manager only. Is A going through something outside of work that may be impacting the work side? Is a sit down discussion warranted with A. I would think so.

A appears to be an instigator but is hard to determine for sure based on the scenario given. Has this type of behavior happened before with A? I would review with HR for recommendation. If no HR review with key management/ owner if possible to consider all facts. A may need counseling or "training" in areas of discrimination and fair treatment. Management should have access to A's emails and should probably take a look if something is present that could cause harm to the company. In my experience a small issue that turns into a disruption is a good indicator a larger issue exist under the surface or good chance of.

B and C appear to work well together. Why does A not fit into this group without friction? Does A need to be foot printed elsewhere or shown the door? A has issues, communication and tact appear poor and affecting project health, others in the long term.

Taken into account the prior failed project by A why was it not owned by A the second time around? Shame, fear of failure, embarrassment? If it was a requirement that A finish what they start the manager/ owner above A has now failed or let it happen on purpose to prove a point. Possibly more to this than the scenario provides.

Is A now or in the past been banging B or C? Does any relationship in any of the three exist outside the work place?

[jyl]

Context is everything. Suppose this is a whorehouse and A B C are working girls?

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

"I found out you (Person B) reassigned my work !"

Person A notices this particular Customer project has been hers. She may have sensed this Customer would be high maintenance, which is why she declined other projects.

Originally Posted by jyl

Context is everything. Suppose this is a whorehouse and A B C are working girls?

I assume so, yes.

[LWJ]

You got yourself an EPL claim there...

[oldE]

Person A is a squeaky wheel. Squeaky wheels get (first) greased, (second) replaced.

Maybe I've been out of it too long, but if you come to me saying you do not want more work then complain to me I gave someone else work to fix your mistakes, we are going to come to an understanding and you might not like the outcome.

Best
Les

[masraum]

A sounds like a twat.

If I had to guess, the twat is/was concerned that their previous failure and the reassignment would impact them poorly so instead they've decided to make a big deal about it in an effort to redirect attention away from their previous or potentially ongoing failure.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Hail

Not sure what the hierarchy structure is but..I am tempted to ask what type of business this is out of curiosity? Within the scope of the scenario my answers may differ slightly from say a production house, aerospace/ manufacturing, hospital, ranching, warehousing, grave digging etc.

Who does A report to? I assume not to B.
Does A have the authority to reject a new project without management approval and load level to B or others? What is A's delegation authority?
What is A's project load? Is it equal to others (B) or teams involved? Is A overloaded or top heavy?

If A has delegation authority and by doing so did not cause the train to stop or the wheels to fall off was any harm done to the company or customer? Was A just being a squeaky wheel at this time or have issues surfaced in the past?

A sending a broadcast email to everyone was out of line.

B was following instructions from A. B was managing then delegating. If it was out of step with the workflow process B needs to answer to why? It may not accomplish anything now but are clear responsibilities defined on who does what and when. If a structure exists for new projects why did the deviation take place?

A crossed the line with the " I found out, ...sex, race part". That was clear and open discrimination and grounds for termination in this day and age as the company now has exposure.

What wrong doing did B commit? Assigning to C who may have been assigned the project anyway?

A crossed the line again sending emails to multiple management folks that were accusatory. Should have been to direct manager only. Is A going through something outside of work that may be impacting the work side? Is a sit down discussion warranted with A. I would think so.

A appears to be an instigator but is hard to determine for sure based on the scenario given. Has this type of behavior happened before with A? I would review with HR for recommendation. If no HR review with key management/ owner if possible to consider all facts. A may need counseling or "training" in areas of discrimination and fair treatment. Management should have access to A's emails and should probably take a look if something is present that could cause harm to the company. In my experience a small issue that turns into a disruption is a good indicator a larger issue exist under the surface or good chance of.

B and C appear to work well together. Why does A not fit into this group without friction? Does A need to be foot printed elsewhere or shown the door? A has issues, communication and tact appear poor and affecting project health, others in the long term.

Taken into account the prior failed project by A why was it not owned by A the second time around? Shame, fear of failure, embarrassment? If it was a requirement that A finish what they start the manager/ owner above A has now failed or let it happen on purpose to prove a point. Possibly more to this than the scenario provides.

Is A now or in the past been banging B or C? Does any relationship in any of the three exist outside the work place?

I'd say that pretty much covers it. If there really was mention of sex and ethnicity, then yes, I would think at the very least HR would come down on them like a ton of bricks, and at most, A would be canned.

[stomachmonkey]

This

Originally Posted by oldE

Person A is a squeaky wheel. Squeaky wheels get (first) greased, (second) replaced.

Maybe I've been out of it too long, but if you come to me saying you do not want more work then complain to me I gave someone else work to fix your mistakes, we are going to come to an understanding and you might not like the outcome.

Best
Les

Plus this

Originally Posted by masraum

A sounds like a twat.

If I had to guess, the twat is/was concerned that their previous failure and the reassignment would impact them poorly so instead they've decided to make a big deal about it in an effort to redirect attention away from their previous or potentially ongoing failure.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

Person A: Responds to Person B and Management stating:

I found out you (Person B) reassigned my work to someone with less experience, different sex, different race, and different employment status. Person B do not involve me in your wrong doing.

