Dealing with an Assistant Who Drives You Crazy

I haven't always had the best of luck when it comes to assistants. But sometimes you end up being hired into a position in which an assistant is already in place. It may not be a person that you would necessarily have hired had the choice been yours to make, but the person is in place nonetheless.

More than likely, you can't just fire them without reasonable cause (reasonable cause being more than that they are just annoying), and even though they wouldn't have been your first choice -- and frankly they might drive you nuts -- they may have a few redeeming qualities.

So how do you deal with an assistant who drives you crazy?

You Don't Have to be Best Friends to be Productive

Remember, this is the workplace, not your home or a social club. You're working with this person, not married to them, although you might fight like you're married sometimes (and actually spend more time with him or her than your spouse). But bear in mind, you don't necessarily have to be best friends to be productive.

When I know that I'm not going to get along on a personal level with an assistant, it's almost easier. Keeping that relationship on a purely professional level keeps many issues from rearing their ugly heads. Offers to out to lunch, being invited to their kids' activities or their Christmas party, and similar teeth gritting invitations that can result in hurt feelings or resentment if you don't attend, may not be as likely to get in the way of a productive working relationship.

Respect is Key

You don't necessarily have to like your assistant, and vice versa, but the issue of respect is something else altogether. You may not have the best opinion of your assistant, and frankly, he or she might be driving you nuts, but this doesn't necessarily give you the go-ahead to treat them with a lack of respect.

I've had my share of assistants to whom I'd like to haul off and give a verbal lashing, but I often found it was best to bite my tongue and look the other way occasionally. Verbally assaulting them for mistakes or their annoying habits would likely only diminish my authority in their eyes and lead to a loss of respect. Instead, constructive criticism or feedback provides them with ways to enhance their performance and can help to keep things civil.

Expectations

It can be important when dealing with an assistant with whom you are less than satisfied, to let him or her know your expectations early on in the working relationship. When they know what you want, where your hot points lie, and what you expect them to handle or deal with and how, there will hopefully be less chance for confusion that leads to problems or general annoyance.

Routine

But simply knowing your expectations may not be enough to get a particular assistant up to par. You may have to take things a step further and lay out a very structured and possibly simplified routine so that your assistant knows exactly what to do and how to do it on a regular basis.

While this might seem like a royal pain in the rear initially, once you have your assistant into a routine, he or she may become better accustomed with their daily roles and may be less likely once they are into this routine to badger you nonstop with questions and problems. This structured layout may also help to keep them on task and out of your hair.

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Disclaimer:

The author is not a licensed financial professional. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is solely at the reader's discretion.