"Just follow the procedure" -- yeah, right.

[Katie G]

I've been getting conflicting instructions from our purchasing and accounts payable departments for processing a payment. 

This has been going on for six weeks now, between waiting for authorizations, signatures, reviews, etc.  On Monday I'm told to submit A, B, and C.  I spend Monday and Tuesday getting ABC authorized, signed and reviewsed and submit them on Wednesday.  On Thursday, after submitting A, B, and C I get nastygram emails telling me that I should have submitted X, Y, and Z.  So I spend Thursday and Friday gathering X, Y, and Z (all those authorizations and signatures and reviews and such, provided the people are actually IN the office on a summer Friday.)  I submit X, Y, and Z this morning.  Another voicemail, telling me that no, you need to go back and  get A, B. and C.  I tell them I've already DONE A, B. and C and submitted them on Wednesday! (This is all computerized and I'm LOOKING at the screen showing that they're there!)  Oh, no, you have to RE-submit them on a new requisition.  OK fine.  I do it.  A week later, still no payment has been made and when I ask what's going on, they reference the OLD requisition.......Lather, rinse, repeat.  And when I tried to appeal up the ladder for help, I got a good old fashioned smackdown.  "Just follow the procedure" I'm told, rather snottily.

Meanwhile the vendor is hounding me on the phone -- where is their check? 

(sigh)  Hope your Monday is better.....

[gee4]

Ask for the procedure to be put in writing or explained to you step by step.  That's reasonable, no?

Explain what has happened and emphasise the need to have this firm in your mind for future reference.

I have written procedure manuals as well as drafted "how to" steps to fill in templates and forms.  It's not difficult.  I just hate it when others "assume" you know.

[Katie G]

Heaven help us, Gee, we've TRIED to get things in writing -- I've even taken the existing procedure manual (believe it or not, there is one), printed out the appropriate pages, checked off and dated each step and submitted THAT with paperwork and it makes no difference! The procedures change at will and they don't even bother to send out a blast email to notify folks.  It's completely arbitrary. 

At least I know I'm not the only one with these issues -- EVERYBODY does.  Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any interest by the powers that be to do anything about it.

[gee4]

I hear ya!  I'm in the same boat on occasions, procedures change, nothing documented.

What ever happened to communication??