Trying to give advice to someone having probs at the office, what do you think?

Question

Please help...
My partner works in a small office of 8 people investing stock for retired people. He has no financial background but is getting a masters in public administration. His boss who hired him knew of this but could tell how intelligent he is & knew that he just needed training. He was told that sufficient training would be provided.

Problem:
The training that was promised is NOT THERE. Worse, the woman who is training him is VERY nasty & unhelpful to the point where he doesn't want to ask her anything because he feels like a burden.

My advice was this: He should not let the woman's "figure it out yourself" attitude get to him & ask any & ALL questions until he feels comfortable. If problems persist, he should respectfully approach the "boss" (there's no HR manager, just 2 owners of the company) & inform them of the situation / how he feels.

Is that bad advice? I don't think he should quit because all he needs is training.

Answer 1

First, you are only hearing his side of the story, (sorry, I know he is your partner) situation could be less volatile than he is describing. If there truly is a problem then he needs to go to the person that hired him. Tell them that he is considering other employment and that, although he doesn't want to start or create any more friction, the supervisor male or female, is not providing the assistance he needs. Also, gently remind or inquire about the promised training. Remember, these kinds of situations require much tact and confidentiality, tell him not to share this with anyone in the office, especially because it is a small office.

Answer 2

Your partner has no business investing for anyone if he's not properly trained. Can you say "lawsuit"? My guess is that the hostile woman has no interest in training him (and probably wanted someone fully qualified to be hired), so he'll never get any real help from her. I think your advice was good, though. He should go to the person who hired him, and ask him when the training portion of his employment will start. Investing other people's money is a huge moral, financial and legal responsibility and I'm sure the owner of this firm takes it seriously. Nobody wants to be sued because of the incompetence of a poorly trained employee, so I'm sure the boss will be very interested to hear your partner's thoughts.

Answer 3

hey that sounds good to me I would have said the same thing but added....put dog s h i t on the door handle of her car LOL