Probably one of the best articles I have ever seen on FedSmith. Now, how do we address these issues?
NEPOTISM
PRODUCT SPECIALIST DSCP Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:41 AM
while its true that inexperienced managers, less than motivated managers and the "my way or the highway" type mangers create problems like turnover, morale problems and inneffieciency, i believe one of the largest problems especially within the government system is nepotism. high ranking managers calling in favors of others to place their inexperienced family members into key positions is undermining the entire system and creating attitudes within the workforce which are never going to be able to be repaired. i would like to see an article address this issue.
Re: NEPOTISM
Former Injury Comp Clerk DoD Thu Aug 9, 2007 6:01 PM
We have a similar problem here with senior military officers and NCO's retiring and floating straight into a high-GS Fed job. They bring their Army attitude with them, and can't seem to get their minds around the fact that there are people on this earth who are not soldiers. Forget about constructive criticism; the response is always "Hey guy, I was a Sergeant-Major!" I swear, if they thought they could get away with making us do pushups and stand at attention, they wouldn't hesitate.
We need to reinstate the 1-year cooling off period for these jokers.
Very Good Article
IT Expert DoD Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:51 AM
The most common aggravating thing I have seen is managers that angrily reprimand an employee for constructive criticism in a meeting, but would sit idly by and do nothing to an employee was not accomplishing anything or even doing his job - even if it bothered all the other employees in the department.
Re: Very Good Article
CLERK VA Wed Aug 29, 2007 2:20 PM
i second emotion this i have seen this go on for years of light duty, and the people who work get penalised when they say something.
When bad supervisors happen to good employees
Supv HR Specialist DoD Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:57 AM
I believe that most of us supervisors want and strive to do a good job, but sometimes the difficulty is not a lack of training or intestinal fortitude to deal with performance and conduct problems. Sometimes a good supervisor takes the initiative to correct a situation but doesn't get the support from his/her upchain. This lack of support leaves others with the impression, however incorrect, that the supervisor is bad. That perception is not easily corrected and most times it is simply ignored. The result is that the supervisor is branded as "bad" by peers and subordinates alike. I'd like to see an article about that dynamic, as well as one about what happens when bad employees happen to good supervisors. Many good supervisors have stepped back into non-supervisory roles because of these types of situations. What a loss that can be to the organization.
Bad is not the word!
Government worker DoD Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:02 AM
Good Write-up Steve!
I have been a federal employee for 33 years and I have had some great managers/supervisors in my time. Then I have had some that were just pains but I must admit even those were nothing nor can they hold a candle to the ones today. We are told to use the "CHAIN" but no one can seem to answer questions about whom do we go to if the "CHAIN" IS THE PROBLEM? I have asked for trainings directly connected to my function but I was told in writing that I was not allowed to have this advantage. I guess if you speak your mind and tell the truth about things in the Government you are blackballed from any advancement/promotion or information passing that allows you to gain in and maintain your duties. Some of us find out by mistake what is changing but months after the fact. Managers/Supervisors seem to be the ones from past non-productive jobs but were pushed up so the department would not have to deal with them. NOW THEY ARE SUPERVISORS of GOOD workers which destroy us!
Re: Bad is not the word!
Fed DoD Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:41 AM
Speak up or stand out--that's the ? that almost all feds confront when they have a bad-supvr situation. Do you speak up about it through avenues of redress (grievance, complaint, ULP, et al)? Or do you shut up and eat it?
My theory is, it's happening to you anyway, so you may as well speak up. If that supvr is gunning for you, you're not promotable anyway, so say something about it.
Having been through this more than once--and I'm an outstanding worker, BTW, w/awards and recognition to show for it until encountering these misfits--the greatest lesson I've learned is that there's more than 1 way to win.
I went through 1 appeal and lost--but got everything I asked for: that's a victory. I went through another and lost--but the bad supvr left: that's winning.
I've long since lost my promotability, but I now represent other workers, something I find very fulfilling and interesting--AND I also stay on top of my job. So virtue is its own reward, I guess.
Re: Bad is not the word!
WG worker DoD Thu Aug 9, 2007 10:59 AM
Fed- DoDE....I loved that comment about using the system to file a formal complaint. I watched as a military type that was my wife's supervisor do eveything he could to destroy my wife's career. When she finally stood up and went to the union, she was told that she might as well just put up with it till she could find a new job. As far as the union reps here at Mac Dill were concerned, they would always side with the employer.
Re: Bad is not the word!
Fed DoD Thu Aug 9, 2007 1:46 PM
DoD/WG--I'm sorry to hear about your wife's bad experience. But just as there are good/bad wkrs and supvrs, there are good and bad unions.
I hope your wife got through it OK, but I too learned that lesson the hard way. Things finally changed when I encountered union people who knew what they were doing and who cared. That so motivated me that I became a steward and, later on, an officer.
Most feds don't learn about their appeal rights and how to use them til it's too late, the problem has escalated--and then they don't know if their reps know what they're doing. Not knowing your wife's situation, I don't know what she could've done. But I do know that to fight the system, you have to go through and use that system--IF the aggrieved indeed has valid grounds for fighting.
I hope your wife has since landed on her feet, b/c I know how traumatic that experience can be.
Jealousy
Financial Analyst USDA Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:10 AM
I had a supervisor at the VA Medical Center who was so jealous of me that I became her main focus. She did everything in her power to destroy me and push me out the door. She could never find anything to "get me on," which really frustrated her. I loved my job and what I did, but eventually succumbed to her hostility and badgering by leaving. I was an outstanding employee, received multiple awards during my tenure at the VA, which initiated her jealousy. She was jealous of my appearance, my work ethic, my constant compliments by patients and hospital staff. She was nothing more than a cracked egg. She had outbursts of anger, using vulgarity and telling employees to "shut up and sit the "F" down." Because of HER, the VA lost a valuable employee...ME.
Re: Jealousy
Social Worker Department of Defense Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:46 AM
Right on! The only individuals who can stand up to the noxious female supervisors are female employees. In our politically correct work environment, a man will be blown out of the water, but you can file the hostile working conditions and the harassment charges, or the health and safety violations. Think of the other women coming behind you. Of course, it helps to do it during your last week on duty before you transfer out, right before you turn off the light switch in your office. That way you can avoid "Cruella's" predictable reprisals.
Re: Jealousy
Property Management Specialist USDA Thu Aug 9, 2007 10:06 AM
And we're glad to have you.
Praaise and Request to Reproduce
Employee Realtions Advisor US Forest Service Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:30 AM
Steve, after 37 years you have said it all, as I have worked for the worst and the best supervisors. I have always tried to model myself as a supervisor with the best because what made me feel good as an employee would certainly work for others. Even now after 37 years when I dont get treated with respect or have my questions answered I get those same raw feelings about my employment. In my job as an ER Advisor I would like permission to reproduce this article and the ones that will follow in this series to my supervisors and managers. Thanks
Great Article
Inspector TSA Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:33 AM
Thank you for the insight. You touched on things I have always felt were important. Having been on both sides, supervisor/manager and supervised/managed I have seen good and bad and have most likely fallen into those two categories myself! Can’t wait for more!
Bad Supervisors
Group Supervisor SSA Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:37 AM
The employees are not the only people who suffer from bad supervisors. The good supervisors also suffer. When a supervisor does the manage by walking about, or checks on his employees process he/she is more likely to see the immediate problems. But when the good super takes action for poor work products or other reasons it is out of step with the other supervisor and it is used against them in grievences/EEO. That's when the bad supervisor becomes the good supervisor in the eyes of the union and also the EEO. I have been through both where I know I did a good job because I always worked with my personnel to handle any problems. No matter where I have worked I have always come across this problem and have no way to solve it. I just continue to do my job and be labled a harrasser.
Half a system
Computer Support Spec. DA Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:55 AM
This is why the NSPS won't work the government created half a system. The half that is missing is employee input on their supervisor's preformance this includes first line supervisors input on their boss too. A company I worked for had a system for confidencial input about your boss at their review time. This two way system weeded out the slug bosses and employees over time and the pay pool was not spent on dead beats and their friends. Join a union and push for a whole system now and get the dead wood out of government now!
bad supervisors
tech usda Thu Aug 9, 2007 10:20 AM
Sometimes you have a good first line supervisor who gets no back up from his supervisor. you can have six great employees that work well with the supervisor, and the one trouble maker. then when the first line supervisor tries to crack down on the trouble maker he gets no back up, assistance or guidence from the higher ups. in fact they stonewall everything the first line supervisor is trying to do. AND, back up the problem employee. that is when you get the other employees leaving. why be loyal to a department that lacks backbone. In fact our supervisor transfered to a different state to get away from the problem employee.
Bad Supervision
AFSD TSA Thu Aug 9, 2007 10:45 AM
TSA is rampant with poor supervision thus the record high turnover rate. Senior Field Management (FSD's) are allowed to do whatever they want and the subordinates pay the price. No wonder the morale is so bad.
Lack of management training
Attorney-Advisor DoD Thu Aug 9, 2007 11:21 AM
I've worked and managed in the private, government and military sectors, and have too often seen bad managers and witnessed the undue stress they create.
One big problem is that the character traits for bad managers corresponding to the behaviors complained about in the cited survey (i.e., controlling, micromanagers, egotistical) make it difficult to train them. Effectively, bad managers often need to be trained to not be themselves -- no easy task. Ironically & unfortunately, controlling, egotistical, micromanagers are often the people who are most driven to be the boss so they can better control things and feed their egos. It is also a sad fact that if bad managers are perceived as being successful, the individuals they manage have little or no chance in changing the status quo. Solution? Require management training before starting and continuously survey employees anonymously to determine if managers need more training/counseling
Can't Wait!
LERS DOD Thu Aug 9, 2007 11:23 AM
For part 2! Great article. I have found in my 16 + years experience that training and "chain" support are the two most important factors in a good supervisor!
Gov't vs private sector
Attorney EEOC Thu Aug 9, 2007 11:29 AM
This was a great article, and should be must reading for all management personnel. After working for 20+ years in the private sector, I am amazed and often appalled at the way the "Peter Principle" is alive and well in the federal workplace. In private sector, such behavior leads to $ loss & is less tolerated. In gov't, higher-ups are well aware of the plummeting morale and lower work production being done. The solution seems to be to berate the manager, who berates the supervisor (who does her best to try to impose consequences on the one or two poor workers, but gets no support for doing so). Meanwhile, as the article states, good employees leave the workplace. In the five years I've been here, I've seen 6 attorneys, 8+ investigators and 2 supervisors leave the agency; while the manager whose incompetence fueled the exodus remains, all the while blaming her subordinates. As long as this behavior is tolerated - even rewarded! - by this agency, it will continue to lose talent.
