Tom calls it "Cranky Animal Toy." Notice that it's between you and the coffee pot ... is that hell, or what!
My friend isn’t in a decision-making position. She does, however, work from home and sees signs that they want to revoke her telecommuting “privilege.” She didn’t actually verbalize this, but I think she suspects that the manager and the former manager, who currently do the work of the problematic member, want her to work in the office and take up their slack. The problem member has been moved around to multiple positions in hopes of finding a good match. Her motivation and performance were dismal in all areas. Think EEO.
Tom calls it "Cranky Animal Toy." Notice that it's between you and the coffee pot ... is that hell, or what!
She may not be a decision-maker, but she may be an influencer.
Here’s what I would suggest, especially if the project is floundering. Recommend the manager start a daily update that is scheduled for 15 minutes only. (Tough to enforce, but once everyone gets used to it, easy to do.) Each person talks about exactly 3 things. 1) What they FINISHED yesterday (as opposed to what they worked on) 2) What they expect to FINISH today 3) What is blocking forward progress (if anything). Your friend can volunteer to capture the expectations and send them out after the meeting, but she shouldn’t have to. The manager should do that.
It won’t take long for whoever isn’t FINISHING anything to become apparent, and nobody will have to point a finger or rat.
If management doesn’t deal with this person at that point, find a better manager?
That’s a good idea! Thank you. I’ll pass it on to her and ask for feedback.