how to address district manager?
I have a friend who has district manager issues. Long story short, she is a store manager with x company. Her performance both in managing and sales are awesome, and she has improved her store (sales and employee satisfaction) greatly since taking over. She seems to have a problem with her district manager though. Everytime there is an issue where she needs the district managers approval or oversight, like signing off on employee hiring, reporting lost packagesl, she gets the cold shoulder. Her DM will ignore her phone calls and texts for weeks or until she does it herself and she always gets the "why isn't your DM doing this?" From the support departments. This has happened since she took over. She has tried to schedule a meeting with the DM to talk about this, but as always is getting ignored. What should she do? I told her to tactfully bring it up to the regional manager... And start looking for a new job, but she loves her job... Just not her deadbeat boss.
Update:THx jay for giving an actual answer
Comments
Make sure that she puts everything in writing, rather than phone or texts she should send an e-mail and then print and keep a copy of that correspondence.
Every year she should have an appraisal review and she should then address these concerns then and suggest tactfully that his tardiness is causing her department to run less efficiently. Also, if she has to go over the head of her line manager, i.e. to the regional manager then that person will want hard evidence, so by keeping all e-mails sent she can demonstrate when her requests were made and when they were actioned and a picture can be built up of how this is affecting her department's work and ability to do her job.
The chances are it is not just your friend but several other people who are being inconvenienced by the DM, but he'll need proof.
you have a "friend"
she "seems" to have a problem with
you feel like she has greatly improved sales and employee satisfaction but does the employer feel that way?
how do you know the DM has failed to do anything; are you taking your friends word for it?
she needs to talk to the DM and if the DM refuses she talks to the RM.
YOU need to stay out of it; you are in no position to make suggestions, no matter how well meaning, unless you are personally involved and have factual information to base those suggestions off of.....
you could easily make things worse for her.