Ethical decision on a team member performance

Why do you think it is an ethical decision? You have to request support for human resource area.

Thank you Kiron. I appreciate your input and agree with you. Have you ever been on the opposite side? I mean, that you are the person going through difficult time. How have you been treated?

Thank you Sergio for your question. I find ethics is related in almost every activity we do. In this specific case, the decision you made in relation to the employee in question is a reflexion of your values and the way you conduct yourself. That is why I found an ethical relationship.

Thank you, Adrian. I don't disagree with this and while I am well aware of the difference b/t a manager and project manager, I remain curious why you think that PM's dream of being bosses?

When I was a project manager, I personally, did not dream of being a boss, though, I certainly did want to continue growing my career and have more opportunity to be in a more strategic role. While this trajectory could have potentially led me to a management type role, it was not my underlying intention/motivation.

As a project manager, I've never had direct reports. I focus on the status of the project. If a person on my team is not meeting expectations, I will do what I can to assist, but we are limited in what we can do to resolve personal issues. Eventually, if that performance issue affects project estimates, it has to be reported. You can't lie about your project status to project team members. If you've already discussed the issue with the team member, you can escalate the issue to his/her direct manager, who might have more resources available to assist. Ultimately, that person may need to be removed from the project and placed on something that best meets his/her current capabilities, but that's not typically a decision that a PM can make alone.

As a people manager, I've had many of these situations. If you're in a similar situation, you have to remember that people are your most valuable asset, and all people will have challenging times in their life, and they're all unique. You can't address them all in the same way. Perhaps all you need to provide is patience while they resolve the issue; then you will have retained someone who is already a part of your organization. You may need to be creative and redistribute the workload so that employee has the time to devote to his/her issue. Or maybe you can find some resources to assist. Ultimately, though, you have to be clear about what your expectations are, and if that person cannot meet those expectations within a reasonable amount of time, you may have to make a difficult decision about retaining that person.

Adrian -

In this case the PM does appear to be operating in a matrix or functional structure but where it is a project-oriented structure, the PM would be the first line of responsibility for HR concerns.

Kiron

"... I remain curious why you think that PM's dream of being bosses? "

Because many of them complain about the fact that they don't have enough authority over the project team members.

@Angelica. Contesto en castellano porque es mas facil para mi. Sin duda que la ética debe ser lo que dirige nuestras acciones. Siempre en el marco del código de ética de la empresa en la que estas trabajando porque si lo ponés en otro plano la discusion es mas amplia. Ahora bien, en mi opinion personal, la situacion que describis debe resolverse en el marco de las politicas de tu empresa que sin duda han sido generadas desde la ética de tu empresa. Una clave de administrar proyectos es que "hay que hacer lo que hay que hacer". En la segunda guerra mundial se sabia que al desembarcar en Normandia moririan miles de soldados. Pero a los que dirigian las acciones no les temblo el pulso. Luego, pudieron vivir con eso? Si no podes manejar la respuesta a esa pregunta entonces mejor no dirigir proyectos. Te comento que soy alguien que se caracteriza por "salvar" a la gente, por ponerme en el lugar del otro y traer a mis equipos a personas que otros no querian para trabajar. Y ha funcionado. Pero, el objetivo esta primero. Uno de las perdidas mas grandes de motivacion en los equipos es cuando algunos miembros ven que, por la razon que sea, hay trato diferenciado con algun miembro en especifico. Y eso es lo peor que te puede pasar, al menos en mi experiencia.

Thankfully I haven't found myself in that situation yet, but hope that if I do, the leader I'm working with will work to balance the needs of the one with the needs of the many!

Gracias Sergio. En realidad, este es un caso que yo mismo estoy viviendo pero al revés y en un ambiente de voluntariado. Desafortunadamente, tuve que pasar en carne propia enfermedades y la pérdida de alguien cercano muy querido y lejos de recibir apoyo, he sido satanizada. Entiendo que todos pasamos por circunstancias, pero me parece que lo eticamente correcto es ponerse en lugar del otro antes de atacarlo, y mas cuando no hay remuneracion de por medio. En fin, cada cabeza es un mundo. Gracias por tu respuesta. Saludos