Don’t do it. Seriously. Don’t do it. Your team works. Do not break it up and take someone who breaks team spirit. She’ll cause you more pain than you can possibly imagine.
Another vote for DO NOT WANT.
Your every decision, every element of your style will questioned and met with criticism, because she was once at your level and thinks that she still should be, and very obviously disagrees with The Way Things Should Work.
On the other hand, I could trade her for the woman who complained about her next-cubicle neighbor bringing Towing Jehovah to work and who wants to have a mandatory prayer circle.
Well, there goes Skald the Rhymer’s shot at taking over the world. Empathy has no place in the schemes of an Evil Overlord.
Amigo, I publicly disavowed that bit many moons ago.
I missed the announcement.
Oh, many people did. Apparently I could not be heard over the anguished screaming of Aquaman & Wonder Woman, whom I was torturing at the time for reasons having nothing to do with conquering the Earth.
Now you know how we get away with all of the bullshit we do. Well, that and the titties.
Does this woman know she’s universally reviled?
… and here I am, just a tad little bit of a sociopath, people are telling me that I have a problem…
I’m not sure she does. She doesn’t quite get how much disdain I have for her, but I’m disinclined to tell people to their face that i think they’re scum. She knows her to-be-manager despises her but blames that on the fact that the TBM is not as attractive as she and is thus jealous; while simultaneously averring that most of the male supervisors see her only as a sex object.
I kind of wish I hadn’t typed that last bit out, as it makes me feel sorry for her.
That’s there I’d have fun.
Clue the intelligent into the joke.
Call the “mandatory” prayer circle.
Pray to Cthulhu to eat us last.
Dismiss the circle.
Walk away facing the other way to conceal my facial expressions of great humor.
Later: Hey, you said you wanted a prayer circle. Please don’t tell me that you are going to object to anyone else having a different religion than yours, because (adopt tone of voice and facial expression) * “that is simply not acceptable here. Do you understand?”* Right? Then back to work, and we will not discuss this prayer circle idea any more.
No, trust me. I’d rather have her than someone who would pick me apart on a professional level. She’d act as a direct challenge to your leadership repeatedly. You’ve said, pretty clearly, your group works, hers does not. You’ve pointed out how she’s divisive in nature. Don’t bring her into your team. It would be best for her to move somewhere as far away from her previous position as possible, as well. Somewhere she isn’t reminded on how much better you do that she does. Somewhere that her every previous fault isn’t shoved into her face.
I think Skald was joking about actually considering trading anybody in his team for this woman.
The best bet, for all concerned, including Barbie, would be for her to get another job elsewhere.
Fresh start, not surrounded by people who enjoyed her fall.
And no one at Skald’s site who has to deal with a bitter, fallen Manager.
Generally people who get demoted will then get canned. They are vulnerable and someone goes after them.
I have been places where people got no demoted and survived, but only because they GOT THE CLUE that their previous behavior was not acceptable and, no matter how they personally felt about it, bit the bullet, kept their mouth shut and did their jobs.
But even then, most of the time it involved a lateral change to a new department within a few months of the demotion.
I wasn’t seriously considering it. I’m not sure how serious my colleague was in proposing the trade; I know she can’t stand Barbie. I know that Barbie would rather be on my team than the one she’s been assigned to.