I have an employee who has a tendency to inform me rather than ask for permission when he wants to do something or work on special projects which requires travel. This employee is continously "back-dooring" me and others to get his way. He uses the auspices of "I informed you" rather than seeking permission in the first place. What should I do?

Great question Arch, and your challenge is not an uncommon one by any means. This issue essentially boils down to one of mutual trust – or lack thereof. If, despite his maverick work-style, you can trust this guy to do the right thing and deliver the goods then you don’t really have much of a problem.
If there are negative consequences to his free-spirit then I suggest pulling in the reins quickly with a very targeted conversation outlining why his behavior is problematic – even if it’s not impacting the business, it could be undermining your authority and ability to lead others on your team, for example. Clear expectations / ground rules for project work beyond the boundaries of his formal job must be established. It’s very possible that your problem-child has something to hide – are those business trips for reasons other than business? Who knows, but certainly putting restrictions around travel expenses and protocol into booking trips would force him into a mini-business case every time this guy wants to embark on a pet project. The other, over-arching consideration is how much this guy is contributing to the big picture – are the things he’s focused on the priorities for your business right now? If not, you run the risk of enabling a wayward employee by allowing this behavior to continue. Please contact us through our website if we can give you more specific tips on how to handle what I would consider to be an essential conversation with this employee.

i have a manufacturing specialist working under me whose attitude towards work given by me outsieb her regular work area is badmshe does not replies to me in a respectful manner & usually does not show much interset in her own work also or in the improvwment of her or other ms performance, she is more interested in all other activities accept the work which i want from her

If her attitude is fine inside her regular work area, it sounds as though she may feel that she is being asked to do something for which she is not being compensated, or that simply is not part of her job. That’s an easy fix, because all you need to do is talk about it. Get her point of view and create a clear understanding around what is (and isn’t) expected from her. Having this conversation will no doubt also provide you with the perfect opportunity to address her attitude should she approach you disrespectfully. Remember though, respect begets respect. You make the first move. I promise, you won’t be sorry. You may also want to talk about all those other activities that seem to be so interesting to her. Maybe there is a way to use them to better connect her to her work. And lastly, the most helpful thing I can suggest is that you write a job description that is tied to a broader performance evaluation system. It’s amazing how quickly things turn around when the right communication and reinforcement tools are in place. It never fails. I see it happen all the time.

Exec. secretary, is always leaving the workstation, she picks up mail, charts, etc, which another sec does. The exec. sec, always return from these errands 20-30 min. late, During lunch time she gets an hour lunch and return 15-30 later. Our director will come and ask either me(office manager) or another secretary where the Exec Sec is at. The director wants me to handle this problem. I have never been in a situation to deal with another supervisor employee.

Definitely talk to her and explain that she is not adhering to the schedule that everyone else is and that as a result, she is having a negative impact on the organization and the people in it. Don't let emotions get involved, just say it like it is.

I have employees who keep wasting time doing there assignments slowly. Money issues are nagging too.

I supervise an office in which the person under me is supportive to me because I am her supervisor, but she cannot get along with supervisors of other departments and support staff. She comes off as brash, elitist and unapproachable. She also shows little initiative, wanting to come in to the office for her 7.5 hours then leave and do nothing extra. I am afraid I have let the issues fester for too long without confronting her, but how do you change someone's personality? She is brash to everyone, but I just know that's her, so it doesn't bother me. However, I do not want her behavior to affect how others see me. How do I approach her about this? Please help!

Theresa,

You’re already off to a great start. Everything you’ve written just needs to be turned into a conversation. There is nothing wrong with sharing your observations and telling your employee how you feel about the way she is behaving. Many times people are unaware of how they are coming across and end up making the adjustments to their attitudes themselves for the very same reason you expressed concern – she may not want to be perceived in such a negative way in the organization. In fact, I’ve often had people thank me for providing feedback because they then felt free to “fix” something that might ultimately get in the way of their success. To keep them in the dark, is to never give them a chance to improve. If she’s smart, she’ll appreciate the time and courage it took to set her straight. Good luck!

