Problems with Supervisor

LegacyUser

I am looking for some tips on how to deal with a situation at work. It isn't entirely straightforward, so any help would be great.

A year ago, I applied for a new job and got it. There were two new roles within an established team because two people were moving on. When I started, my supervisor had just been promoted to the job. At first, I thought that she was a bit odd. She warned me about people, etc but I ignored it, thinking it wasn't professional. The other new person and I ended up sitting very close to her and we are still there.

I noticed that she was moody, argumentative, intense/ dismissive, loud/quiet and made an awful lot of very random noises. Everyone else ignored these things, so I did too. Roll on a few months and she called a team meeting to tell us that she had been diagnosed with depression and that she wanted a hug. She also told us that she was violent towards her husband and self harmed.

She was prescribed medication to help to deal with her depression and takes her tablets openly at work. She has been given the freedom to come and go as suits her and they are accommodating her treatment. She is very open. Unfortunately, she is taking the medication when she thinks that she needs it, not as prescribed. She takes three days worth at the desk and nothing for days.

Her behaviour is all over the place. I just don't know how to handle it. Going in every morning is getting harder because you just don't know what you will face. On a down day, sometimes she hasn't washed for days and she smells, she can just sit slumped in her chair, snaps, shouts, calls people names, kicks chairs, and just disappears. On the other end of the spectrum, we are treated to very rapid speech, strange, snap decisions about our work (she declared to everyone today that I had finished something, finally before my computer was even on), she runs around, shouts, sings, volunteers us for stuff, etc.

We have all missed training sessions because she has signed us up on a high day without telling us and has ignored all follow up communication about it. Missing training without an explanation involves disciplinary action, so this is the first we hear. Our work is all ocerover the place, again because she just ignores stuff. We work in an open plan office and there have been complaints about the noise.

The rest of the team have some distance and are happier to ignore her behaviour. Our manager has been on the receiving end of her aggressivaggression but just works elsewhere in the office because she isn't getting any support from her manager who is worried about a discrimination case. It is getting harder and harder to face and I don't know what to do.

Any suggestions? Team and manager won't face the issues. HR know that there is an issue but won't act without our manager.

Mrs OBumble

Make a formal written complaint to your manager and HR about the emotionally unsafe workplace. Include the fact that the supervisor told you she had been violent, and say you are concerned for your own safety.

It really sounds like the supervisor needs some medical leave to get herself sorted out.

_Brian

You could title it a letter of concern addressed to senior management.

This lady is obviously in serious mental turmoil and more senior management don't seem to realise how serious the situation is.

See if you can get all the members of the team to sign it, I really think that a tone of helping and concern might be more appropriate than a complaint.

Remember if a complaint is made against this person they will he ok formed that a complaint has been made.

Irish_Elect_Eng

I would go with the advice to complain about the safety of your work environment rather than directly about the supervisor herself. Your letter should be about how your work situation affects you.

The company may be concerned about a case from the supervisor leading to inaction, however if they are aware of risks in the work environment they must legally assess those risks or expose themselves to even greater risks of litigation. If there were to be an EH&S event related to the supervisors behavior, they would be wide open to claims from those involved, even the supervisor.

This may spur them into action.