Qualifications
HR Specialist DOJ Thu Aug 9, 2007 12:04 PM
Bad managers are also bad because they are lacking in technical knowhow on the functions they manage. I disagree with your contention that technical skills are not as important in the selection of a good manager. I know of many offices which are staffed with supervisors whose supervisory skills were emphasized over their technical skills during their selection. As a result, these supervisors are making commitments to customers which are technically not feasible, or worse -- in some cases, illegal -- and then ordering their staff members to make good on their commitments. Another big problem is that they can't accurately project the resources needed to handle the work because they've never done the work themselves. Nor do they know how to assess the training employees need to do their jobs.
The perpetuation of such an idea in articles such as yours actually keeps the government from hiring the people with the skills needed to get things done.
Re: Qualifications
Contract Specialist DOD - Navy Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:18 AM
I couldn't have said it better. I just don't get why it's okay to put someone in charge who knows nothing about the job. How can they NOT screw everything up? We got a new boss (GS13 Supervisory Contract Specialist) who knows NOTHING ABOUT CONTRACTING!! How can/does this happen? Because that person has a "Master's Degree"? The panel of selecting officials said they were told the SES on this base wanted her in this job! How did she make the cert? She's been in charge for a year and a half now, has ruined this section along with our relationship with our customers. In the year and 1/2 she hasn't learned a thing about contracting. We have NOWHERE to go if we need guidance/advice or have questions &our SECOND level is also in a job she knows nothing about.How can she possibly be rating us? If we actually did what she wanted it WOULD BE ILLEGAL. Allof us here have said for years now there IS A PLAN in place to make us fail. Why isn't ANYONE worried about our purpose - service to the fleet??
Re: Qualifications
Fed EPA Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:07 AM
Well, since you are an HR Specialist, this highlights one of the biggest problems: HR is looking only at technical qualifications. That explains how we got all the horrible managers. Technical qualifications (which may not be so good in reality) and longevity/seniority are not all that matters in selecting effective managers.
Re: Qualifications
Customer Service HEALTH CARE Tue Jul 8, 2008 11:57 AM
I totally agree; supervisors need to know about the job so they can allocate resources and answer questions. I hate taking a question to my supervisor because he will give an off-the-cuff response to an important question and leave no room for discussion. He doesn't even listen to the question; he might clean his desk while talking to you or check his email. It's totally insulting. He is really proud of himself.
Outstanding Article, supervisors should read it!
IT Specialist USDA Thu Aug 9, 2007 12:24 PM
With my departments' coming 2nd to last in this years employee satisfaction survey (Federal Computer week 7/2007), I think it should be mandatory reading for supervisors. We finally had 1 meeting with our 2 local managers (same building, same floor) after over 2 years! Talk about information drought, we feel like mushrooms {keep us in the dark and only feed us dung occasionally). Its nice to know their still alive and do not just have robotic email clients running.
Bad Supervisor
Tech US Air Force Thu Aug 9, 2007 1:00 PM
Don't forget to add a supervisor who does not have the technical back ground/ability for the area supervised but in his mind thinks he is the expert. In the ideal world it would be nice to have technical ability and good supervisor skills. I believe most people can learn them. Unfortantly some supervisors feel they got the job so they are good enough. The employees can tell the upper managment what the problem is but watch out for repercusions.
Bad Management
**** DA Thu Aug 9, 2007 1:49 PM
I left my last position not because of my supervisor, but because of his supervisor, the director. He constantly belittled employees in his directorate, yell at them, and never back them up when they had to enforce rules, but first to criticize them when they would fail an inspection. He would turn back a memo for correction because a period had only one space instead of two. Then yell at you because the memo was late to higher up. We had to use our chain of comman to get his permission to speak to our counterparts at other organizations. I received "best practice" commendations from our MACOM during an inspection for I plan I wrote, but it wasn't good enough for him to sign off on. Many complaints were filed against him at MER, but never went anywhere. Meanwhile, over ten people in his directorate have dangerously high blood pressure, which they never had until working for him. I only worked there for a year and found a less stressful job with promotion potential elsewhere.
supervisors
REGISTERED NURSE Indian Health Service Thu Aug 9, 2007 2:54 PM
I would still be at the VA hopsital in Seattle if it hadn't been for my supervisor!
They Walk Among Us
Programmer Treas Thu Aug 9, 2007 4:40 PM
This article could not be more timely. Just yesterday, I was lamenting with fellow frustrated feds. We have seen SO many trained, talented, devoted and hard working analysts – been here for years - run off by their power tripping managers who have just brow-beaten them to death, and turned a deaf ear to logic. And we wonder if those managers are really 'worth more' than the skills and talent they have run off? Are they really so brilliant, do they contribute so much, that upper mgmt deems them more valuable to the project, than the actual techies that have to BUILD and test the final product?? Don't they understand that we are all on the same side, and want the same thing: a good product?
I guess I am assuming mgmt wants what we want - or maybe, they have a top secret agenda.
Maybe, they've been planted to sabotage the civil sector, so we fail miserably, and must turn over to private industry?
Employees/Supervisors
Retired VAMC Thu Aug 9, 2007 4:43 PM
after 30 years of service I now understand why the Govt. is so eager to contract out all Services as possible, they don`t get the blame for the POOR Problimatic Employee situation that the Unions have allowed to multiply, into non-productive workers. I`ve seen it every day. Employess watch and learn so they can be come a paycheck person and how dare you ask them to do there job, as they file back on you for Discrimination, Sound Familiar ?? well upper management is scared to death as they will be sued so who wins ?? The employee,, the Union,, It`s not the Supervisors fault, they have a tough job but will never get rid of the lazy, non productive, non working, leave abusing etc; they must baby sit these employees while they laugh at you..and now your good employees must pick up there load and how long will that last ?? Oh I`m sorry ,, It`s called picking on the Employee,, way to go Unions
Do the Math, glad to see Contractors doing there work, cause they sure sit and watch !!!!
The reality is in the Federal Government are promoted from within. Although OPM has set forth Mandatory Civilian Supervisory Training, it is side stepped by Federal Waivers, or no action at all. The 90 day clearance without a problem is no training at all. This is even more prevalent in military organizations, or supervisors with prior military service. In a military organization the profanity and discrimination is higher because UCMJ doesn't have the strength of civil service laws. They are inheritently different in scope. Veterens return to civil service with military supervision and no training. They return from EO and EEO training, with that was a (*) waste of my time. CPO agencies participate with the paying agency to cover up supervisory errors, civilian or military.
When Bad Supervisors Happen to Good People: The Price of Poor Supervision
Claims Examiner DOL Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:32 PM
This article hits just the tip of the problem in government. Yes, there are slackers in gov't, just as there are slackers in private industry as well.
The one thing this article did not focus on is the "#$%& runs down hill" mgmt attitude in gov't. So often, mgmt decisions are made to stem the flow of "#$%&" that poor decisions are made regarding priorities.
Case in point, we have been asking our managers in DOL for a list of priorities as far as getting the multiple tasks required of our job. We have consistently received the same answer, they are all priority 1 and all of them need to be done now. However, there are only 8 hours in a given work day, and not all of them can be accomplished in that given day. Management, refuses to establish a priority, because they do not want to deal with the consequences of whoever was waiting for their work, will not be getting it.
I do not blame all of the ills of working for the govt on the poor sup's but they do contribute a lot to it.
My reason for retiring
Revenue Agent IRS Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:50 PM
I worked for a manager somewhat younger than I who had very little field experience and rose through the ranks quickly. Why, I have no clue. He was clueless about most things. I found out later his dad was in a high position in a state out West. I feel he was intimidated by my knowledge and set out to get rid of me by continually finding fault, no matter how trivial, in my casework. I eventually gave in despite being advised to fight it by several co-workers. My feeling: life is too short to endure that kind of crap. I had 34+ years with Uncle Sam. I still don't regret my decision. He is still on the job and plodding along but not after anyone lately.
Bad Manager/Retire or have a heart attack
Recently Retired DHS Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:23 AM
I was going to retire at the end of the year, but after a meeting with the Deputy Special Agent in Charge (DSAC), I went down and put in my retirement papers for as soon as possible.
The reason was that the DSAC did not approve my accrued sick leave so that I could have my heart condition taken care of. I provided test results, background information, and a letter from the Veterans Administration telling me to have the tests done. The test results forecast a high probability of a major cardiac event in the near future (heart attack).
After my retirement I had the tests done and within 30 days of retiring had a quadruple bypass.
So why would an experienced manager not approve accrued sick leave under such circumstances? Was it because of my getting the condition from my military service?
Or was it because he was recently demoted and was taking it out on everyone else?
Why would an agency keep such a manager in a position of authority?
The BOSS and Poor Supervision
Air Traffic Manager DOT-FAA Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:33 AM
This is the second week in a row that I have seen an article about the BOSS being inept. Work doesn't start with the BOSS, it starts with the employee. Example, someone is hired, given direction about what to do and not to do, when to come to work and what is expected of them. I don't need my BOSS to say "You are doing a good job". The mere fact that I got paid what I was promised and did what I was told to do tells me I am doing my job, otherwise my BOSS would be counseling me. This notion that I should get a pat on the back for doing my job is overrated, instead they should consider docking and employees pay immediately when they fail to do their job. That is what was done years ago when pride was not just lip service, it was real.
Re: The BOSS and Poor Supervision
Fed DoD Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:17 AM
DOT-FAA, maybe you're lucky enough to have a BOSS who credits you w/a brain, you do your job, and that's that. Some of us aren't so lucky.
Sometimes it's a disgruntled worker--and to be fair, bad workers, slackers do exist. So do bad bosses. Sometimes you can do your job, even do outstanding work, and it's still not enough for that boss.
Most feds here seem to think that their bosses don't "boss" properly due to incompetence, poor or no supvy training, immaturity, whatever. That's why it's up to workers to be aware of what's happening, make appropriate book and follow up.
