Pointing fingers

[Tayla]

today at work I ran into a scenario.

A Co worker was asked to deliver a priority item to a client. Four departments got involved to see that it got attended to.

 

My part (duty) was to gather the items, create the paperwork and get it in his hands Pronto! I did.

 

Three hours go by and a page comes thru the system that the parts/products did not make it to its destination. Its a 20 min drive to client site.

 

My first inclination was that perhaps the co worker got stuck in major traffic, had a car problem or maybe was injured. We called his cell (no response), messaged him ( no response), Emailed him (no response), and Contacted Dispatch since he has A tracker system on his Vehicle. His car was at another clients site. So we had to have HIS BOSS send him a text alert. In our line of business when a Text alert goes off, your job is on the line. The Co worker gets a stern warning that the delivery is three hours late and to get it there Pronto!

 

About ten minutes later I get a phone call from the co worker reaming me out ! He said its my fault because I didn't "Tell" him the importance of the delivery. Umm hellloooooo , You were handed the items first thing and given orders to go. Sorry that I didn't write it on the BOX or shout it in your ear!

He stormed into the office after I requested an apology for his rude accusations and trying to pawn his delay off on my "communication skills".

He then said I was overly sensitive and I should just own up to getting him into trouble!

He said he wasn't going to apologize and that I was in the wrong , despite four departments telling him to be there. I refuse to be his scape goat.

 

Tomorrow my boss( company owner) is due back from his training, and I would like to broach him on this mishap because the client was his account. I'd rather him hear it from his staff then the customer.

 

How shall I tell my boss without pointing fingers ...He is ultimately going to ask who the staff member was.....And to be honest, the staff member has changed his story four times depending on who he is talking to.

Sorry so long, just frustrated that He cast stones , when I followed procedure and he didn't.

[Gloria25]

Well, does your boss "have" to know about this incident?

 

I mean, has the client said anything about it?

 

I'm not sure what your boss' style is (ie even though no complaint from client, boss wants to know when stuff goes down)...I say don't talk about unless you "have" to.

 

Cuz, IMO, bosses don't wanna hear insignificant daily stuff. I know when I give someone a task, how they carry it out is not my concern cuz I hate micromanaging and if I have to be involved in everything I delegate/order, then when am I gonna have time to be the manager/leader/boss?

 

If you "do" have to bring this up (or wanna get it to your boss before he hears it from the wrong sources) I say go with a "problem/solution" approach. Don't blame anyone. Just say what happened, and what you did/put in place to solve it. Cuz, that gives the impression that you handled the poop, are responsible/reliable/professional...and, don't resort to childish games.

 

So, you can probably say like 'Boss, X priority package was not delivered on time to client X, issue was courier claims he didn't know package was priority. To avoid this happening again, I sent an apology to client X and gave courier a brief/refresher on policy/procedures for delivering packages'.

 

Good luck

 

I've been there, done that, and doing it when co-workers lie through their teeth to save their own sorry butts

[firemanq]

Start a list, the order/importance of what you listing is not important. I find that as I write the list, I remember other things, that I need to consider. Make sure that you leave 2 or 3 spaces between the topics. Then I read what I wrote, and add, delete, make changes.

 

 

I may put the list aside, this give me the time to unconsciously think about the list.

 

 

I will probably add/make changes again.

 

 

Then I start the top of the list, and going through the list, mark # 1, # 2 and so on. I start with #1 and then # 2, and so on. The list may need to be chronological, or based upon importance of each line item.

 

 

At sometime, I use Word and type the list. This allows me to change the listing by cutting and pasting.

 

 

in your situation, I would Keep track of event times, comments by others, vehicle tracking, e-mails to others. Everyone in the meeting gets a copy of your presentation.

 

 

In your situation, I would start with the importance of the delivery. And whatever discussion was had to insure the delivery was made on time. Document if you told the delivery person to make sure the fuel tank was filled the day before. Document if someone was a witness, talk to them and ask if they remember anything any different than you do. Get them to sign off on your notes. Did anyone witness the discussion with the delivery person? Document that it that happened or did not happen. If you do not remember something, say you do not remember, in writing. One of your goals is to maintain your credibility. You may think about having some who is aware of the problem, proof read your notes. But that person needs to be a person with integrity. not part of the report, but has this person failed in their responsibility before?

 

 

This project could have had severe financial repercussions to your company. Make sure it does not have repercussions to you.

[Tayla]

Thanks! Good suggestions.

 

The Boss is not a list person, He thinks if you document it, then you are just covering your butt, and he doesn't take well to that. Matter of fact the key point you made- the repercussions to the companys' reputation and financial may be the stepping stone. He would be more in tune to that avenue of thought. And yes this personnel is known to twist the truth to suit his point of view.

[writergal]

Tayla, just tell your boss the truth. Stick to the facts. Keep emotion out of it. Show your boss ALL the paperwork, emails, text messages sent, etc. Create the timeline again for your boss to see. Logically, he will arrive at the same conclusion that you did: your co-worker f*cked up and tried to pin it on you because he forgot to deliver to that particular client before he went to the other client. It's common sense really. Your co-worker sounds like a real *******!

[Tayla]

Well, does your boss "have" to know about this incident?

 

I mean, has the client said anything about it?

