Maria has left and after the story it’s probably a good time to look at her journey before a full post-mortem is held.

a) On arrival she alienated her team
b) She developed relationships at work that were not prepared to support her when times got difficult at work
c) She restructured her team for effect as opposed to focussing on long-term results
d) She introduced Quick wins that did not include her boss’s sought after results
e) She introduced employees that she had worked with in the past

That is not to say that everything she did was bad, it wasn’t. During her time she had some success with the introductions on a new process for hiring employees, she helped the Sales Director restructure his area and she increased productivity.

The problem was that the positive aspects of her work were not sufficiently large enough to outweigh the negatives and as a result the “perception” of her work was seen to be negative. It’s worth considering that negative aspects often have a greater impact than positives where considerations of capability at work are concerned.

So Maria’s job lasted around six months before she decided that her career would be better served by finding another position to move to. The question that we might all have is “Has she learnt from her mistakes or will they be repeated again?

Further info on job transitions can be found at:
http://assimilating-talent.com

In what is being seen as a definite demotion by the rest of the company Maria has agreed to lead a team in an administrative area. However her new team are not pleased to have been told that her appointment is to “troubleshoot” the team to increased productivity.

Maria has been calling in sick with stress and a cold.

In the meantime her assistant is solidifying his position.
The CEO and Sales Director are coming to rely on John more and more and have already identified him as a successor to Maria when she leaves.

It’s likely that on Maria’s return from her illness that a meeting to “discuss her position and future” will be arranged.

Maria has organised an assessment centre for a new Sales Manager. The intention is to interview six candidates, two internal. The process includes a number of exercises including a role play exercise in handling under-performing sales people, handling meetings, preparing sales reports as well as an interview. The day will be observed by a number of managers chosen from the Sales Director’s departmental responsibilities.

The Sales Director has elected not to be involved as he wants to distance himself from the selection procedure as the two internal candidates are already under notice of redundancy from his department.

There is one problem. It seems that a member of staff has found an email in a photo-copyer from the Sales Director to Maria stating that he’s not prepared to have either of the two existing staff members gain the job and a copy of the assessment centre exercises.

A copy of the email has found its way to one of the candidates. 

John has been with the department a few weeks and already he’s had to deal with some complicated issues surrounding policies on expenses and past claims as well as dealt with a number of return to work issues.
Already the MD is seeking out his advice.

It’s also been noticed that John is a great networker and has many friends in the media and newspapers through his father who is a producer at the BBC. His own network including many from his past companies as well as CIPD.

John previously worked in Maria’s HR Department in her previous company.
John is a qualified member of the CIPD as well as having a degree from Reading University.
He is currently half way through a MBA course.
John is single having just split from his girlfriend, plays golf, swims and likes collecting foreign banknotes.

The existing team thinks he’s very nice but are concerned as to how Maria and the new hire will act together.
Christine is particularly concerned as to her own position within the Department as she’s concluded that Maria doesn’t like her.

At a meeting this afternoon with the MD Maria was told that her performance was not what had been anticipated.The MD told her that:

1. She has alienated her team
2. Provided poor advice to him and other Directors.

He has offered to help where he can but has suggested that the efficiency and reputation of HR must improve quickly or further action (unspecified) will have to follow.

Maria has replied that her existing team is “weak on change” but that her new assistant manager starts next week and that improvements will be expected soon after.

Maria has been informed that a member of staff has complained that a disciplinary meeting conducted by Maria did not follow the ACAS code of conduct set out in April 2009 relatinmg to the calling of witnesses.

Maria has been told that the employee, who has now left the company, is making a claim for wrongful dismissal and the solicitor is wanting to move to tribunal. The CEO feels that compensation will have to be made to the employee and is placing the blame entirely at Maria’s feet for not being aware of disciplinary changes in procedure. Maria claims that the new procedure was only guidance.

As the employee was a direct report to the Sales Director it seems that she is unlikely to get any support from that direction.

Maria has announced to her team that she has finalised the restructure of the team roles and announced them to her team.

She is also bringing in a “Senior Assistant” to act as her deputy. Probably from her previous company

Two members of Maria’s team have made appointments with her to say that they feel that Maria is treating her assistant, Christine, unfairly. Maria rejected their comments and told them to mind their own business. After the meeting Maria then spoke to Christine and said that she was surprised that Christine had “to get others to fight her battles for her” and accused her of having no backbone!

Maria seems to be painting herself into a corner with her team who now view her treatment of her assistant as being unfair and bullying. Her team also suspects that Maria would like to replace Christine with the Assistant HR manager from her previous company.

The morale in the HR department has fallen and work is generally done in silence whilst Maria is present and the moment she leaves the Department discussion tales place about her poor management style.