None of us are working for our health; we're here for the $$. First, we do our jobs. As a union steward and officer, that's what I tell feds w/job problems, then we look at the situation.
No, DOT-FAA, feds don't want "a pat on the head, but just want to be allowed to DO their jobs and to EXCEL at that work. EVERYone should know what they're doing--especially bosses.
Re: The BOSS and Poor Supervision
Taxpayer Concerned citizen Fri May 16, 2008 4:07 PM
I'm glad I don't work for you. A good boss should be inspirational and should let the employee know when he/she has done a good job. Sure the employee should know what they have been hired for and should perform their duties. But when the mission changes, the boss should be smart enough to know what is needed to be changed in his/her employees to meet the new challenge. A good boss will be on top of the change and ensure that there is a common understanding of the mission and how everyone can contribute.
Motivated Majority
HR Guy DOC Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:05 AM
I have served at all levels of work and management, and here are my views:
People, including supervisors, come to work to accomplish something. The majority are motivated to honestly perform their duties, while others are motivated otherwise. Some are motivated by the entertainment of stirring up “you and him fight” kinds of trouble between other employees, or between employees and supervisors. Some are motivated by baffling the system, sowing craziness into the work processes by interjecting disruptive “issues” as they work. And some only have hammers in their personal toolboxes. And the worst are looking for what they’ll never find: Affirmation of their superiority in some self-defined aspect. For them it’s about being somehow “superior” to everyone. I see many examples in these posts, typified by careers being torpedoed along the way due to individual brilliance. I’d bet not.
In 31 years I've worked preponderantly with the finest, and a very few of the worst.
Supervision
IET Defense Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:12 AM
This a good example of promotion of Good people, who think once they are supervisor the world revolves around then.
Fail to understand the supportive role and training aspect of subordinates. FEAR of sharing professional information hoping the employees don't leave!
Supervisors
Supply System Analyst DLA Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:25 AM
Our organization just went through a major reorg and now the upper GS 15's and 14"s are now going to put us through another reorg. They are expecting us to pick up all the work from the personnel that are leaving under th VERA. The reduction that they are expecting is 155 personnel. If someone was to ask me if this is a good place to work I tell them do not even consider a job in this building.
Supervisors and NSPS
Contracting Officer U.S. Arny Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:58 AM
One thing that hasn't been addressed is the importance of having a good supervisor who can communicate/write well for the NSPS evaluation process. Personnel will definitely be adversely impacted if they have a supervisor who can't write well in the limited number of characters available for their input at appraisal time.
Reprint Permission Request
Human Resources Specialist Department of Veterans Affairs Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:03 AM
We have a networked supervisory folder for our managers and supervisors. I'd like to include this and perhaps future articles by Steve Oppermann in this online folder. Will this work for you? Thanks! Toni Petty
Re: Reprint Permission Request
editor FedSmith.com Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:23 AM
We do not give permission to organizations to include all of our articles on internal sites. If you want to include a specific article on an internal site, please send a note to editor@fedsmith.com requesting permission. We do have specific requirements when permission is granted. Giving blanket permission would destroy the value of our site so we cannot honor your request. Without your e-mail address or phone number, we cannot respond to you directly which is the reason this response is posted here.
Thank you for your understanding.
Bad Supervisors
HR Specialist USDA Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:05 AM
The issue that I believe most impacts this is the "culture"
supervisors and managers in the federal government live in. Organizationally, manager and supervisor positions are not viewed as a "professional career paths" as say a CPA, Engineer, etc. CPA's and engineers are required to be tested to become certified and must take annual courses to maintain their certifications. They have some sort of oversight board and meet annually, sometimes monthly. CPA at the end of a person's name has pretty universal respect in the business community. By it's very nature of training, certification, and testing it is self regulating. Only the most dedicated are going to retain that designation. That's what needs to happen with fed. supervisors and managers. In my opnion being a firsrt level supervisor is the most difficult and demanding job there is in government. Yet this position, especially at the GS-11 and below, is usually looked down on by "managers" and "professionals". That needs to change !
Everyone's friend
Storekeeper US Postal Service Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:22 AM
What does an employee do when the supervisor wants to be everyone's friend, and does not back up employees under him to direct and overlook lower employees work in the department.
Re: Everyone's friend
Fed DoD Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:05 PM
Big and common mistake: you can't be "everyone's friend" and a supvr at the same time. When I first arrived at my agency, that's what we were told at newcomers orientation: "Your supvr is your friend." No, they aren't; they're supvrs, and that's what a professional r'ship is about.
Yours sounds like a complex problem, but I think you'd have to sort through it first and find out what exactly need to be addressed. Unfortunately, bad mgt isn't one of them.
And if YOU are a mgr, well--you may or may not have an admin grievance procedure in place.
TRAIN & RE-TRAIN OUR SUPERVISORS /MANAGERS
Training USMC Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:59 AM
The Federal Government has a major problem in the lack of training for our supervisors/managers.
When a super/manager gets caught doing something they should not be doing or saying.
Instead of sending them to get trained (so they can peform on the job), or sending them to counseling. They protect them & make every attempt to cover up the problem. This is when the employee because upset & leaves the job (I have seen this a hundreds times).
The Cure is to Train/Re-train our supervisors/managers so they know what is acceptable & how they need to perform as a supervisor/manager. Training is the KEY. Most supervisors/managers have never gone thru any type of real supervisor/management training, they are just placed into the position.
Also people need to understand the different types of communication. Being a Supervisor/Manager means you need to know the different types of communication in order to better understand there personnels needs to meet job requirements.
Re: TRAIN & RE-TRAIN OUR SUPERVISORS /MANAGERS
Fed DoD Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:46 PM
Recently FedSmith pages reported about Sen Daniel Akaka, HI who sponsored the Federal Supvy Training Act of 2007 that would mandate supvy trng during the first 12 mos for all incoming federal supvrs.
Alas, Sen Tom Coburn, OK moved to decline movement of that Act (also reported on FedSmith) b/c he said the Act lacked "transparency" and would cost too much.
Somebody should send Sen Coburn a copy of this story and these posts--then ask him to tot up the costs (not just in $$) of NO federal-supvy training...
Bad Supervisors
PATIENT BUSINESS ASSISTANT VAMC Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:11 PM
I agree with HR DOJ. VA is notoriously known hiring inexperienced people in supervisory positions, micromanaging at the directors level, overstaffing at the mangmt. level, understaffing on frontline & blaming failing numbers on frontline. They'll hire the boss's neice/golf partners wife, but not the frontline person who's done the job 14 years & knows everything about the position. Worse yet, they'll tell supv. to instruct the employees on processes that are illegal, to make the books look right, & get angry if the legality of it is questioned. They want you to to train the supvs., but get angry at you for correcting them. If you ask the supvs. for instruction, & do it their way, if it doesn't work, it's still your fault, that is if they answer you. Turn over is high at our VA. There are only 20 original employees out of a crew 389. We've started taking "bets" (not real ones) on how long new people are going to stay. We've had 12 people work one day, go to lunch, never come back.
WOW! -Honesty!
Nameless, Faceless Nobody DOD Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:27 PM
I never expected any supervisor, even the few good ones I have had, to admit as openly as you have, that they make mistakes and maybe some bad ones. That was refreshing.
That said, I have had a couple good leads, a couple good supervisors, and only two good dept. heads over the last 24 years. Some have been HORRIBLE. I blame one for the attempted suicide of one of his people.
The thing is, it was all hit and miss. Good or bad fortune. Except for one thing...
I noticed that people hired by the good dept head to be supervisors tended to also be good or at least decent supervisors and leads. The ones hired by the bad ones were rarely good and if they were they didn't stay very long. There seems to be a culture issue.
The higher up in the organization you get someone balanced the more that balance will fill the whole org. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true.
Bad supervisors happen to good people
Receptionist USDA Forest Service Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:46 PM
I think this would be a great idea to have a team go around and just talk with employees as well as supervisors regarding this topic. Maybe even send it out through email that way no one would really know. A bad supervisor happened to me and I was dead set just quitting and finding another job. After working with the union and fellow employees, I stayed and just put up withe the things my supervisor had me doing. After a while I guess they finally figured, she is not going anywhere, no matter how lam of a job I give her to do. It is now five years later and we seem to get along just fine and they are actually going to start training me to do their job. I think that it is not all their fault, upper level management should enforce mandatory supervisory training at least once every two years. This way they cannot say, I didn't know that I couldn't do/say that.
Solution for Supervisors
Retired VAMC Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:07 PM
What ever happened to "We The People"
Each upper MANAGEMENT Official should have a new addition to There APPRAISAL Form.
Section :101 SUpervisors Grading, Support
and all failure instances attached by there sub-ordinates.
This should turn some heads,, cause the Govt. will never solve there labor Management problem ,, it`s to easy to blame the Supervisor.. all the training in the world is nice but never Practiced, I`ve been to them all,, some of them agree, but still have to go thru the motion $$$$$$
It` not going to get any better either, look where our kids are heading today,
Supervisor make or break an organization
Program Manager NAVICP Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:35 AM
I appreciate the soul searching and the self analysis, but your delta: qualities/deficiencies pale to what I've experienced here. At least you tried to be a good supervisor, and you have enough concern and compassion to try and pass on what you've learned. My 'bad' supervisor was a middle aged woman who hated men; her only 2 concerns were furthering her own career and destroying ours.
For example- she kept a clear glass specimen jar of dog testicles floating in a clear preservative. When she wanted to stifle any initiative or if you appeared to be too happy or engrossed in your work she'd wave the specimen jar in your face asking if you wanted your f-ing balls in this jar, because she bragged that she collected them. Other times we were treated to her sneaking up behind us and then publicly scream, I'm going to walk you out the f-ing gate you G-D stupid, M-F-ing, SOB. When I finally complained to her (male) boss he said, "Well she is your supervisor"... now I'm blackballed
Re: Supervisor make or break an organization
IT Specalist DFAS Mon Aug 13, 2007 3:21 PM
Sound like sex discrimination to me.
