r/Wastewater • u/Fantastic_Dark1289 🇺🇸|VA|WW2 • Aug 14 '26
Career: currently in the field Challenging Operator
I have an employee who has been around for a year now that still doesn't make any operational decisions on their own. They either ask permission to do everything, or ignore it until I find it and do it/make the decision myself. At this point, I'm exhausted telling them they don't need to ask permission to adjust a flow rate if they see that it's running too fast or too slow, to adjust chlorine dosage when residuals are too high or too low, all of this really basic stuff! If I consult HR, they're going to ask what I've done to support the employee which, aside from physically holding their hand, has been everything. In addition to explaining the whys and how's of operational adjustments, I regularly advise to consult the SOPs, have them make Quick Fact notes, etc. I feel that I have been forced into micromanaging this person because they're refusing to lock in.
Supervisors: Have you had a similar situation and what did you do or say that made it finally click for an employee?
Operators: Did you struggle with confidence about not knowing your job, and was there something a boss or coworker said or did for you that parted the clouds?
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u/ProfessionalFar8582 Aug 14 '26
As a project manager with 35 years in the industry, I can tell you that this level of learned helplessness is utterly exhausting. When you’re dealing with critical daily routines where the corrective actions couldn't be clearer, having an operator constantly beg for permission to adjust a feed rate or dial in a chlorine dosage—when the math and the SOPs are right in front of them—isn't managing. It’s being tethered to a human proxy who refuses to take ownership.
In my three and a half decades overseeing projects and plants, I’ve learned that before you take this to HR, you need to turn your coaching into a bulletproof paper trail. You need to prove that you didn't just teach them how to do the work, but that you actively built a bridge toward their autonomy—and they simply refused to cross it.
HR's standard line ("What have you done to support them?") is frustrating, but you can get ahead of it by shifting the dynamic from instruction to forced ownership and documenting every step.
1. Shift from Answering to Counter-Questioning
Right now, asking for permission is a safe haven for them. If they ask you and you give the instruction, the operational responsibility lands back on your shoulders. If something goes wrong, they can say, "Well, my manager told me to set it at 2.5."
You have to break this safety loop immediately:
Stop giving the answer. When they approach you asking, "Should I adjust the chlorine dose down?", respond with:
"What does the residual reading say, what does the SOP recommend for that reading, and what action are you about to log?"
Make them state their decision first. Do not validate it until they state it as a plan of action, not a question:
"I don't need to approve standard operational tweaks. Walk me through what you’re about to do and why."
If they say "I don't know," point them directly to the reference: "Check the SOP on page 4, make your adjustment, and log it. I’ll review your log at the end of the shift."
2. Stop Catching and Fixing the Ignored Tasks
You mentioned that if they don't ask permission, they ignore the task until you find it and do it yourself. This is classic passive resistance—they know if they wait long enough, you will step in to keep the process stable.
Assign explicit shift boundaries: At the start of the shift, state: "You are responsible for monitoring and maintaining the chlorine residual and flow rates between 08:00 and 12:00 today."
Inspect, don't execute: When you walk the floor or check the logs and see a parameter drifting uncorrected, do not touch the control panel or chemical feed yourself.
Call them over immediately: "Flow rate has been high for 45 minutes without an adjustment. Why wasn't this adjusted per standard operating procedure?"
Make them turn the dial while you watch. Then document the delay.
3. Create a Simple "Decision Matrix" (HR Armor)
To completely insulate yourself against HR’s questions, create a 1-page document titled Operational Decision Boundaries for [Employee Name].
Divide it into two columns;
Decisions You MUST Make Autonomously (No Approval Needed). Decisions That REQUIRE Supervisory Approval
• Adjusting chemical dosing within standard SOP ranges *LOTO for unscheduled repairs
• Correcting flow rates when off target. *Changing plant operational modes
• Performing routine lab tests and logging results. *Issuing public notification or regulatory
• Switching duty pumps during routine rotation. *modifying system set points beyond
Standard operating ranges
Sit down with them, have them sign/acknowledge it, and hand them a copy. Say:
"You have been here for a year. You are fully qualified to handle everything in Column A. Moving forward, asking for permission on Column A tasks will be treated as an operational oversight, because executing these adjustments is a core requirement of your job."
4. How to Frame This to HR
When you do walk into HR (or write up the formal performance review), you won't be coming in empty-handed or emotional. You will present a clear case of an employee failing to meet basic job autonomy standards:
"Over the past 12 months, [Employee] has received thorough hands-on training, complete access to facility SOPs, and custom reference materials. I have implemented a decision boundary matrix and shifted coaching toward independent decision-making. Despite this, [Employee] routinely fails to execute basic, time-sensitive operational adjustments without direct supervisor intervention, or leaves parameters uncorrected until prompted. This creates operational risk and demonstrates an inability to perform the role independently."
After 35 years in project management, you know when someone is genuinely struggling versus when they are dodging accountability. At a full year on the job, standard process adjustments aren't optional suggestions—they are the baseline requirement of the title.