Just something I needed to get out

I may have mentioned it once or twice before in this forum, but for a little background, my job is a quality assurance welder for a company that manufactures welding wire.

Part of my job is that I have to go out on the production floor and evaluate how people are doing putting the wire into its various types of finished packaging and also evaluate the wire itself. This generally involves a checklist of "yes or no" statements. Mostly to find out if the person is doing their job the proper way. For the first time since I have been doing these audits (a couple of years) someone that I audited came up to me and wanted to know my reasons for a generally negative audit. The person still passed, but there were some negative remarks and the audit almost failed.

I am generally a background type of non-confrontational person. I weld, it is very nice and private behind a welding helmet. People don't tend to bother you if you are creating a lot of noise and sparks and such. It just really threw me off guard when I had to take time and explain in a professional, non-defensive way why I gave a really nice person and a generally good worker a bad audit. I still feel weird about it. There is just something about having to talk face-to-face with a person about their shortcomings that I really hate.

Ok...thanks for listening...back to your regularly scheduled programming

well look at like this.
how is a person going to know unless points out there shortcoming?.
sounds like they just wanted to know what was being done wrong?

That is true, however I generally never get questioned about the results of an audit. Mostly I just hand it in to the supervisor and never hear about it again. I just found it extremely awkward to be telling someone to his face that I thought he should have failed the audit....

That would make me feel akward too but you were just doing your job.

I can understand that. I worked as a manager before, and evaluations were never easy. It's hard to explain to someone they aren't doing their job right. But, I always tried to look at it as how can they do it right if they don't realize what they are doing wrong. But, yes, it was always very awkward and I had to stop myself many times from apologizing for the evaluation. As long as the employee wasn't confrontational, he probably just wanted to know what areas he could improve in.

I've never had to do that, but I can imagine that it's really uncomfortable. But it would seem to me like they were looking to find out how they could improve what they do, and if it ever happens again, just remember you're helping.

Laurie

Originally Posted by LDG

I've never had to do that, but I can imagine that it's really uncomfortable. But it would seem to me like they were looking to find out how they could improve what they do, and if it ever happens again, just remember you're helping.

Laurie

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I have been a manager and it was one of the things that I hated doing!!!!

There was an article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal on this very topic.
I would explain to the person (no apologies as you were doing your job correctly) what you found out. If you feel uncomfortable I would be with the supervisor went this is discussed with the affected employee.

Would they eventually find out though where they went wrong from the supervisor?.

I believe the supervisor does eventually discuss the matter with the employee. Actually, in this case, the emplyee found out about this from the cell leader, he came to me because he wanted to hear it directly from me.

He's definitely out of order putting you on the spot like that then. The supervisor is obviously happy with your report and it's them they should have the issue with, not you.