Lack of superVISION
Aircraft Component Repair Tech. DoD/USAF Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:20 AM
I would send this artical to all levels of my chain of command.....if I though it would do any good.
consequences of bad supervisors
specialist usda Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:59 AM
There are serious issues in the work place today. I suffered for years under the supervision of a disfunctional boss who eventually died from his alcohol abuse. I never got the support I needed in doing my job, but being conscientious, I worked hard, making many personal sacrifices through the years. With staff changes, many new comers have not been appropriately supervised - as long a there were those who continued to work hard, the work continued "to get done". Now, more and more are joining the ranks of the marginal performers. So much is going awry because of it. Common attitudes are, "The problem is bigger than me - and if I don't get the support I need, I may as well take care of yourself - no one else will." With the large number of employees that will be retiring in the next number of years, I shutter at the thought of who willl be left behind to pick up the pieces of the shattered mess.
When Bad Supervisors Happen to Good People: The Price of Poor Supervision
engineer DoD Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:56 PM
My worst supervisor lifted women's clothes at work to see what was underneath. He lifted mine, I objected and he touched me in more offensive ways. When I told him that I might file an EEO complaint, he said that it would be his word against mine. I reported his behavior to the shipyard EEO Office within 45 days of the first incident.
The EEOC said that the supervisor created a "hostile environment" because of our "gender."
I saw him kick in locked doors at work and one person said that he saw him yank the phone out of the wall and throw it. When I told him that I wasn't afraid of him. He responded that I obviously didn't know the hierarchy of the shipyard - he was a former chief test engineer (the person responsible for the testing and safety of the submarine's nuclear reactor plant while the sub is in the shipyard).
He supervised me for a month and a half. He's been promoted at least twice since my report to the shipyard EEO Office and supervises many more people.
Bad Management
IT Navy Hospital Thu Aug 23, 2007 12:23 PM
This is so timely for me. Yesterday my manager got caught for dropping the ball on a project that I was involved with and he turned around and chewed me out even though I was only doing what I was supposed to be doing on the project.
It amazes me how people like this are hired. He's another one of those persons who came straight out of the military into a GS job.
I've seen him do the same thing to my other co-workers not only in my dept but other depts as well. You would think his military boss would do something about it as his behavior is well known to the entire hospital.
When Bad Supervisors Happen to Good People
Consultant (Government Contracting) GSA Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:59 AM
The self-fulfilling prophecy is also operative here: personnel treated like responsible, trustworthy, and intelligent professionals tend to behave like responsible, trustworthy, and intelligent professionals; individuals treated like misbehaving children respond accordingly, too. Inconsistency and erratic behavior in a manager are as bad as those traits in a parent: one never learns what the boundaries are, or what will set off the next explosion; it's like working in a field of land-mines with no metal-detector. I can attest personally and physically to the deleterious effects of the kinds of bosses you describe: unrelieved stress brings on life-threatening physiological responses in diabetics, robs all victims of sleep, and can even precipitate anxiety attacks. These in turn affect domestic and personal relationships, which causes more stress. Is it any wonder than such "managers" are known as "toxic"?
Bad Supervisors Happen to Good People
Financial Management Analyst DFAS Fri Aug 31, 2007 6:04 AM
Our office is now under the preview of a "bad" supervisor. He does not show respect to any of the employees. He talks down to us. He threatened one employee with reprimand for something completely out of her control. He has no idea what we do, nor does he want to know. Our team morale is down to zero and will soon be in the negative. What was an outstanding team producing above average, is now a loosely knit team not producing at all. Most of us are looking for new jobs, even though we love our jobs. This has come about in a matter of months thanks to our "bad" supervisor.
Supervisors - Knighthood or Nightmare?
Police Officer, Cpl. DOD/DA Police Thu Oct 11, 2007 3:28 AM
Having worked both sides of the fence, I heartily concur with the conclusions in this article. Having seen the best, and the worst, of supervisory attitudes and manners in my time, it's clear a good supervisor can make or break an organization and it's people. What gets me is, why is it so hard to get the right people in supervisory positions? My answer - OFFICE POLITICS!!
We've all met the guy/gal who just can't get enough "face time" with the boss. Conversely, we all know someone we would gladly follow through Hell's gate and beyond. What's the difference?
The "face" is generally not looking out for others and improving morale (thus, efficiency). They're in it for power, ego, glory, money, etc. The real "leader" goes about his/her job with quiet dignity, listening to and helping the people he/she leads.
A genuine emphasis on the identifying and developing the true "leaders" would yield a happier workplace. Apple polishers serve no one but themselves.
Ineffective supervisors trying to please all
GS Fed Worker DOI Fri May 16, 2008 9:50 AM
I enjoyed your article and from my 25 years of federal service you are correct supervisors that there are some bad supervisors that are good people. I have a scenerio that is different. I have supervisor who wants to delegate everything out to all his employees and do nothing themselves. We no longer go to him if we have questions (limited knowledge of the work) because he said go to your other co-workers first to find a solution. Once you have some recommendations then you can come to me for a decision. They asked their supervisor then what do you do and the response was I think of new ideas or better processes for the office to make your work flow better though we haven't really seen any yet. Talks down to some staff members and doesn't listen to others ideas if different from his. His supervisor has received comments from the staff about him, but hopes things will work out just give it time. What would be your suggestions?
Sad, but true
Loan Officer USDA, Rural Development Fri May 16, 2008 12:24 PM
This article is spot on. Many decisions in our organization are driven by the short term: not enough money to hire effective supervisors - so ineffective supervisors are given more duties with the assumption that their subordinates will "carry them until they retire". Trouble is - without communication from the supervisor - subordinates can't be effective no matter how much they try. Performing employees continue to receive more work but little recognition because they are taken for granted and non-performing employees who are aren't fully engaged (so have time to broadcast their "successes" to the supervisor who has no idea what their workforce does) - receive promotions. Our best, loyal, long term employees are leaving - tired of carrying the workload for the non-performing supervisors and employees. The knowledge drain is huge - there will be no one left to train the new staff. When will the Agency value their workforce & realize it's LESS expensive to hire quality managers?
Bad Supervisors, Bad Union Officials
Union Officer BLM Sun May 18, 2008 11:03 AM
The Federal Government is the largest employer and is the largest "right to work" situation. There is a reason the federal govenment allows you to be covered by union contracts without having to pay for the privilege. It puts the union at a disadvantage! And if you don't have a contract, federal employees are basically "at will" employees. You allow them to get away with it all by quitting, moving on, retiring, giving up, being apathetic. You become part of the problem.
If all the decent employees would stand up, join your union or organize one (which all feds have the right to do), offer your time to the union, READ THE CONTRACT YOURSELF....and maybe we ALL could actually get back to work. Let them know you won't let them get away with all the BS and maybe they will quit trying! It starts with YOU. If you don't think your union is objective and as helpful as they should be contact the FLRA and report them! You have rights - use them! You have a brain, use it!
Nepotism Culprit
Human Resources Assistant Agency Tue Jul 8, 2008 11:09 AM
I am convinced that it is by designed that managers sabotage careers of employees who do not have a kinship, friendship, or practice henship. The chain of command is usually partial and is a benefactor of nepotism. The overall character of those who seem ti benefit from promotions, awards, etc. most often is that of an alley cat. Hats off to the good managers, who chances are - are not related to anyone in the agency.
Who is watching the HENHOUSE?
BAD SUPERVISORS MAKE GOOD TEACHERS
Patient Support HEALTH CARE Tue Jul 8, 2008 11:45 AM
Having always been a subordinate, I've been supervised for 36 years. In those years I've had both good and bad supervisors. I truly believe I could be a good supervisor because I've watched so many bad ones, I know what to avoid.
The common thread I find amongst my worst supervisors is lack of self-confidence. They got the job by luck and I think they know it. These supervisors tend to take suggestions as criticism. They are easily threatened by an intelligent subordinate.
The very worst supervisor is the one who truly enjoys bossing people around.
Bad Supervisor
Program Assistant DOE Wed Jul 9, 2008 10:33 AM
We have a director under our AM that is still in the probationary period. So far he has had one employee quite her job due to his constant harrassment and another file a grievence due to his harassing (bullying). He still has yet to be reprimanded and continues to bully other females in his organization. What can be done to take care of this situation.
I have talked to my boss telling him that this problem will eventually reflect back on him but he told me that the director was sent to training to become better at his people skills. I have yet to see it.
Preaching to the Choir
Employee -Non supervisory Interior Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:37 AM
My boss has sent an email to all of his employees directing them to stop gossiping about him and a certain female employee which most feel he shows abnormal favortism too. The email directs us to read certain biblical passages to overcome the sins of our group. I like my job and love my location but...Yikes! I'm getting out of here! Isn't this in violation of the US Constitution?
Manipulated Established Selection Process
Biologist- Project Manager- 20 years of service US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:59 AM
The USACE, Jacksonville District does not follow the OPM established personnel selection processes. Grievance procedures are null because the process is internal and equally manipulated to sustain the results of manipulated selection procedures. I have written admission of a wrongful selection process, but the results are deteriorating the agency's image and reputation because exactly that; poor supervision and failure to implement the agency's mission substantially affecting the office morale. The worst; the agency does nothing to solve or improve the problem seriously affecting the agency’s mission and public trust. Your report describes exactly what is happening in the Antilles Office.
managers
CTE SSA Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:38 PM
Sorry to wait so long to post. The article really hits home.
I see quite often very rapid advancement from technician to manager in 4 years or less.
The technical jobs such as BTE and CTE take about 5 years to gain proficiency. Is a technician promoted to manager within 2 years going to have the knowledge it takes to manage the job family?
I have had managers who were never in the CTE position telling me how many cases I should be able to produce in 8 hours. How can they know this? Each case is quite different and some are extremely complex.
It is one thing to see numbers on paper and another thing to actually be processing these cases.
And why do managers not take a little time to get to know the employees? Some behavior problems could be eliminated with a little compassion which SSA managers sorely lack.
With increasing backlogs and automation we are receiving the worst cases possible. Management is hoping to automate jobs that are just too complex
Hostile Working Environment, EEO Complaint
Secretary DOD, US Army Fri May 1, 2009 12:08 PM
I have 29 years with the Federal Government. I am the only civillian working in office at Fort Stewart, GA. This is my second grievance, NO fault of my own. I too have high awards, high performance rating, etc, but it seems like if a supervisor is out to ruin your career, they will do it. The military try to treat civilians like they are, give us counseling statements which we don't deserve. So anyway, I am at the present time, filing an EEO grievance. Right now I will try arbitration/mediation and I do have several pieces of documents to back up my case. All I am asking for is a transfer from this office. I do feel the answer is document everything and hire yourself the BEST EMPLOYMENT LAWYER you can find to represent you!!! Also tape record them in saying things about you and your lawyer can use it to hear what they are saying about you, but it can not be used in a grievance proceeding. Also document everything you do, by phone, visitors, typing a document, etc.
