How Do You Manage? Case Study: Killer Diller

By Michael Rogers -- Library Journal, 11/1/2007

“Can you believe the nerve?” librarian Elsie Caliendo asked Lorraine Rosen, who sat staring in equal disbelief at the email sent to select members of the staff of Frazer University Library.

“Killer Diller strikes again,” Rosen said.

“Killer” Diller was Arlene Diller, a fellow librarian who had a propensity for sending nasty emails to other staff members, excluding managers.

“I've had it, Lo. I mean it. Where the hell does she get off?”

“Print it out and put it in the file,” Rosen said. Caliendo printed the vitriolic message and added it to several dozen others in a file folder. She had begun printing the messages weeks after they started coming, and the 40 or so in the folder didn't represent the entire run. Today's poisonous epistle regarded lunch hours; Diller felt it inappropriate for more than one person from each area to be gone at the same time and suggested certain people altering their schedules.

“Who does she think wants to go to lunch at 11:30?” said Caliendo. “The building doesn't even open until 10.”

“And who'd want to wait until 4 to have lunch?” added Rosen. “It's ridiculous anyway, since there's always someone covering all posts. It's not like there's no one here. Notice that she doesn't offer to alter her schedule.”

The next day, a message arrived in staff in-boxes bearing the subject line “Sloppy Dressing.” The text read: “Why do some of you have to dress so badly? I know there's a relaxed dress code around here, but some of you honestly look shabbier than the students. Peasant dresses and Birkenstocks? The Sixties are over, folks. And leather skirts. Is the ho look in vogue? Let's try to dress a little bit more professional, guys, OK?”

“That's great coming from her,” Rosen fumed, “considering she's been wearing the same Salvation Army cast-off suits for the last ten years.”

“And her hair; it's a rat's nest.”

“I hate to be a snitch, but I don't know how many more of these I can take before blowing the whistle and going to Sandy,” Rosen said.

“Let me know; I'll go with you. Someone has got to call Diller on these.”

A few days later, the dam broke.

“That's it, I've had it,” Rosen said. “Shall we go?”

“We shall,” Caliendo said.

File in hand, the two women tracked down Sandy Snyder, their and Diller's manager.

“What's up, ladies?” Snyder smiled.

“We need a private moment, Sandy.”

“OK, let's duck in here,” Snyder said, leading the librarians into a small private study room and closing the doors. “What can I do for you?”

“We hate to rat anyone out,” Rosen said, “but for the last year or more, Arlene has been sending very hostile emails to a bunch of people on the staff.”

“What about?” Snyder asked.

“Basically, everything. She's complained about people taking too many bathroom breaks, what they wear, what time they go to lunch, their choice of perfume, how they do their jobs, when they take vacation, you name it. Everyone is tired of it. She's like an email terrorist. Here, look at these,” Caliendo said, handing Snyder the file of printouts.

“Of course she doesn't include you or any of the other higher-ups because she knows it's really none of her business, and she doesn't have the authority to tell anyone to do anything,” said Rosen.

“We have been encouraging staff to bring up workflow issues,” Snyder said.

“Some of these might be construed as workflow issues, but many of them are personal,” Caliendo said.

“I'll go through these messages and determine whether they are hostile or not,” said Snyder. “Maybe some people are just overly sensitive. That's all I can do for now.”

Analysis I: Rechannel the Energy

By Richard J. Moniz Jr., Director of Library Services, Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, NC

First of all, I wonder just a bit how this went on for an entire year without Snyder knowing about it. It is possible that she has so many direct reports that she has trouble staying in touch; however, as a manager she needs a certain level of rapport and ongoing communication with her employees. They need to feel that if something is bothering them, they can discuss it openly with her. Part of a manager's job is to take regular “temperature readings” to see if there are any things going on that could negatively impact the work environment. Beyond that, it just makes for a better place to work to have a genuine interest in staff.