I manage a 3 person office, me, my assistant director and our administrative assistant. My AD and AA work in the same room, they get along EXTREMELY well together. My AA, very obviously, does not like me. The tone of her voice changes when someone calls for me, she never looks me straight in the eye when I talk to her, her answers are very curt.
I recently gave performance evaluations and asked her what was wrong, that she seemed unhappy. She told me she needs a stronger leader and she feels like I need to earn her respect. She then started to name various aspects of my job which she knows nothing about, indicating that I'm not doing a proper job.
She reiterated that I should earn her respect.
She has behaved disrespectfully to me for over a year.
I gave her a timetable to "find" her manners. Should I just let her go or give her the time?
Her actual work is outstanding, she just has an EXTREMELY poor attitude when it comes to me.

And she should earn yours. By the way it sounds, she is not doing a very good job. It's a two way street. If it were me, and a direct report told me she needed a better leader, than I would say she should go find one. No one's fault - just not the right fit. As far as I'm concerned, quality of work is important, but so is attitude equal, if not more so.

I have an employee that acts perfect in front of me but I am constantly getting feedback from other staff that she is very negative and she about everything she doens't like she says to them its because she's hispanic.I was told that last week she was on strike because she didn't get her review on time. What should I do with her?

Hi Sherri,
Can you ask again? I don't understand the question... I think something got lost in the typing.

Thanks!

It's a shame that there is so much hatred in the workplace. Welcome to bureaucrat land - aka America's workforce.

I posted a comment, not sure it worked. Trying again: I have a borderline in my building. Constantly splitting people from me, sneaks around, works on everyone. Very negative,wants to make me look bad/crazy. Morale is bad, the atmosphere is bad. I am working on getting rid of her, she has two write ups related to her job performance. My fear is that, even after she's gone, she will still be turning people against me since she calls some of them at home and invites them out so she can work on them, even buys them gifts. She's very slick. I just want to get the building back to normal. She has lost some former allies who now believe she is evil or crazy. I have a few people who do understand that she is ill. But how do I let the others know the truth about her without appearing crazy myself?

My dad gave me the best advice ever when it comes to situations like this. And that was, "What you are speaks so loudly, I can't hear what anyone says you are." I don't know who he took it from, but it has served me well over and over in my career. In other words. Let her behavior speak for itself and let yours be a true reflection of what and who you are. People know the difference and will make their own decisions. Be patient and let it play out.

I did let it play out although it was very painful. It took weeks for some people to realize what was going on.I did, early on, confide in a couple of people I trust. We just discussed the behaviors in general as they have no knowledge of borderline personality disorder. Not sure if this was a mistake or not. They do think she's crazy but I cooled it with them a bit realizing that I probably never should have discussed it with them to begin with. What's the best action from here...apologize to them and admit that I should not have had those discussions? Or simply wait 'til it's over and thank them for their support?

I really don't know. It depends on the nature of your relationship with these folks. You have to do what feels right to you. It's hard for anyone on the outside to make that call.

I quit my past company and joined in a new firm where my VP was my past firm's AVP who referred me to this new firm...the problem here is this is new team of 1yr age and i dont get the same respect from my VP as in my earlier firm, rather he respects other members..what to do?

Sash, I recommend having a conversation and talking with him about it. The first key thing is to ask the question so you can understand the reasons for his behavior.

I have a situation where my partner who I share responsibilities with is very difficult. I have never had any problems in the past working with people and I have a proven ability to network and develop relationships but I cannot get along with this person. I have had conversations with my boss over and over and nothing is done - in reality she says "theres nothing that can be done" i basically have to put up with the passive aggressive behavior. Some of the things she does is keep work from me, not include me in key decisions, will not talk to me (literally 10 words a week at most), I have overheard he talking about me behind my back to subordinates which undermines my authority. It is very difficult and detrimental to my mental health to work in this situation. I want to talk to HR but I fear that will make things worse - I am ready to quit, which if I go to HR I will have to quit anyway...

I wouldn't quit if a) you like your job and b) you haven't addressed this head on with your partner. Then, depending on how badly you want to stay, you could suggest a three-way meeting with HR and/or your boss and position it as a need to create more efficiency and better performance, and that you would like to develop a collective strategy all together.