Omnipotent Supervisor
Program Manager USDA Mon May 18, 2009 8:23 AM
Not to sound childlike but the problem with our supervisor is that she is nothing of the kind. She supervises nothing, delegates everything, does nothing herself. Rules are for we little ones and not her. Double-standard city. She often holds people to standards that she herself would never accept for herself. This is very apparent and demoralizing. Her laziness knows no bounds. As to her level of competence, while not incompetent, she often professes to know everything based on her own 5-minute knowledge of a "similar" matter years ago. Forget facts, laws, regulations, and details. They all come back to what she knows is the case. Always. If it does not, then someone else must have made a mistake. Only the TV in her office helps distract her from being a complete nuisance to us all day long. How do productive staff continue to produce and effectively contribute to an agency when the supervisor is an inept arrogant lazy employee interested in only doing what gets one by?
bad bosses
power system electrician bpa Mon May 18, 2009 10:34 AM
i have been at bpa 20 yrs & can tell you bpa has a real problem with supervisors.we have had 8 different bosses here in the last 20 yrs with 6 of them being untrained to do their job.life here has been really difficult at a company that should be the best place in the world to work.i worked for 20 yrs outside the federal gov. & never saw the treatment we see here at bpa.
Incompetent Supervisor
Frustrated Fed United States Marshals Service Tue May 19, 2009 8:48 AM
I was subject to a totally incompetent supervisor in the Marshal's Service. This AO had no administrative background and was hired because of his disability (wheelchair). His background consisted of a Park Service position which was created for him by a friend at his church. He purchased supplies for the Park Service and this "qualified" him to be Administrative Officer. His incompetence led to favoritism among employees. He had the mentality of a teenager. He spent the majority of his time trying to get out of work and running errands. His incompentence led to the removal of a 29 year veteran who was doing her job with excellence until she questioned his excessive leave usage (13 weeks AL in one week?? When did the govt start this??) Anyway, he wrote her up for poor performance and mgmt stood behind him. He is still there, traveling around the country on the govt's dime and "working" at home. No wonder the govt is so screwed up.
MBWA courtesty of HP not Jack Welch
Deputy Business Manager US Marine Corps Tue May 19, 2009 10:19 AM
Just wanted to clarify that Management by Walking Around was originally a management technique used by Dave Packard of Hewlett Packard and later emulated by Jack Welch and many others...
Excellent article
EPA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:29 AM
Probably one of the best articles I have ever seen on FedSmith. Now, how do we address these issues?
NEPOTISM
DSCP
Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:41 AM
while its true that inexperienced managers, less than motivated managers and the "my way or the highway" type mangers create problems like turnover, morale problems and inneffieciency, i believe one of the largest problems especially within the government system is nepotism. high ranking managers calling in favors of others to place their inexperienced family members into key positions is undermining the entire system and creating attitudes within the workforce which are never going to be able to be repaired. i would like to see an article address this issue.
Re: NEPOTISM
DoD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 6:01 PM
We need to reinstate the 1-year cooling off period for these jokers.
Very Good Article
DoD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:51 AM
The most common aggravating thing I have seen is managers that angrily reprimand an employee for constructive criticism in a meeting, but would sit idly by and do nothing to an employee was not accomplishing anything or even doing his job - even if it bothered all the other employees in the department.
Re: Very Good Article
VA
Wed Aug 29, 2007 2:20 PM
When bad supervisors happen to good employees
DoD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:57 AM
I believe that most of us supervisors want and strive to do a good job, but sometimes the difficulty is not a lack of training or intestinal fortitude to deal with performance and conduct problems. Sometimes a good supervisor takes the initiative to correct a situation but doesn't get the support from his/her upchain. This lack of support leaves others with the impression, however incorrect, that the supervisor is bad. That perception is not easily corrected and most times it is simply ignored. The result is that the supervisor is branded as "bad" by peers and subordinates alike. I'd like to see an article about that dynamic, as well as one about what happens when bad employees happen to good supervisors. Many good supervisors have stepped back into non-supervisory roles because of these types of situations. What a loss that can be to the organization.
Bad is not the word!
DoD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:02 AM
Good Write-up Steve!
I have been a federal employee for 33 years and I have had some great managers/supervisors in my time. Then I have had some that were just pains but I must admit even those were nothing nor can they hold a candle to the ones today. We are told to use the "CHAIN" but no one can seem to answer questions about whom do we go to if the "CHAIN" IS THE PROBLEM? I have asked for trainings directly connected to my function but I was told in writing that I was not allowed to have this advantage. I guess if you speak your mind and tell the truth about things in the Government you are blackballed from any advancement/promotion or information passing that allows you to gain in and maintain your duties. Some of us find out by mistake what is changing but months after the fact. Managers/Supervisors seem to be the ones from past non-productive jobs but were pushed up so the department would not have to deal with them. NOW THEY ARE SUPERVISORS of GOOD workers which destroy us!
Re: Bad is not the word!
DoD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:41 AM
My theory is, it's happening to you anyway, so you may as well speak up. If that supvr is gunning for you, you're not promotable anyway, so say something about it.
Having been through this more than once--and I'm an outstanding worker, BTW, w/awards and recognition to show for it until encountering these misfits--the greatest lesson I've learned is that there's more than 1 way to win.
I went through 1 appeal and lost--but got everything I asked for: that's a victory. I went through another and lost--but the bad supvr left: that's winning.
I've long since lost my promotability, but I now represent other workers, something I find very fulfilling and interesting--AND I also stay on top of my job. So virtue is its own reward, I guess.
Re: Bad is not the word!
DoD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 10:59 AM
Re: Bad is not the word!
DoD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 1:46 PM
I hope your wife got through it OK, but I too learned that lesson the hard way. Things finally changed when I encountered union people who knew what they were doing and who cared. That so motivated me that I became a steward and, later on, an officer.
Most feds don't learn about their appeal rights and how to use them til it's too late, the problem has escalated--and then they don't know if their reps know what they're doing. Not knowing your wife's situation, I don't know what she could've done. But I do know that to fight the system, you have to go through and use that system--IF the aggrieved indeed has valid grounds for fighting.
I hope your wife has since landed on her feet, b/c I know how traumatic that experience can be.
Jealousy
USDA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:10 AM
I had a supervisor at the VA Medical Center who was so jealous of me that I became her main focus. She did everything in her power to destroy me and push me out the door. She could never find anything to "get me on," which really frustrated her. I loved my job and what I did, but eventually succumbed to her hostility and badgering by leaving. I was an outstanding employee, received multiple awards during my tenure at the VA, which initiated her jealousy. She was jealous of my appearance, my work ethic, my constant compliments by patients and hospital staff. She was nothing more than a cracked egg. She had outbursts of anger, using vulgarity and telling employees to "shut up and sit the "F" down." Because of HER, the VA lost a valuable employee...ME.
Re: Jealousy
Department of Defense
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:46 AM
Re: Jealousy
USDA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 10:06 AM
Praaise and Request to Reproduce
US Forest Service
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:30 AM
Steve, after 37 years you have said it all, as I have worked for the worst and the best supervisors. I have always tried to model myself as a supervisor with the best because what made me feel good as an employee would certainly work for others. Even now after 37 years when I dont get treated with respect or have my questions answered I get those same raw feelings about my employment. In my job as an ER Advisor I would like permission to reproduce this article and the ones that will follow in this series to my supervisors and managers. Thanks
Great Article
TSA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:33 AM
Thank you for the insight. You touched on things I have always felt were important. Having been on both sides, supervisor/manager and supervised/managed I have seen good and bad and have most likely fallen into those two categories myself! Can’t wait for more!
Bad Supervisors
SSA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:37 AM
The employees are not the only people who suffer from bad supervisors. The good supervisors also suffer. When a supervisor does the manage by walking about, or checks on his employees process he/she is more likely to see the immediate problems. But when the good super takes action for poor work products or other reasons it is out of step with the other supervisor and it is used against them in grievences/EEO. That's when the bad supervisor becomes the good supervisor in the eyes of the union and also the EEO. I have been through both where I know I did a good job because I always worked with my personnel to handle any problems. No matter where I have worked I have always come across this problem and have no way to solve it. I just continue to do my job and be labled a harrasser.
Half a system
DA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:55 AM
This is why the NSPS won't work the government created half a system. The half that is missing is employee input on their supervisor's preformance this includes first line supervisors input on their boss too. A company I worked for had a system for confidencial input about your boss at their review time. This two way system weeded out the slug bosses and employees over time and the pay pool was not spent on dead beats and their friends. Join a union and push for a whole system now and get the dead wood out of government now!
bad supervisors
usda
Thu Aug 9, 2007 10:20 AM
Sometimes you have a good first line supervisor who gets no back up from his supervisor. you can have six great employees that work well with the supervisor, and the one trouble maker. then when the first line supervisor tries to crack down on the trouble maker he gets no back up, assistance or guidence from the higher ups. in fact they stonewall everything the first line supervisor is trying to do. AND, back up the problem employee. that is when you get the other employees leaving. why be loyal to a department that lacks backbone. In fact our supervisor transfered to a different state to get away from the problem employee.
Bad Supervision
TSA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 10:45 AM
TSA is rampant with poor supervision thus the record high turnover rate. Senior Field Management (FSD's) are allowed to do whatever they want and the subordinates pay the price. No wonder the morale is so bad.
Lack of management training
DoD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 11:21 AM
I've worked and managed in the private, government and military sectors, and have too often seen bad managers and witnessed the undue stress they create.
One big problem is that the character traits for bad managers corresponding to the behaviors complained about in the cited survey (i.e., controlling, micromanagers, egotistical) make it difficult to train them. Effectively, bad managers often need to be trained to not be themselves -- no easy task. Ironically & unfortunately, controlling, egotistical, micromanagers are often the people who are most driven to be the boss so they can better control things and feed their egos. It is also a sad fact that if bad managers are perceived as being successful, the individuals they manage have little or no chance in changing the status quo. Solution? Require management training before starting and continuously survey employees anonymously to determine if managers need more training/counseling
Can't Wait!
