How Do We Muzzle an Office Tattletale?

How Do We Muzzle an Office Tattletale?
	Our HRIS manager frequently tattles on her peers to our boss, who is vice president of human resources. In fact, the only employee upon whom she does not tattle is her only subordinate. She is really wrecking morale, teamwork and communications in our office. Why does she do this? What are the ramifications? And what might cause her to change her behavior? —Beleaguered in Banking, Central California
	This scenario seems to come straight out of a family script or elementary school situation. The HRIS manager is telling "Daddy" about how naughty her siblings have been; she comes across as wanting to be "teacher's pet." Alas, she's more pest than pet. Even if the HRIS manager has very high work standards that she feels others are not meeting, the boss is the real problem. Regarding your first question--why she persists in this behavior–I suspect there are some immature needs calling for attention or approval. Maybe some buried sibling rivalry is being played out. Unfortunately, your boss is enabling this dysfunction. His motivation is another unanswered question. Perhaps his action stems from a need to be a father figure, or a need to enhance his sense of power and control, or even possibly a desire to pursue a romantic dalliance. In addition to fostering a climate of unfairness and favoritism, this tattling certainly will stir resentment and evoke jealousy. Let's concentrate on some specific issues and strategies. 1. Talk to the Boss. Even if you think this will go nowhere, you should register your concern for the record. Even better would be having two or three employees approach your boss to detail the negative impact of your HRIS manager's behavior. If you do this, be prepared with documentation of her behavior and observable consequences--e.g., time spent by team members venting at lunch, any verbal blowups or testiness, etc. If the boss reacts favorably to having a set of eyes and ears on the work floor, propose a team meeting to discuss concerns about individual or departmental performance or team cooperation. I suspect that if both the boss and the HRIS manager knew how to run effective team meetings, much of the problems you report would disappear. Nonetheless, if he dismisses this suggestion or chalks up your complaints to jealousy, it will be time for other intervention options. Talk to the EAP. If your company has an employee assistance program, make time to share your concerns with a professional counselor. Counselors may be able to get your boss' attention and facilitate team meetings to clear the air. Finally, the EAP counselor can go over your boss' head and hopefully get someone of higher authority to deal with your boss' behavior. Talk to a Colleague of Your Boss. If you want to try an informal intervention before using the EAP option, try to enlist the support of an executive colleague or friend of your boss. This person should have your boss' welfare in mind and not be afraid to talk straight with your boss. Of course, don't trash your boss; mainly express your desire to stop the damage to morale and rebuild team cooperation. SOURCE: Mark Gorkin, LICSW, the Stress Doc , Washington, D.C., February 27, 2006.