Archived Dealing with "angry/frustrated" team member.

[Asuras]

Issue resolved.

 

[Hardlinesmaster]

Make your etl aware of the events. But, does that Tm do everything by best practice? My suggestion is, don't judge folks by speed, watch them & see if they trained correctly. Being patient & having tolerance, is a sign of a strong leader.

 

[redeye58]

Myself, I would have a talk with him.
Allow him to air his frustrations, acknowledge them then explain your predicament.
Let him know that it's frustrating for YOU to see him get bypassed so many times, that you would like to mentor him but his work methods are holding him back.
Ask him for what he thinks needs doing & compare that with your own suggestions.
In actuality, your ETL may need to have this talk or sit in on the discussion.
This can be a potential minefield when dealing with older TMs who feel they have a lot to offer but feel marginalized.

 

[DoWork]

Adding to what others say, I'd have him do tasks he's good at. Some people just don't have a higher gear. It sucks, but it's the way it is. If his speed is such a problem, having him not finish a task isn't a good solution. Maybe work with him to see what's taking so long. Part of being a leader of anything is equipping your team with the skills they need to do the job and allocating jobs that some people perform better than others.

I have one guy who is slow, but very thorough. He does a lot of the culling and stocking of visually appealing products like apples, avocados, etc. Another is quick, but not as thorough, so I prefer her to do salads and lunch meat, as quality is rarely, if ever, an issue.

Small changes like that can make a big difference in the grand scheme of things.

 

[tgtguy]

If the tm isn't performing up to Spots standards I would have a talk with him( partner with your etl) ...however, I wouldn't make it an ass chewing session. Talk to him...get a sense of where he is coming from etc and take it from there. Sometimes, when you actually listen to a person you get a sense of where they are coming from and they may have valid points. I will also add that one of Spots many downfalls is its interview process..for leadership roles and pa etc. Why waste the time interviewing? They already know who they wont to give the position to...

 

[Asuras]

Myself, I would have a talk with him.
Allow him to air his frustrations, acknowledge them then explain your predicament.
Let him know that it's frustrating for YOU to see him get bypassed so many times, that you would like to mentor him but his work methods are holding him back.
Ask him for what he thinks needs doing & compare that with your own suggestions.
In actuality, your ETL may need to have this talk or sit in on the discussion.
This can be a potential minefield when dealing with older TMs who feel they have a lot to offer but feel marginalized.

I just might do that, I don't see him again until Friday. Hopefully the next few days will allow him to cool off enough to talk to.

Adding to what others say, I'd have him do tasks he's good at. Some people just don't have a higher gear. It sucks, but it's the way it is. If his speed is such a problem, having him not finish a task isn't a good solution. Maybe work with him to see what's taking so long. Part of being a leader of anything is equipping your team with the skills they need to do the job and allocating jobs that some people perform better than others.

The task I provide him are short enough for him to finish. The issue is, he goes beyond what I ask and spends too much time on it. Such as today, with checking dates and zoning. The task usually delegated to the closer and who ever is filling it. The team member I have doing the task at night does an amazing job of it and ensure dates are rotated. But said team member would take a chunk of the shelf off to check again and confirming again that the dates were rotated. This would block the area and prevent guest to get the items they need. He isn't exactly a people person too but that is another issue. But to the point he would do task that has already been done and just to reconfirm that it has. Obstructing and not acknowledging guest. Don't get me wrong, I appropriate that he wants to double check but there is a time and a place to do it. Not during high traffic time. Or today, the Monday after the 4th of July. With people coming home and all doing their shopping done.

When my old team lead was in charge. He would try to schedule himself with him and gave him the task of checking the dates. And he himself worked around him to get things done. So maybe the problem stems from that and he is stuck with the same routine. Or maybe he doesn't trust others getting it done.But either way I want to sit down with him like everyone suggested. I just wasn't sure if I should or let the ETL deal with it.

I never had issues with him in the past and this was the first time I ever had someone angry at me like this. Just a new experience for me as a new team lead.

 

[mrknownothing]

Three words: Seek To Understand.

 

[Sickofspot]

Also, HR is a good partner for this. They can give you the proper wording and approach to the situation.

 

[whippingboy]

I also work in a super target, food side. It's a specialty area, so it's common to see team members promote to team leaders and stay within the department. As far as your team member's attitude, you need to mention it to a superior. It's possible he may become violent if pushed too far and each "episode" must be documented for your own safety and for the team. I'm sorry you have to deal with it, though.

 

[RetailWorld]

This could lead to an issue with age discrimination and you need to get your ETL-HR involved.