Incompetent Deputy

[Guest]

Just looking for some advice... any advice :blink:

I took over as Pre-School supervisor a year ago, the staff team were/are very established having all been there a long time, it was tough and not all staff members were on board as i made changes, The committee were very supportive and promoted the only staff member on board to Deputy. However in the last few months she has become an absolute nightmare, doing the most ridiculous things, things that are just an ounce of common sense would make any normal person cringe, Her assessments are shocking, observations don't even have dates on them???? I asked her to change a nappy which she did but the mother arrived the following day saying her child didn't have a nappy on when he got home??? Really!!! She turns up late every day, she's always asking to leave so she can take her teenage children to appointments, Im at my wits end and am begining to regret taking the job on which is awful because i love my job! I do supervison and appraisals are booked in to take place in the next 2 weeks but you can't teach common sense, I'd really like to demote her but i've no idea how or if i can do this? A staff restucture perhaps... but how?

aggghhhh!

[flowlow]

Hi Karen24

I have just replied to your post on my post (I think that makes sense lol) it is a tricky situation and was the reason why I was asking for advice earlier this month also. I do supervisions and peer observations every term, appraisals every year staff meetings every week, but things were still slipping through the net. Other staff were complaining about her practice but were not keen to make things official as we are small and all live, work and socialise in the same area. It is a tricky situation, I have learnt that however hard and however horrid you feel you have to face them with their bad practice, but it wasn't nice or easy. I did all the understanding things of talking through home situations, extending deadlines, even on occasion covering her workload to giver her time to sort herself out etc... I have been as supportive and compassionate as I could be, smoothed things over, put in place extra training, essentially spent hours trying to help. We were/are friends and that made everything harder really as I felt like I was betraying a friendship but you do get to a point where if nothing is working and no improvement is there and you are facing the fact that if you don't so something either all the rest of the staff will leave or she will put a child at risk then something has to change

I did in the end have to initiate a disciplinary and now she is on improvement practice plan. Essentially it will add to your work load but it does mean one of two things happen, either she improves or you get the paperwork behind you to take it further. She agreed to step down from everything but key person role, in fact she seemed relieved, but our problems are not over as I had hoped. I just now take one step at a time and am much firmer and quicker to raise bad practice. Where is will end I do not know and have got to the point where I don't know what to hope for. I really hope you get it sorted, feel free to message me if you just want someone to talk it through with, I help if I can.

[Guest]

Thanks!!! Nice to know we aren't on our own facing the same problems... i think i'll look into the improvement practice plan you mentioned.. as for extra workload, i do everything and i mean everything myself so i doubt it would make any difference. If only all the staff had been on board when i needed to take on a deputy, I have 2 other's that would be perfect for the job!

Thanks x

 

Hi Karen24

I have just replied to your post on my post (I think that makes sense lol) it is a tricky situation and was the reason why I was asking for advice earlier this month also. I do supervisions and peer observations every term, appraisals every year staff meetings every week, but things were still slipping through the net. Other staff were complaining about her practice but were not keen to make things official as we are small and all live, work and socialise in the same area. It is a tricky situation, I have learnt that however hard and however horrid you feel you have to face them with their bad practice, but it wasn't nice or easy. I did all the understanding things of talking through home situations, extending deadlines, even on occasion covering her workload to giver her time to sort herself out etc... I have been as supportive and compassionate as I could be, smoothed things over, put in place extra training, essentially spent hours trying to help. We were/are friends and that made everything harder really as I felt like I was betraying a friendship but you do get to a point where if nothing is working and no improvement is there and you are facing the fact that if you don't so something either all the rest of the staff will leave or she will put a child at risk then something has to change

I did in the end have to initiate a disciplinary and now she is on improvement practice plan. Essentially it will add to your work load but it does mean one of two things happen, either she improves or you get the paperwork behind you to take it further. She agreed to step down from everything but key person role, in fact she seemed relieved, but our problems are not over as I had hoped. I just now take one step at a time and am much firmer and quicker to raise bad practice. Where is will end I do not know and have got to the point where I don't know what to hope for. I really hope you get it sorted, feel free to message me if you just want someone to talk it through with, I help if I can.

[Guest]

ACAS have a leaflet which includes how to manage under performance, which may help you. You can find it easily on the ACAS website and is called 'How to manage performance'.

Good luck, this is never nice to deal with but especially so when there is friendship involved too.

[Thumper]

Hello

Sorry to hear your in such a frustrating position.

 

Has she alway been like this or is there a change in her behaviour?

 

Have you had a chat to your deputy and asked if everything is ok at home/with health etc? Maybe just mention you've noticed she seems to be distracted and wondered if there was anything you could do to support her? It may be that there's something wrong or that she's oblivious to how she's performing. By taking this tack your highlighting it but not (in the 1st instance) telling her off so to speak.

[SazzJ]

Karen you have my complete and utter sympathy. 4 and half years ago I was in your shoes. Time and time again I mentioned the issues to the committee and I was ignored.

 

However a staff member left (only 3 of us) as I announced I was pregnant and I told the committee straight I was not prepared to allow my deputy to step up as she was not competent to do the job! They asked her if she would and she said no anyway so they made her step down. We hired a fab assistant who we promoted to leader during my maternity leave and we now co manage as we lost our committee in Nov.

 

She often does nothing, assessments and obs were shocking and the spelling and grammar was appalling! That's improved drastically as other leader takes no rubbish and doesn't beat around the bugs unlike myself! Think capabilities procedures are needed and be honest but firm!

 

However mine took time off for another job!!!! That frustrates the hell out of me

[Guest]

Thanks guys... appreciate your comments,nice to know im not on my own dealing with "stupid"people.. bit harsh maybe but thats how it feels. Onwards and upwards