I have a new coworker since last week. We are the only ones in the department. the first day, he bombarded me with questions and suggestions for improvement without any institutional knowledge why things are the way they are, rather than trying to focus on learning the core issues. I gave him short explanations as sometimes there are such long historical reasons and it can’t all be explained in a short phone call. Anyway, this strange man hasn’t responded to a single email from me since he started - I sent 4: informing him of crucial appointments (weekly calls with HQ etc.). What can I expect from this person? Will he be difficult to work with?
Kudos for onboarding during a pandemic. You will figure it out with him over time. Probably just initial excitement at starting a new position, giving his input to seem intelligible? At least I hope so.
@ Anonymous It’s really annoying though. He needs to focus on the basics first and foremost. He never responds to an email. I see a terrible future with this person. How can I reign him in?
Does he report to you? Are you responsible for managing him? If not, then do what's reasonable and don't take too much responsibility for him. If yes, then document everything (which you should probably do anyway).
@Anonomoose He doesn’t report to me but I am in charge of training him together with our boss (from HQ). So I reserved 30 minutes per week during which I will answer his questions. I think that’s reasonable but won’t spend more time on him.
@Anonymous I understand you're annoyed but I wouldn't say you're reasonable. Thirty minutes *per week* to train a new colleague? What profession? It might help you to lose some of that negative attitude towards him (you posted about this before, right?)
We’ve had so many guys like this. They move up and on so fast. Someone I started with (several of us started on the same day) 4 years ago is now an EVP. The rest of us who
do the work are in the same spot.
@Anonymous Ugh. That’s my concern. He doesn‘t have a good educational background at all and I don’t think he’s smart but he seems like the kind of person who uses every opportunity to squeeze information out of others and use it to his advantage. I wouldn’t have hired him. But what can I do. The decision was made and I have to live with it.
@Anonymous you seem insecure in sharing your knowledge and expertise....If you have a leadership role, you are expected to train and orient new hires. It will only serve to your advantage to groom him to the department's needs and bring him up to date with issues and concerns. You can work this to your advantage by telling your manager about the efforts that you are putting into this orientation.