DOD
Thu Aug 9, 2007 11:23 AM
For part 2! Great article. I have found in my 16 + years experience that training and "chain" support are the two most important factors in a good supervisor!
Gov't vs private sector
EEOC
Thu Aug 9, 2007 11:29 AM
This was a great article, and should be must reading for all management personnel. After working for 20+ years in the private sector, I am amazed and often appalled at the way the "Peter Principle" is alive and well in the federal workplace. In private sector, such behavior leads to $ loss & is less tolerated. In gov't, higher-ups are well aware of the plummeting morale and lower work production being done. The solution seems to be to berate the manager, who berates the supervisor (who does her best to try to impose consequences on the one or two poor workers, but gets no support for doing so). Meanwhile, as the article states, good employees leave the workplace. In the five years I've been here, I've seen 6 attorneys, 8+ investigators and 2 supervisors leave the agency; while the manager whose incompetence fueled the exodus remains, all the while blaming her subordinates. As long as this behavior is tolerated - even rewarded! - by this agency, it will continue to lose talent.
Qualifications
DOJ
Thu Aug 9, 2007 12:04 PM
Bad managers are also bad because they are lacking in technical knowhow on the functions they manage. I disagree with your contention that technical skills are not as important in the selection of a good manager. I know of many offices which are staffed with supervisors whose supervisory skills were emphasized over their technical skills during their selection. As a result, these supervisors are making commitments to customers which are technically not feasible, or worse -- in some cases, illegal -- and then ordering their staff members to make good on their commitments. Another big problem is that they can't accurately project the resources needed to handle the work because they've never done the work themselves. Nor do they know how to assess the training employees need to do their jobs.
The perpetuation of such an idea in articles such as yours actually keeps the government from hiring the people with the skills needed to get things done.
Re: Qualifications
DOD - Navy
Fri Aug 10, 2007 6:18 AM
Re: Qualifications
EPA
Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:07 AM
Re: Qualifications
HEALTH CARE
Tue Jul 8, 2008 11:57 AM
Outstanding Article, supervisors should read it!
USDA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 12:24 PM
With my departments' coming 2nd to last in this years employee satisfaction survey (Federal Computer week 7/2007), I think it should be mandatory reading for supervisors. We finally had 1 meeting with our 2 local managers (same building, same floor) after over 2 years! Talk about information drought, we feel like mushrooms {keep us in the dark and only feed us dung occasionally). Its nice to know their still alive and do not just have robotic email clients running.
Bad Supervisor
US Air Force
Thu Aug 9, 2007 1:00 PM
Don't forget to add a supervisor who does not have the technical back ground/ability for the area supervised but in his mind thinks he is the expert. In the ideal world it would be nice to have technical ability and good supervisor skills. I believe most people can learn them. Unfortantly some supervisors feel they got the job so they are good enough. The employees can tell the upper managment what the problem is but watch out for repercusions.
Bad Management
DA
Thu Aug 9, 2007 1:49 PM
I left my last position not because of my supervisor, but because of his supervisor, the director. He constantly belittled employees in his directorate, yell at them, and never back them up when they had to enforce rules, but first to criticize them when they would fail an inspection. He would turn back a memo for correction because a period had only one space instead of two. Then yell at you because the memo was late to higher up. We had to use our chain of comman to get his permission to speak to our counterparts at other organizations. I received "best practice" commendations from our MACOM during an inspection for I plan I wrote, but it wasn't good enough for him to sign off on. Many complaints were filed against him at MER, but never went anywhere. Meanwhile, over ten people in his directorate have dangerously high blood pressure, which they never had until working for him. I only worked there for a year and found a less stressful job with promotion potential elsewhere.
supervisors
Indian Health Service
Thu Aug 9, 2007 2:54 PM
I would still be at the VA hopsital in Seattle if it hadn't been for my supervisor!
They Walk Among Us
Treas
Thu Aug 9, 2007 4:40 PM
This article could not be more timely. Just yesterday, I was lamenting with fellow frustrated feds. We have seen SO many trained, talented, devoted and hard working analysts – been here for years - run off by their power tripping managers who have just brow-beaten them to death, and turned a deaf ear to logic. And we wonder if those managers are really 'worth more' than the skills and talent they have run off? Are they really so brilliant, do they contribute so much, that upper mgmt deems them more valuable to the project, than the actual techies that have to BUILD and test the final product?? Don't they understand that we are all on the same side, and want the same thing: a good product?
I guess I am assuming mgmt wants what we want - or maybe, they have a top secret agenda.
Maybe, they've been planted to sabotage the civil sector, so we fail miserably, and must turn over to private industry?
Employees/Supervisors
VAMC
Thu Aug 9, 2007 4:43 PM
after 30 years of service I now understand why the Govt. is so eager to contract out all Services as possible, they don`t get the blame for the POOR Problimatic Employee situation that the Unions have allowed to multiply, into non-productive workers. I`ve seen it every day. Employess watch and learn so they can be come a paycheck person and how dare you ask them to do there job, as they file back on you for Discrimination, Sound Familiar ?? well upper management is scared to death as they will be sued so who wins ?? The employee,, the Union,, It`s not the Supervisors fault, they have a tough job but will never get rid of the lazy, non productive, non working, leave abusing etc; they must baby sit these employees while they laugh at you..and now your good employees must pick up there load and how long will that last ?? Oh I`m sorry ,, It`s called picking on the Employee,, way to go Unions
Do the Math, glad to see Contractors doing there work, cause they sure sit and watch !!!!
RE: Bad Supervisors
Hbg Recruiting Battalion
Thu Aug 9, 2007 8:38 PM
The reality is in the Federal Government are promoted from within. Although OPM has set forth Mandatory Civilian Supervisory Training, it is side stepped by Federal Waivers, or no action at all. The 90 day clearance without a problem is no training at all. This is even more prevalent in military organizations, or supervisors with prior military service. In a military organization the profanity and discrimination is higher because UCMJ doesn't have the strength of civil service laws. They are inheritently different in scope. Veterens return to civil service with military supervision and no training. They return from EO and EEO training, with that was a (*) waste of my time. CPO agencies participate with the paying agency to cover up supervisory errors, civilian or military.
When Bad Supervisors Happen to Good People: The Price of Poor Supervision
DOL
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:32 PM
This article hits just the tip of the problem in government. Yes, there are slackers in gov't, just as there are slackers in private industry as well.
The one thing this article did not focus on is the "#$%& runs down hill" mgmt attitude in gov't. So often, mgmt decisions are made to stem the flow of "#$%&" that poor decisions are made regarding priorities.
Case in point, we have been asking our managers in DOL for a list of priorities as far as getting the multiple tasks required of our job. We have consistently received the same answer, they are all priority 1 and all of them need to be done now. However, there are only 8 hours in a given work day, and not all of them can be accomplished in that given day. Management, refuses to establish a priority, because they do not want to deal with the consequences of whoever was waiting for their work, will not be getting it.
I do not blame all of the ills of working for the govt on the poor sup's but they do contribute a lot to it.
My reason for retiring
IRS
Thu Aug 9, 2007 9:50 PM
I worked for a manager somewhat younger than I who had very little field experience and rose through the ranks quickly. Why, I have no clue. He was clueless about most things. I found out later his dad was in a high position in a state out West. I feel he was intimidated by my knowledge and set out to get rid of me by continually finding fault, no matter how trivial, in my casework. I eventually gave in despite being advised to fight it by several co-workers. My feeling: life is too short to endure that kind of crap. I had 34+ years with Uncle Sam. I still don't regret my decision. He is still on the job and plodding along but not after anyone lately.
Bad Manager/Retire or have a heart attack
DHS
Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:23 AM
I was going to retire at the end of the year, but after a meeting with the Deputy Special Agent in Charge (DSAC), I went down and put in my retirement papers for as soon as possible.
The reason was that the DSAC did not approve my accrued sick leave so that I could have my heart condition taken care of. I provided test results, background information, and a letter from the Veterans Administration telling me to have the tests done. The test results forecast a high probability of a major cardiac event in the near future (heart attack).
After my retirement I had the tests done and within 30 days of retiring had a quadruple bypass.
So why would an experienced manager not approve accrued sick leave under such circumstances? Was it because of my getting the condition from my military service?
Or was it because he was recently demoted and was taking it out on everyone else?
Why would an agency keep such a manager in a position of authority?
The BOSS and Poor Supervision
DOT-FAA
Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:33 AM
This is the second week in a row that I have seen an article about the BOSS being inept. Work doesn't start with the BOSS, it starts with the employee. Example, someone is hired, given direction about what to do and not to do, when to come to work and what is expected of them. I don't need my BOSS to say "You are doing a good job". The mere fact that I got paid what I was promised and did what I was told to do tells me I am doing my job, otherwise my BOSS would be counseling me. This notion that I should get a pat on the back for doing my job is overrated, instead they should consider docking and employees pay immediately when they fail to do their job. That is what was done years ago when pride was not just lip service, it was real.
Re: The BOSS and Poor Supervision
DoD
Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:17 AM
Sometimes it's a disgruntled worker--and to be fair, bad workers, slackers do exist. So do bad bosses. Sometimes you can do your job, even do outstanding work, and it's still not enough for that boss.
Most feds here seem to think that their bosses don't "boss" properly due to incompetence, poor or no supvy training, immaturity, whatever. That's why it's up to workers to be aware of what's happening, make appropriate book and follow up.
None of us are working for our health; we're here for the $$. First, we do our jobs. As a union steward and officer, that's what I tell feds w/job problems, then we look at the situation.
No, DOT-FAA, feds don't want "a pat on the head, but just want to be allowed to DO their jobs and to EXCEL at that work. EVERYone should know what they're doing--especially bosses.
Re: The BOSS and Poor Supervision
Concerned citizen
Fri May 16, 2008 4:07 PM
Motivated Majority
DOC
Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:05 AM
I have served at all levels of work and management, and here are my views:
People, including supervisors, come to work to accomplish something. The majority are motivated to honestly perform their duties, while others are motivated otherwise. Some are motivated by the entertainment of stirring up “you and him fight” kinds of trouble between other employees, or between employees and supervisors. Some are motivated by baffling the system, sowing craziness into the work processes by interjecting disruptive “issues” as they work. And some only have hammers in their personal toolboxes. And the worst are looking for what they’ll never find: Affirmation of their superiority in some self-defined aspect. For them it’s about being somehow “superior” to everyone. I see many examples in these posts, typified by careers being torpedoed along the way due to individual brilliance. I’d bet not.