 

I'm not sure what your boss' style is (ie even though no complaint from client, boss wants to know when stuff goes down)...I say don't talk about unless you "have" to.

 

Cuz, IMO, bosses don't wanna hear insignificant daily stuff. I know when I give someone a task, how they carry it out is not my concern cuz I hate micromanaging and if I have to be involved in everything I delegate/order, then when am I gonna have time to be the manager/leader/boss?

 

If you "do" have to bring this up (or wanna get it to your boss before he hears it from the wrong sources) I say go with a "problem/solution" approach. Don't blame anyone. Just say what happened, and what you did/put in place to solve it. Cuz, that gives the impression that you handled the poop, are responsible/reliable/professional...and, don't resort to childish games.

 

So, you can probably say like 'Boss, X priority package was not delivered on time to client X, issue was courier claims he didn't know package was priority. To avoid this happening again, I sent an apology to client X and gave courier a brief/refresher on policy/procedures for delivering packages'.

 

Good luck

 

I've been there, done that, and doing it when co-workers lie through their teeth to save their own sorry butts

 

Good points, as my boss doesn't care for the childish mindsets sometimes. He absolutely THRIVES on Customer satisfaction. And since this is a PRIME account, they will voice the concern. This was not a third party courier. It was a staff member that he has on payroll. My Boss does want to hear from staff, because if the customer calls him about it first, he feels blindsided and detests that his staff didn't convey the concern first.

 

As to the action/solution- He would refer this over to the Operations manager.

 

I am in NO position to tell another department employee how to do their job. we are to work as a team though, and as earlier stated, I did my part in processing. His duty was to attend to customers request with the product. His Department Boss did the proper thing by contacting him and directing him there .

 

My Boss does not tolerate employee disrespect or false accusations, and that is what this boiled down too.

[anika99]

First of all, was this co-worker informed that this was a high priority delivery? Should he have assumed that it was high priority? If he needed to be informed, who should have informed him?

 

 

Where I work we also have situations where several departments become involved. The protocol for high priority/rush jobs is spelled out very clearly so that there can be no misunderstandings or blame shifting. I'm curious to know if the co-worker is normally allowed to decide in which order he is going to do things and therefore wouldn't have known any better in this situation if nobody directly told him that this delivery had to be done right away. If there is no clear definition of the order that things are to be done or how they are to be prioritized and nobody is in charge of informing the co-worker of high priority jobs then this situation might really not be his fault.

[OpenBook]

I was wondering the same things as anika. Has this kind of thing happened before? If so, there's a gap in the process somewhere. This might be a golden opportunity for the OP to "shine" by proposing a better solution. But (as the OP already knows) it's always best to stay neutral (and don't get defensive!) when presenting what happened to your boss. Even if the delivery guy is a Class A jerk. Easier said than done, I know! Oh boy, do I know...

[Tayla]

First of all, was this co-worker informed that this was a high priority delivery? Should he have assumed that it was high priority? If he needed to be informed, who should have informed him?

 

 

Where I work we also have situations where several departments become involved. The protocol for high priority/rush jobs is spelled out very clearly so that there can be no misunderstandings or blame shifting. I'm curious to know if the co-worker is normally allowed to decide in which order he is going to do things and therefore wouldn't have known any better in this situation if nobody directly told him that this delivery had to be done right away. If there is no clear definition of the order that things are to be done or how they are to be prioritized and nobody is in charge of informing the co-worker of high priority jobs then this situation might really not be his fault.

 

True, it had been earlier stated that procedural operations could well be suggested...

This particular client (Major account) has priority as its standard provision.

They require top notch attendance to their needs and more often then not we meet that expectation. The Staff member knew that is a high priority account. Its not necessary to every week remind the person to be diligence.

 

Editors footnote: I certainly don't remind my kids each week to buckle up in the car, its standard knowledge to do so and if they "forget" the car doesn't go out of park til they do buckle up. ( Same Principle)

 

Its the person's (staff members) Responsibility to know the accounts off the bat. Were they at fault, Hmmmm....Lets see they "assumed" they didn't need to go til they were good and ready. He deliberately ignored phone calls, emails and text, til it finally escalated to his Boss's level. So ultimately Yes the personnel was accountable on many levels for not tending to the account and then dodging any correspondence.

Can't exactly say that he is innocent ...

Edited April 23, 2015 by Tayla

[hotgurl]

you have to wonder what he was doing for three hours.

[preraph]

Name his name to your boss or his boss. Tell him " ____ tried to scapegoat me when he got in trouble for not delivering a priority item timely and during that time he was unable to be reached by phone, text, etc."

[Tayla]

I want to thank you each for the suggestions.

 

This afternoon our boss met with the team to get feedback. The client had sent him an email. So he was willing to listen to the team. We each spoke our concerns and the boss was extremely lenient to the personnel who was accountable for the delay. After the meeting we spoke and he asked that I let this difference slide.He knows the employee can be brazen and he is aware that his attitude needs re aligned when it comes to inter personnel. He said that next time I am put in the middle to step back,send him into his voicemail and he would resolve it pronto! I took that to mean he is aware and is going to take this over to HR for employee assessment and recommendations.

Just glad its over and out in the open. Some staff really did support the goal of timely delivery.