How to deal with permies who want career progression?

[Scoobos]

smell the banhammer....

[GreenLabel]

smell the banhammer....

WHS.

[Mich the Tester]

Having gone perm I have inherited a number of permies. I have headcount to hire (5) more in total and the for the first two I've hired contractors(!)

This seems to be unnerving the longer term permies. I've got one who wants to know about how his 'career' prospects should be handled. He wants to pick and choose the projects he is assigned to - siting 'that's not what I thought I would be doing when I was hired'. The contractors will do anything.

My 'can do, will do' attitude is not resonating well with my new permie staff.

Suggestions please?

Before you do anything else, find out what 'career prospects' he was promised when he was hired and what the existing agreements are; you'll probably need to sit with his last manager or the manager of his last manager (perhaps your managerman) and the HR numpty, if they have one. Basically, if you overturn a load of existing agreements then you can expect anarchy, because it's unlikely that he'll keep his frustration to himself. You will then become the subject of coffee machine conferences, where you will be able to recognise your presence in the subject matter by words like w-nker, a-hole, dickhead, lying tulipface etc etc.

Serious, find out first, then if necessary you can make new agreements with him.

[NotAllThere]

Identify which permies you think are any good. Make sure they get the decent interesting work. Keep 'em happy. Make the best one your deputy. Give the contractors any good work that's left over, with some of the awful jobs. Give the remaining permies the absolute minimum to keep you out of the "constructive dismissal" danger area.

If all the permies are crap, then the contractors get the good work and the permies the crap stuff. However, having at least one good permie staff member is usually helpful, so you will need to recruit at least one, if you haven't got one.

[Old Hack]

Identify which permies you think are any good. Make sure they get the decent interesting work. Keep 'em happy. Make the best one your deputy. Give the contractors any good work that's left over, with some of the awful jobs. Give the remaining permies the absolute minimum to keep you out of the "constructive dismissal" danger area.

If all the permies are crap, then the contractors get the good work and the permies the crap stuff. However, having at least one good permie staff member is usually helpful, so you will need to recruit at least one, if you haven't got one.

WNATS - Got to have an ally too, one of the good ones. Just not too good, in case they have designs on your job...

[original PM]

I'm not stupid enough also, I don't have a car full of Martial Arts equipment in case of any "funny" stuff. You're so gay you just daren't admit it.

In fact, just for everyone's edification, Old Hack wanted to meet me at a disused quarry near Warrington.

Just to wind the closet sh!t stabber up I agreed. Now I don't know if he wanted to fight me or **** me but due to his rambling PMs telling me that his Black 4x4 was full of Marital Aids in case of any funny stuff I suspected the latter.

Sorry Old Hack but as I've told you before, you're not my type.

Firstly Whaaaat this sort of crap actually happens.....

But also - I live near there can I come and watch/join in??

[NotAllThere]

I've always tried to get my best staff to the point they can do my job. It's meant I can move on and do something more interesting.

[Old Hack]

I have always thought the key to strong management is knowing your staff, and how they respond, what they respond best to. Some prefer carrot, some prefer stick, some like micromanagement, some hate it. Some like to be told what to do, some like to work out the best route forward and present it to you. You'll only really ever get the best out of your staff of you can identify who is who. I personally hate micromanagement and like to be told what is needed as the end product, and I get on with it, but I know a chap I worked with, and who consequently became a very good friend, who needs to be given a clear path from A to B.

Everyone is different, and getting it wrong really upsets the equilibrium of the workplace, in my opinion.

[Ticktock]

Are you sure you're cut out to be a permie?

Tell him he was hired to do a specific job and to STFU, career prospects if anything he should be looking at courses and making a case to you why you should authorise the funds for him to attend them

This is bollocks. Part of the difference between perm and contract is surely that you aren't hiring someone to do a specific job only? You are making an investment. It is cheaper to hire someone with potential at a low level and give them crappy (or no) pay rises each year than to hire someone who is already an expert. Part of your job as a permanent manager is to manage retention rates - if people feel they're in a dead-end then the majority will up sticks. You should be seeking to actively develop your staff so that they can take on more responsibility, thus making your job easier. Do it right and you can look after the strategy and direction, let your staff do all the work, and then steal the credit.

[The Spartan]

Yeah it's bollocks alright you obviously hire a DBA to do Web development don't you