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#Post#: 18205--------------------------------------------------
Stop asking me for updates.
By: Victoria Date: November 5, 2018, 9:13 am
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I'm doing a long-term project for another department that
involves several small, non-urgent matters that continue to roll
in. We have a weekly call to discuss updates and questions. The
other department's senior members have expressed how happy they
are with the way things are going and the fact that we've made
tangible progress as we keep chipping away at this set of
issues. But the junior member will. not. stop. emailing. me.
Apparently as she remembers things she will fish out her
original email to us, and say something like "Hi Victoria, any
update on this?" or "Hi Victoria, we're still waiting to hear
from you on this" and copy everyone involved. I've said several
times both over the phone and via email that my department will
provide updates and guidance on a case-by-case basis and as we
have guidance to give, and that we'd probably do a lot of these
out of the order in which we received them. I'm not sure why she
hasn't grasped "We'll provide updates when we have them" but she
hasn't. I suspect this is some sort of attempt for her to appear
hyper-vigilant in front of her supervisors, but it's becoming
really irritating and they haven't said anything about it.
The final straw for me was when she pulled an old email and
copied everyone on it, including a senior member of my
department who has since asked to be left off of these requests.
I don't think she did it maliciously, but she's also been
repeatedly told to only copy me on these things. Now (if the
senior member cared to look) it appears as though I've just
ignored this particular issue for a month. I'm just not sure how
stern to be with her, or if anyone has any particular language
that I could use in an email. So far I've taken a very neutral
tone but she doesn't seem to be receptive to that.
#Post#: 18207--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stop asking me for updates.
By: Jem Date: November 5, 2018, 9:26 am
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I think it matters where the "power" lies here. I retain people
outside my company for certain tasks, and they are expected to
update me as their work progresses. But there are times when I
have specific questions or want an update from them, and since I
am "the boss" in this situation, I would find it inappropriate
for them to tell me not to ask for status. I wouldn't hire them
again if I got attitude like that.
I don't know where the balance of power lies in your situation,
but I would mention this on your weekly conference call and get
a "standard" that everyone agrees upon for updates. Then, if
this person is asking for updates outside that standard, you can
go to her supervisors.
It could be that you are expected to update the other department
when they ask for the updates and this person, while annoying to
you, is not doing anything wrong.
#Post#: 18209--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stop asking me for updates.
By: STiG Date: November 5, 2018, 9:36 am
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Since you're already having a weekly call about this and it is
non-urgent, as you say, I think I'd be tempted to bring it up,
during the weekly call, that you will provide a thorough update
each week during the call. And you will send out an email if
there are important developments between meetings, that there is
no need to ask for updates in between because you won't have
them.
So flesh out your update each meeting and provide it in writing.
Then if little Miss Junior emails, resend your update and
highlight the section that answers her question. Even if you
are highlighting 'Item 27: Currently no update; waiting for XYZ
to get back to us about ABC.'
#Post#: 18244--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stop asking me for updates.
By: chigger Date: November 5, 2018, 4:22 pm
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I would talk to the senior member of your dept. that asked to be
left off the emails. I would ask them to please reach out to The
Pests seniors, to ask her to stop!
#Post#: 18252--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stop asking me for updates.
By: NyaChan Date: November 5, 2018, 5:05 pm
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I’d try talking to her. “My habit is to send out updates every
X, but I’m getting the sense from your emails that you would
prefer Y. Am I reading you correctly on that? I’m happy to do
Y, as long as you are okay with the resulting delay as it takes
me away from working on the project”.
That way if there is a reason why she needs this, she can insist
and if she is just getting antsy, it’ll once again make clear
what your schedule is. Then when she dies her CC thing you can
refer back to the conversation. “ Hi, I had planned to send an
update tomorrow as we discussed last week, but here is where we
are at right now”
#Post#: 18260--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stop asking me for updates.
By: mime Date: November 5, 2018, 5:53 pm
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It sounds to me like the senior member who asked to be left off
if the requests was probably not interested in the realtime
updates that the junior member was seeking. I'd take that as an
indication that the higher-ups don't necessarily want to have
their inbox filled up with daily status reports when weekly
reports from you are plenty for these varied non-emergency
items.
I agree with the poster who said you have to be careful how you
tell someone to stop asking for updates if they are your client.
That would be very offputting.
I'd bring it up at the next update meeting, approaching it as
coming to a consensus on expectations. Since the requests might
possibly be at the direction of someone higher-up, address all
of them with: "I see you're quite anxious for more frequent
updates. Do you want to add a 15-minute call on Wednesdays in
addition to these 60-minute Friday meetings?" If the senior
members are actually driving the junior member's prodding, then
it will come to light there, and you'll be meeting your
customers' needs better. If they don't share this junior
member's, uh, enthusiasm, then their response will show it, and
you can be more evasive to junior member's requests in the
future ("Everything's moving along; my next update will be at
our Friday meeting, as we discussed.") and just maybe someone
will give her the hint that she needs to knock it off.
This approach may not be as effective as something more
forceful, but it is the gentle first step that I'd take.
#Post#: 18884--------------------------------------------------
Re: Stop asking me for updates.
By: guest657 Date: November 12, 2018, 3:47 pm
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Does Junior Member report to anyone other than Happy Senior
Member? Because this sounds like the kind of thing where someone
has to appease an unreasonable manager by looking like they are
"pushing for results".
I had a manager once who got frustrated with slow-moving
processes, and would task me with annoying people on his behalf,
in the belief that it would make things happen faster. I had to
show documentation that I was following up at regular intervals,
even though it was ineffective and bad for the working
relationship. But he signed my paycheck, and the people I was
pestering didn't.
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