In 31 years I've worked preponderantly with the finest, and a very few of the worst.
Supervision
Defense
Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:12 AM
This a good example of promotion of Good people, who think once they are supervisor the world revolves around then.
Fail to understand the supportive role and training aspect of subordinates. FEAR of sharing professional information hoping the employees don't leave!
Supervisors
DLA
Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:25 AM
Our organization just went through a major reorg and now the upper GS 15's and 14"s are now going to put us through another reorg. They are expecting us to pick up all the work from the personnel that are leaving under th VERA. The reduction that they are expecting is 155 personnel. If someone was to ask me if this is a good place to work I tell them do not even consider a job in this building.
Supervisors and NSPS
U.S. Arny
Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:58 AM
One thing that hasn't been addressed is the importance of having a good supervisor who can communicate/write well for the NSPS evaluation process. Personnel will definitely be adversely impacted if they have a supervisor who can't write well in the limited number of characters available for their input at appraisal time.
Reprint Permission Request
Department of Veterans Affairs
Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:03 AM
We have a networked supervisory folder for our managers and supervisors. I'd like to include this and perhaps future articles by Steve Oppermann in this online folder. Will this work for you? Thanks! Toni Petty
Re: Reprint Permission Request
FedSmith.com
Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:23 AM
Thank you for your understanding.
Bad Supervisors
USDA
Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:05 AM
The issue that I believe most impacts this is the "culture"
supervisors and managers in the federal government live in. Organizationally, manager and supervisor positions are not viewed as a "professional career paths" as say a CPA, Engineer, etc. CPA's and engineers are required to be tested to become certified and must take annual courses to maintain their certifications. They have some sort of oversight board and meet annually, sometimes monthly. CPA at the end of a person's name has pretty universal respect in the business community. By it's very nature of training, certification, and testing it is self regulating. Only the most dedicated are going to retain that designation. That's what needs to happen with fed. supervisors and managers. In my opnion being a firsrt level supervisor is the most difficult and demanding job there is in government. Yet this position, especially at the GS-11 and below, is usually looked down on by "managers" and "professionals". That needs to change !
Everyone's friend
US Postal Service
Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:22 AM
What does an employee do when the supervisor wants to be everyone's friend, and does not back up employees under him to direct and overlook lower employees work in the department.
Re: Everyone's friend
DoD
Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:05 PM
Yours sounds like a complex problem, but I think you'd have to sort through it first and find out what exactly need to be addressed. Unfortunately, bad mgt isn't one of them.
And if YOU are a mgr, well--you may or may not have an admin grievance procedure in place.
TRAIN & RE-TRAIN OUR SUPERVISORS /MANAGERS
USMC
Fri Aug 10, 2007 10:59 AM
The Federal Government has a major problem in the lack of training for our supervisors/managers.
When a super/manager gets caught doing something they should not be doing or saying.
Instead of sending them to get trained (so they can peform on the job), or sending them to counseling. They protect them & make every attempt to cover up the problem. This is when the employee because upset & leaves the job (I have seen this a hundreds times).
The Cure is to Train/Re-train our supervisors/managers so they know what is acceptable & how they need to perform as a supervisor/manager. Training is the KEY. Most supervisors/managers have never gone thru any type of real supervisor/management training, they are just placed into the position.
Also people need to understand the different types of communication. Being a Supervisor/Manager means you need to know the different types of communication in order to better understand there personnels needs to meet job requirements.
Re: TRAIN & RE-TRAIN OUR SUPERVISORS /MANAGERS
DoD
Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:46 PM
Alas, Sen Tom Coburn, OK moved to decline movement of that Act (also reported on FedSmith) b/c he said the Act lacked "transparency" and would cost too much.
Somebody should send Sen Coburn a copy of this story and these posts--then ask him to tot up the costs (not just in $$) of NO federal-supvy training...
Bad Supervisors
VAMC
Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:11 PM
I agree with HR DOJ. VA is notoriously known hiring inexperienced people in supervisory positions, micromanaging at the directors level, overstaffing at the mangmt. level, understaffing on frontline & blaming failing numbers on frontline. They'll hire the boss's neice/golf partners wife, but not the frontline person who's done the job 14 years & knows everything about the position. Worse yet, they'll tell supv. to instruct the employees on processes that are illegal, to make the books look right, & get angry if the legality of it is questioned. They want you to to train the supvs., but get angry at you for correcting them. If you ask the supvs. for instruction, & do it their way, if it doesn't work, it's still your fault, that is if they answer you. Turn over is high at our VA. There are only 20 original employees out of a crew 389. We've started taking "bets" (not real ones) on how long new people are going to stay. We've had 12 people work one day, go to lunch, never come back.
WOW! -Honesty!
DOD
Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:27 PM
I never expected any supervisor, even the few good ones I have had, to admit as openly as you have, that they make mistakes and maybe some bad ones. That was refreshing.
That said, I have had a couple good leads, a couple good supervisors, and only two good dept. heads over the last 24 years. Some have been HORRIBLE. I blame one for the attempted suicide of one of his people.
The thing is, it was all hit and miss. Good or bad fortune. Except for one thing...
I noticed that people hired by the good dept head to be supervisors tended to also be good or at least decent supervisors and leads. The ones hired by the bad ones were rarely good and if they were they didn't stay very long. There seems to be a culture issue.
The higher up in the organization you get someone balanced the more that balance will fill the whole org. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true.
Bad supervisors happen to good people
USDA Forest Service
Fri Aug 10, 2007 12:46 PM
I think this would be a great idea to have a team go around and just talk with employees as well as supervisors regarding this topic. Maybe even send it out through email that way no one would really know. A bad supervisor happened to me and I was dead set just quitting and finding another job. After working with the union and fellow employees, I stayed and just put up withe the things my supervisor had me doing. After a while I guess they finally figured, she is not going anywhere, no matter how lam of a job I give her to do. It is now five years later and we seem to get along just fine and they are actually going to start training me to do their job. I think that it is not all their fault, upper level management should enforce mandatory supervisory training at least once every two years. This way they cannot say, I didn't know that I couldn't do/say that.
Solution for Supervisors
VAMC
Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:07 PM
What ever happened to "We The People"
Each upper MANAGEMENT Official should have a new addition to There APPRAISAL Form.
Section :101 SUpervisors Grading, Support
and all failure instances attached by there sub-ordinates.
This should turn some heads,, cause the Govt. will never solve there labor Management problem ,, it`s to easy to blame the Supervisor.. all the training in the world is nice but never Practiced, I`ve been to them all,, some of them agree, but still have to go thru the motion $$$$$$
It` not going to get any better either, look where our kids are heading today,
Supervisor make or break an organization
NAVICP
Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:35 AM
I appreciate the soul searching and the self analysis, but your delta: qualities/deficiencies pale to what I've experienced here. At least you tried to be a good supervisor, and you have enough concern and compassion to try and pass on what you've learned. My 'bad' supervisor was a middle aged woman who hated men; her only 2 concerns were furthering her own career and destroying ours.
For example- she kept a clear glass specimen jar of dog testicles floating in a clear preservative. When she wanted to stifle any initiative or if you appeared to be too happy or engrossed in your work she'd wave the specimen jar in your face asking if you wanted your f-ing balls in this jar, because she bragged that she collected them. Other times we were treated to her sneaking up behind us and then publicly scream, I'm going to walk you out the f-ing gate you G-D stupid, M-F-ing, SOB. When I finally complained to her (male) boss he said, "Well she is your supervisor"... now I'm blackballed
Re: Supervisor make or break an organization
DFAS
Mon Aug 13, 2007 3:21 PM
Lack of superVISION
DoD/USAF
Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:20 AM
I would send this artical to all levels of my chain of command.....if I though it would do any good.
consequences of bad supervisors
usda
Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:59 AM
There are serious issues in the work place today. I suffered for years under the supervision of a disfunctional boss who eventually died from his alcohol abuse. I never got the support I needed in doing my job, but being conscientious, I worked hard, making many personal sacrifices through the years. With staff changes, many new comers have not been appropriately supervised - as long a there were those who continued to work hard, the work continued "to get done". Now, more and more are joining the ranks of the marginal performers. So much is going awry because of it. Common attitudes are, "The problem is bigger than me - and if I don't get the support I need, I may as well take care of yourself - no one else will." With the large number of employees that will be retiring in the next number of years, I shutter at the thought of who willl be left behind to pick up the pieces of the shattered mess.
When Bad Supervisors Happen to Good People: The Price of Poor Supervision
DoD
Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:56 PM
My worst supervisor lifted women's clothes at work to see what was underneath. He lifted mine, I objected and he touched me in more offensive ways. When I told him that I might file an EEO complaint, he said that it would be his word against mine. I reported his behavior to the shipyard EEO Office within 45 days of the first incident.
The EEOC said that the supervisor created a "hostile environment" because of our "gender."
I saw him kick in locked doors at work and one person said that he saw him yank the phone out of the wall and throw it. When I told him that I wasn't afraid of him. He responded that I obviously didn't know the hierarchy of the shipyard - he was a former chief test engineer (the person responsible for the testing and safety of the submarine's nuclear reactor plant while the sub is in the shipyard).
He supervised me for a month and a half. He's been promoted at least twice since my report to the shipyard EEO Office and supervises many more people.
Bad Management
Navy Hospital
Thu Aug 23, 2007 12:23 PM
This is so timely for me. Yesterday my manager got caught for dropping the ball on a project that I was involved with and he turned around and chewed me out even though I was only doing what I was supposed to be doing on the project.
It amazes me how people like this are hired. He's another one of those persons who came straight out of the military into a GS job.
I've seen him do the same thing to my other co-workers not only in my dept but other depts as well. You would think his military boss would do something about it as his behavior is well known to the entire hospital.
When Bad Supervisors Happen to Good People
GSA
Thu Aug 30, 2007 9:59 AM
The self-fulfilling prophecy is also operative here: personnel treated like responsible, trustworthy, and intelligent professionals tend to behave like responsible, trustworthy, and intelligent professionals; individuals treated like misbehaving children respond accordingly, too. Inconsistency and erratic behavior in a manager are as bad as those traits in a parent: one never learns what the boundaries are, or what will set off the next explosion; it's like working in a field of land-mines with no metal-detector. I can attest personally and physically to the deleterious effects of the kinds of bosses you describe: unrelieved stress brings on life-threatening physiological responses in diabetics, robs all victims of sleep, and can even precipitate anxiety attacks. These in turn affect domestic and personal relationships, which causes more stress. Is it any wonder than such "managers" are known as "toxic"?