That said, Snyder needs to begin correcting the problem by thanking Caliendo and Rosen for bringing it to her attention. Clearly, Diller's way of communicating is at the very least inappropriate, unproductive, and unprofessional. Caliendo and Rosen need to be assured that something will be done about the matter but also that they need to bring problems to Snyder's attention sooner. There is no need for them to be twisting in the wind. Snyder needs to make it clear that it is her job to handle these kinds of situations before 40-plus nasty emails have been sent.

The next person to be dealt with is Diller herself. Snyder must set aside some time as soon as possible to meet with her one on one. Snyder should begin by explaining to Diller that such email is completely inappropriate. Beyond that, emails that single out individuals border on harassment and won't be tolerated. Obviously, Diller is motivated since she seems to “care” enough to send these emails. Snyder should try to channel this energy in a positive fashion. One way is to encourage Diller to come directly to her with concerns and observations. Some of these might be appropriate and helpful for Snyder to add to regular staff meeting agendas. In other cases, Snyder will have to make Diller realize that she has listened to what Diller has to say but does not feel she needs to act upon it. When that happens, Diller needs to respect those decisions. There might even be some benefit to just opening up the discussion with Diller a bit. Perhaps she is not feeling challenged or is generally unhappy. Again, there is energy there that might be rechanneled in a positive way.

Lastly, Snyder might address her entire group either by bringing them together or through an email. She should make it clear that she is open to feedback and willing to discuss concerns and issues raised by staff. Such concerns should be brought to her directly so that she might address them in the most productive and useful manner.

Analysis II: Say It Out Loud

By Julia von Ranson, Circulation Librarian, Deerfield Academy, MA

Snyder can start to remedy the situation by evaluating the emails from Diller, separating the ones that target (indirectly) specific individuals and the ones relating to workflow issues. Snyder needs to consult the university's harassment policy to decide if Diller was being hostile and determine if any illegal harassment could be construed from the messages. Was anyone targeted in the emails in a protected class? If so, Snyder could have big trouble on her hands and should proceed proactively.

Snyder should question other staff who received the emails to ask how they felt and if they found them to be as hostile as Caliendo and Rosen did. This will help Snyder determine if Caliendo and Rosen were being overly sensitive or if other staff felt similarly.

Email is a poor forum for debate about policy change, and, coming from a nonsupervisor, it can only serve to provoke and irritate the situation. If Diller sincerely wished to make changes from among the ranks and believed her ideas valuable, why didn't she include her supervisors?

Snyder needs to be explicit with Diller about appropriate communication, chain of command, how changes in policy are made, and who makes them. Diller needs to be sensitized to the issues surrounding perception vs. intention. If Snyder asks Diller how she thinks staff interpreted her emails and why supervisors did not receive them, Diller's response may provide insight into her behavior.

When Caliendo and Rosen tolerated Diller's emails for a year without informing their supervisor, they became hostile and nasty themselves by making personal insults about “Killer” Diller. An overall sense of uncollegial feelings started to brew. Snyder should specifically communicate this point to Caliendo and Rosen and let them know their behavior also is unacceptable.

Snyder needs to let all staff know that when they have a complaint, it should be reported immediately to their supervisor. By establishing a written procedure for lodging complaints, problems in the future will be handled more expeditiously.

Diller may have valuable if poorly communicated ideas about improving service to students. Snyder can help cultivate those ideas while simultaneously coaching Diller on acceptable communication. Snyder may suggest to Diller that they meet monthly to discuss her ideas, which Diller can then present as a team member to her coworkers or in other group settings such as regular staff meetings, a wiki, or a “Suggestion of the Month” contest.

Ideally, all staff are entitled to work in an environment in which they are not insulted, verbally abused, or bossed around, and all staff have a right to express their ideas about how to improve service. In fact, some of the best ideas come from those who work on the front lines with students. Diller may not have the right to make suggestions to other staff since she is not a supervisor and she certainly doesn't have the right to be nasty, but she can make suggestions in a group or as part of a team. Stating her ideas face to face among her colleagues and supervisors might make Diller rethink her approach to communicating her suggestions.