PLANE TALK I can tell you that in 33 years I
never saw lack of money or time be a critical factor. If necessary, managers can move money around or obtain more with justification. If you hear that as a factor as to when your work will be done, contact the inspector’s superior and discuss the matter.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH A
As soon as you realize you
might be dealing with a difficult inspector, begin documenting all interactions. Witnesses are always a good thing to have.
DIFFICULT INSPECTOR? First of all, go back to some previous articles and recall your managerial and communications skills courses. As soon as you realize you might be dealing with a difficult inspector, begin documenting all interactions. Witnesses are always a good thing to have. Remember to deal with the issues if you can and not the personality. If you cannot deal with the individual, then move up the supervisory chain. Some people do not deal with the person because they feel that the department will get revenge. This rarely happens as there are too many watchdogs. It’s not worth an inspector’s career or that of his or her manager. You need to understand that inspectors are unionized citizens and have all the rights to fair and due process and natural justice. You cannot just accuse someone without solid evidence. Do your homework before pursuing any action.
Check with any associations
you belong to and see if same name is common to problems in other companies. Do that discreetly because things get around and you do not want to libel someone. Always stick to true facts, not rumors or hearsay. It’s frustrating for a regulatory manager to hear same name brought up without
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real evidence. Their hands are tied without documentation. Long gone are the days you can discipline someone based on hearsay. The difficult inspector might just be more diligent than others and is finding more issues in your organization. First discuss things with inspector. Keep cool and only use facts. Document everything. If the issue is not resolved, contact a supervisor and meet with them as necessary. Face to face is best, but if distance is an issue use video conferencing — body language counts. Document any telephone conversations and meetings, especially any actions or follow-ups that were decided. Remember the three Cs: confront, correct and compliment. It is important to follow up and if resolved compliment the parties. Your relationship with the local regulator is important to your success. Try to avoid escalating the
issue by threatening legal or political action. Inspectors are rather immune to such threats. If you feel you need legal advice, seek it before you put the threat on the table. Sometimes we all get so set in our positions that all discussion becomes untenable. Lawyers are well trained to look at all the facts before taking, action so listen carefully to them. Take note of the departments policies on inspector behavior. If it mentions professionalism or fairness, for example, analyze the action against the policy. You might be able to use any failure to meet their stated policy as a negotiating chip — but you must be better than Caesar’s wife. By that I mean make sure you’re clean. If the inspector has found
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