Person A proceeds to send several separate emails copying management in several different departments stating they are going to elevate this action and they have written proof of their accusations.

Person B should deal with the company legal department only from now.
This is more than a "hey, that was wrong". That mind cancer sounds terminal.
It's going to be a lawsuit.

Person B should ASAP organize their documentation with past performance records of Person A.
Also tread carefully with potential allies.
The chips will fall where they land.

Upper management will have to make any further decisions regarding Person A unfortunately.

[legion]

If I said I didn't want any new work, my boss would reply with: "So, when's your last day?"

Seems like person A wanted the right to pick & choose, and second-guess any decisions made.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

Let me address what can be:

Jeff:

Degreed, Certified Professionals pushing paperwork. A & C create and push paperwork, B reviews and approves, non-supervisory.

If A,B,C were working girls/boys (who am I to judge?) then the Customer should have the final choice in who they desire, no?

Let us say A has a specific history of complaints and accusations against co-workers.

Let us say there is more work to complete than can be accomplished with the current manpower.

Let us assume B is delegated the authority to assign work.

Shall we say the procedure for delegating assignments was followed and an overload of work can be rejected by any worker.

[mattdavis11]

Terminate the department. Then kill off the agency with sunset legislation, transferring the duties and functions to another.

[john70t]

Everybody loses.

https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/nightlife/2019/10/25/founders-brewing-detroit-taproom-closed/2453196001/
Founders Brewing closes Detroit taproom indefinitely amid racial discrimination lawsuit

"First and foremost, we apologize to our more than 600 employees – who work hard every day to make and serve some of the best beer in the world – for all of the negative attention," Stevens and Engbers said in the letter. "We have committed to work closely with them to make any changes to the company that need to be made to ensure a positive future. Those conversations are underway.

[Jim Richards]

Scenario 1: Person B fires Person A.

Scenario 2: Person B demotes Person A and assigns that person to work under Person C.

[unclebilly]

In the engineering team that I manage, Person A won’t be employed come Friday.

I was explaining this to my dad last night... as a manager of 15 people, I have 10 hours per week to work on my own projects and 30 hours per week for managing my team, which works out to 2 hours per subordinate. It sounds like person A is taking up significantly more than their 2 hours per week which would result in the other team members not getting the attention they need, the manager not getting their own work done, or the manager putting in a bunch of extra time to accomplish everything. At some point, regardless of how good Person A’s work it, the manager needs to cut out the cancer. It is hurting the team, it is hurting the company, and it is hurting the customers.

In Canada, we can fire without cause. You have to pay a small severance depending on position and time with the company. For engineers, this is 4 weeks per year with the company. It’s cheaper than legal action.

[Jeff Hail]

Originally Posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

Let me address what can be:

Jeff:

Degreed, Certified Professionals pushing paperwork. A & C create and push paperwork, B reviews and approves, non-supervisory.

If A,B,C were working girls/boys (who am I to judge?) then the Customer should have the final choice in who they desire, no?

Let us say A has a specific history of complaints and accusations against co-workers.

Let us say there is more work to complete than can be accomplished with the current manpower.

Let us assume B is delegated the authority to assign work.

Shall we say the procedure for delegating assignments was followed and an overload of work can be rejected by any worker.

I see root causes that are part of the problem outside of A, B, C. Without over thinking the scenario...

1) Taken into account the prior failed project by A why was it not owned by A the second time around? If it was a requirement that A finish what they start the manager/ owner above A has now failed. - I still focus on this as a weak link in process.

2) more work to complete than can be accomplished with the current manpower. Business owner is responsible for staffing. If workload is excessive morale suffers. This will show in the work quality. This directly generates attitude downstream. The business owner at the end of the day sets the tone. Where is the business owner in the scenario or department manager?

3) Customers choosing certain employees - I am ok with this if it is within the scope of the hierarchy and does not impact the individual employee requested negatively due to current workload. Its a compliment to the employees work product. On the flip side do customers ever request A to do the work? If no or never an area to ponder. If they are strippers or working folks customer always has the choice. (couldn't resist)

4) A is a problem and disruptive. Needs to be dealt with. The impact to the company as a whole is clear. Fair employer needs to determine if underlying issues with the company exist that are causing A to have these issues or is it isolated just to this individual? History of complaints and accusations. Are they ever justified or fiction? Need to consider A's value to the company. Is it unique or replaceable? Is A's impact on the bottom line positive or negative? I see A very close to the door.

5) Still have the discrimination issue to deal with. No business can afford to have this running around roaring and tolerate it. Beyond A its destructive to the business. If the business owner/ HR is doing nothing they are part of the problem.

6) B, C are not so much an issue that I see. B is part of checks/ balances. C expedites. If B,C's track record are sound and consistent as individual contributors as well as team players leave them alone. If they fall victim to A the business owner/ HR have failed.

7) Now my focus is on B. Does B delegate to A or C equally or is the work biased to one or the other? People complete work at different speeds. Lets assume speed is equal for A and C. Is the delegation equal or not?

8) Are these employees salaried (hourly) or on commission? #7 potentially comes into play here.