Was I a sucky manager?

[marasbaras]

If a member of staff tosses out a remark like: "well that's a stupid policy,"

An employee that said this to me in front of a customer would find themselves very high on the list of people needing to find new employment. While I wouldn't terminate them for this, I'd watch them for a while.

In the privacy of my office, you may say those things. In front of a paying customer, neither of us may say those things.

[jnd4rusty]

I think you handled the situation perfectly. I have been in management at my current job for many years and the main thing I have learned is to make it clear to the employees that I will have their back 100 percent if they are in the right, but if they are wrong or if they do something wrong then they will have to accept the consequences of their actions. I would have pulled her aside immediately after the altercation and clarified for her that no matter what she thinks of company policy, that it is unacceptable to make those thoughts out loud in front of a customer. Your responses to her sounded professional and informative to her about her actions and the conseqences of those actions. So don't worry, you will do a fine job as manager and if she does not want to work with you, well let her know where the door is, she can exercise her freedom to leave if she wishes.

[Applerod]

I'm sorry if my previous post seemed inconsiderate. I was trying to convey two main ideas: First, that a manager is held to a higher standard of conduct than the employees; and second, that it probably was a mistake to respond to such an inappropriate comment from your co-worker in front of the customer. The wrongness of your co-worker's juvenile and public criticism of the discount policy was so obvious I figured it was past criticism. In making this thread you demonstrated how thoughtful you are, and IMO reevaluating your own behavior is infinitely better than assuming that nothing you could have said or done differently would've yielded a better outcome.

[marasbaras]

Applerod, I understood what you meant ... and agree with you. Nobody has the privelege of openly disparaging company policy in front of customers. Not even the manager.

And, yes, a manager should behave better than the employees under them.

[PepperElf]

the only thing sucky was the employee.

She was unprofessional in front of the customer complaining about the store policies. She made promises she couldn't keep...

And she blamed YOU when she didn't get her way?
What is she 2 years old?


No you weren't sucky! You did the right thing. The co-worker is just trying to spin it like it's all your fault so she doesn't have to admit that SHE's the one who screwed up.