Bad Supervisors Happen to Good People
DFAS
Fri Aug 31, 2007 6:04 AM
Our office is now under the preview of a "bad" supervisor. He does not show respect to any of the employees. He talks down to us. He threatened one employee with reprimand for something completely out of her control. He has no idea what we do, nor does he want to know. Our team morale is down to zero and will soon be in the negative. What was an outstanding team producing above average, is now a loosely knit team not producing at all. Most of us are looking for new jobs, even though we love our jobs. This has come about in a matter of months thanks to our "bad" supervisor.
Supervisors - Knighthood or Nightmare?
DOD/DA Police
Thu Oct 11, 2007 3:28 AM
Having worked both sides of the fence, I heartily concur with the conclusions in this article. Having seen the best, and the worst, of supervisory attitudes and manners in my time, it's clear a good supervisor can make or break an organization and it's people. What gets me is, why is it so hard to get the right people in supervisory positions? My answer - OFFICE POLITICS!!
We've all met the guy/gal who just can't get enough "face time" with the boss. Conversely, we all know someone we would gladly follow through Hell's gate and beyond. What's the difference?
The "face" is generally not looking out for others and improving morale (thus, efficiency). They're in it for power, ego, glory, money, etc. The real "leader" goes about his/her job with quiet dignity, listening to and helping the people he/she leads.
A genuine emphasis on the identifying and developing the true "leaders" would yield a happier workplace. Apple polishers serve no one but themselves.
Ineffective supervisors trying to please all
DOI
Fri May 16, 2008 9:50 AM
I enjoyed your article and from my 25 years of federal service you are correct supervisors that there are some bad supervisors that are good people. I have a scenerio that is different. I have supervisor who wants to delegate everything out to all his employees and do nothing themselves. We no longer go to him if we have questions (limited knowledge of the work) because he said go to your other co-workers first to find a solution. Once you have some recommendations then you can come to me for a decision. They asked their supervisor then what do you do and the response was I think of new ideas or better processes for the office to make your work flow better though we haven't really seen any yet. Talks down to some staff members and doesn't listen to others ideas if different from his. His supervisor has received comments from the staff about him, but hopes things will work out just give it time. What would be your suggestions?
Sad, but true
USDA, Rural Development
Fri May 16, 2008 12:24 PM
This article is spot on. Many decisions in our organization are driven by the short term: not enough money to hire effective supervisors - so ineffective supervisors are given more duties with the assumption that their subordinates will "carry them until they retire". Trouble is - without communication from the supervisor - subordinates can't be effective no matter how much they try. Performing employees continue to receive more work but little recognition because they are taken for granted and non-performing employees who are aren't fully engaged (so have time to broadcast their "successes" to the supervisor who has no idea what their workforce does) - receive promotions. Our best, loyal, long term employees are leaving - tired of carrying the workload for the non-performing supervisors and employees. The knowledge drain is huge - there will be no one left to train the new staff. When will the Agency value their workforce & realize it's LESS expensive to hire quality managers?
Bad Supervisors, Bad Union Officials
BLM
Sun May 18, 2008 11:03 AM
The Federal Government is the largest employer and is the largest "right to work" situation. There is a reason the federal govenment allows you to be covered by union contracts without having to pay for the privilege. It puts the union at a disadvantage! And if you don't have a contract, federal employees are basically "at will" employees. You allow them to get away with it all by quitting, moving on, retiring, giving up, being apathetic. You become part of the problem.
If all the decent employees would stand up, join your union or organize one (which all feds have the right to do), offer your time to the union, READ THE CONTRACT YOURSELF....and maybe we ALL could actually get back to work. Let them know you won't let them get away with all the BS and maybe they will quit trying! It starts with YOU. If you don't think your union is objective and as helpful as they should be contact the FLRA and report them! You have rights - use them! You have a brain, use it!
Nepotism Culprit
Agency
Tue Jul 8, 2008 11:09 AM
I am convinced that it is by designed that managers sabotage careers of employees who do not have a kinship, friendship, or practice henship. The chain of command is usually partial and is a benefactor of nepotism. The overall character of those who seem ti benefit from promotions, awards, etc. most often is that of an alley cat. Hats off to the good managers, who chances are - are not related to anyone in the agency.
Who is watching the HENHOUSE?
BAD SUPERVISORS MAKE GOOD TEACHERS
HEALTH CARE
Tue Jul 8, 2008 11:45 AM
Having always been a subordinate, I've been supervised for 36 years. In those years I've had both good and bad supervisors. I truly believe I could be a good supervisor because I've watched so many bad ones, I know what to avoid.
The common thread I find amongst my worst supervisors is lack of self-confidence. They got the job by luck and I think they know it. These supervisors tend to take suggestions as criticism. They are easily threatened by an intelligent subordinate.
The very worst supervisor is the one who truly enjoys bossing people around.
Bad Supervisor
DOE
Wed Jul 9, 2008 10:33 AM
We have a director under our AM that is still in the probationary period. So far he has had one employee quite her job due to his constant harrassment and another file a grievence due to his harassing (bullying). He still has yet to be reprimanded and continues to bully other females in his organization. What can be done to take care of this situation.
I have talked to my boss telling him that this problem will eventually reflect back on him but he told me that the director was sent to training to become better at his people skills. I have yet to see it.
Preaching to the Choir
Interior
Mon Jul 21, 2008 8:37 AM
My boss has sent an email to all of his employees directing them to stop gossiping about him and a certain female employee which most feel he shows abnormal favortism too. The email directs us to read certain biblical passages to overcome the sins of our group. I like my job and love my location but...Yikes! I'm getting out of here! Isn't this in violation of the US Constitution?
Manipulated Established Selection Process
US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District
Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:59 AM
The USACE, Jacksonville District does not follow the OPM established personnel selection processes. Grievance procedures are null because the process is internal and equally manipulated to sustain the results of manipulated selection procedures. I have written admission of a wrongful selection process, but the results are deteriorating the agency's image and reputation because exactly that; poor supervision and failure to implement the agency's mission substantially affecting the office morale. The worst; the agency does nothing to solve or improve the problem seriously affecting the agency’s mission and public trust. Your report describes exactly what is happening in the Antilles Office.
managers
SSA
Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:38 PM
Sorry to wait so long to post. The article really hits home.
I see quite often very rapid advancement from technician to manager in 4 years or less.
The technical jobs such as BTE and CTE take about 5 years to gain proficiency. Is a technician promoted to manager within 2 years going to have the knowledge it takes to manage the job family?
I have had managers who were never in the CTE position telling me how many cases I should be able to produce in 8 hours. How can they know this? Each case is quite different and some are extremely complex.
It is one thing to see numbers on paper and another thing to actually be processing these cases.
And why do managers not take a little time to get to know the employees? Some behavior problems could be eliminated with a little compassion which SSA managers sorely lack.
With increasing backlogs and automation we are receiving the worst cases possible. Management is hoping to automate jobs that are just too complex
Hostile Working Environment, EEO Complaint
DOD, US Army
Fri May 1, 2009 12:08 PM
I have 29 years with the Federal Government. I am the only civillian working in office at Fort Stewart, GA. This is my second grievance, NO fault of my own. I too have high awards, high performance rating, etc, but it seems like if a supervisor is out to ruin your career, they will do it. The military try to treat civilians like they are, give us counseling statements which we don't deserve. So anyway, I am at the present time, filing an EEO grievance. Right now I will try arbitration/mediation and I do have several pieces of documents to back up my case. All I am asking for is a transfer from this office. I do feel the answer is document everything and hire yourself the BEST EMPLOYMENT LAWYER you can find to represent you!!! Also tape record them in saying things about you and your lawyer can use it to hear what they are saying about you, but it can not be used in a grievance proceeding. Also document everything you do, by phone, visitors, typing a document, etc.
Omnipotent Supervisor
USDA
Mon May 18, 2009 8:23 AM
Not to sound childlike but the problem with our supervisor is that she is nothing of the kind. She supervises nothing, delegates everything, does nothing herself. Rules are for we little ones and not her. Double-standard city. She often holds people to standards that she herself would never accept for herself. This is very apparent and demoralizing. Her laziness knows no bounds. As to her level of competence, while not incompetent, she often professes to know everything based on her own 5-minute knowledge of a "similar" matter years ago. Forget facts, laws, regulations, and details. They all come back to what she knows is the case. Always. If it does not, then someone else must have made a mistake. Only the TV in her office helps distract her from being a complete nuisance to us all day long. How do productive staff continue to produce and effectively contribute to an agency when the supervisor is an inept arrogant lazy employee interested in only doing what gets one by?
bad bosses
bpa
Mon May 18, 2009 10:34 AM
i have been at bpa 20 yrs & can tell you bpa has a real problem with supervisors.we have had 8 different bosses here in the last 20 yrs with 6 of them being untrained to do their job.life here has been really difficult at a company that should be the best place in the world to work.i worked for 20 yrs outside the federal gov. & never saw the treatment we see here at bpa.
Incompetent Supervisor
United States Marshals Service
Tue May 19, 2009 8:48 AM
I was subject to a totally incompetent supervisor in the Marshal's Service. This AO had no administrative background and was hired because of his disability (wheelchair). His background consisted of a Park Service position which was created for him by a friend at his church. He purchased supplies for the Park Service and this "qualified" him to be Administrative Officer. His incompetence led to favoritism among employees. He had the mentality of a teenager. He spent the majority of his time trying to get out of work and running errands. His incompentence led to the removal of a 29 year veteran who was doing her job with excellence until she questioned his excessive leave usage (13 weeks AL in one week?? When did the govt start this??) Anyway, he wrote her up for poor performance and mgmt stood behind him. He is still there, traveling around the country on the govt's dime and "working" at home. No wonder the govt is so screwed up.
MBWA courtesty of HP not Jack Welch
US Marine Corps
Tue May 19, 2009 10:19 AM
Just wanted to clarify that Management by Walking Around was originally a management technique used by Dave Packard of Hewlett Packard and later emulated by Jack Welch and many others...