DEAR HARRIETTE: The new girl at my job makes me look bad. I trained her myself, but none of the training seems to hold.
She’s on probation right now and I’ll give my analysis of her in a week. I really like her, but she performs so poorly that I can not co-sign.
Should I give her a chance to get her to act, or should I be honest about her poor performance? Giving an inaccurate report can put my job at risk.
Poor performance
DEAR BAD PERFORMANCE: Lying helps no one, especially in this situation.
Talk to this new employee before her formal job performance meeting. Ask her what is happening that makes it difficult for her to perform her tasks effectively.
Tell her that you are worried that she does not seem to understand what to do or choose not to do the work the way you taught her. Encourage her to talk to you about what is preventing her from doing her job well.
Listen carefully so you can gain insight into what is going on with her. Remind her that her evaluation is on its way and that she will not get a good review as it looks. Give her suggestions on what she can do now to improve her work performance.
Then tell the truth after her evaluation. If she shows signs of improvement after your conversation, you may notice it. But you must at least be direct and honest in your analysis. Otherwise, you will damage your reputation and jeopardize the productivity of your business.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I am currently sharing an apartment with two other people. I can not afford to move into my own place yet, but that has been a goal for me for a few years now.
My dad recently invited me to move into his detached garage after he and my mom renovated. They plan to convert the garage into a guest house. I could save a lot of money by moving in, but my parents are sneaky and I’m afraid they’ll use this as an excuse to sniff after me. What should I do?
Moving back
DEAR BACK: If you are moving home with a plan and a timeline, you may be able to manage your time there.
You will need to establish ground rules as a tenant with your parents so that everyone is aware of the expectations. It will be important for you to pay rent of some kind. This gives you more independence.
Thank you to your parents for giving you this opportunity to have a more comfortable place to live and the opportunity to save up for your own apartment. Tell them your plan – to stay there for a certain period of time while you prepare to move out on your own.
Resolve your biggest worries. Tell them that your privacy is important to you and you want them to treat you like a tenant, which means they are not allowed to come in to you without your permission and they must treat you like an adult.
Know that it may take time for you to establish enforced boundaries with your parents, but it may be worth it for a limited period of time to help you get back on your feet.
Harriette Cole is a lifestyle expert and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c / o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.
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