I have an employee that is laud and rude. He is a lead in a warehouse and he his actually good on what he does, but he lack any type of respect for management. One day he decided to call me names out of a TV show, although I find it funny at the moment, he kept on going for weeks even in front of others employees. I am tired and ready to terminate him, but I also feel it is my foul for letting it go so long.
What should I do?

The borderline employee quit, yesterday was her last day! I plan to have a meeting with the rest of the staff next week. As the boss, I know I can't say much but can I allow others to go ahead and talk about what she did to them as I'm sure some of them will have a lot to say?

Who? Terminate! The longer you wait, the longer you are doing nothing about it. It would have been better to nip it in the bud, but there is no rule that states how much time it can take before you fire someone.

And Patty - as the boss, you can't say anything. You will lose some respect if you comment at all. Let it pass. As far as your employees, you don't need to allow or disallow whatever they choose to do. It's their business. The further away you stay from the topic, the stronger your leadership skills will come across.

I have a very small business with one part time employee. She works nine hours per week. The work I do requires an assistant. I know it's not alot of hours so I pay an above average wage. She has worked for me for one month. Last week she did not work at all. A message was left after her start time (due to the nature of the job I do not take calls during work/class time). I called her as soon as possible to determine if she could work her afternoon shift and she said yes. She did not show up again. When I phoned her she said she was sick and couldn't come in. She called in sick for the next three days. Per her doctor it was a bad cold. It's not the fact that she was sick, but agreed to cover her 2 hour shift and did not come in leaving me to cover for her. I feel I can't trust her now and feel she will do the same thing in the future. I live in a right to work state and feel it would be best to fire her. Please give me your thoughts.

Well Rebecca, it doesn't sound like she is off to a very good start. Part of what you need to evaluate is how good she is. If she is a stellar performer and you want to be sure, it's perfectly acceptable to give her one more shot - with the caveat being that if she ever leaves you in a lurch again, it will be the end of her employment. But the thing that concerns me more than anything is that she didn't call, that you had to call her. That is a huge problem.

On the other hand, if you don't feel good about it, and have negative feelings in your gut, it will be very hard to carry on a productive work relationship, in which case I would say cut your losses and start over before you waste anymore time/resources.

Unofficially I'm a supervisor in an office with 7 employees. We have a great atmosphere for work, based on open talk, trust and friendly relationships. But one of my workers doesn't fit the way of behaving I'm trying to implement in my office. He can do the right job, he has the ability, but he doesn't want to work. He tries to work as less as possible. I have to remind him all the time, to control if he's finished the job, if I don't tell him to do something, he would search the net all the day long. He seems like he doesn't like the job, but also doesn't wont to leave it. I can not fire him or replace him because I'm waiting my official promotion, so tell mi please how can I make him do his job more responsibly and give more of himself?

Whoa, that's a tough one because "making" someone do something is really, really hard. And there could be a myriad of reasons why this gentleman is not motivated. You have a few choices. First, you could ask him why he seems to show such a lack of interest in his work and then take it from there. Maybe he is unaware of how he is being perceived and a conversation about his level of engagement might help him become more conscious. My experience is that in general, people don’t want to be slugs, or underperformers, or mediocre. You could also offer yourself up… ask him if there is anything you could do to make things more interesting for him (again pointing out that he seems to be going through the motions without much interest.) Consider that if you want him to give of himself, maybe if you try it first and set the example by modeling the behavior, it will catch on. Positive behavior is as contagious as negative. The only thing I see as problematic here is the surfing on the internet. Someone, somewhere in the organization needs to limit that. A policy maybe? That should free him up a lot if he can’t access the distraction in the first place.

I have created a monster by leaving things be. I am local gov't, employee was appointe das my Admin. Off because of layoffs. From the day I first spoke with her she was rude and uncooperative saying her new appointment was hard on her getting to work on time. She has been consistently late, once it was addressed she improved, then went back to being late. She states it's impossible to arrive on time. Otherwise, her work is substandard and any hint of discussion with her and she rolls her eyes, wipes her forhead, sighs then gets defensive and ugly. My hands are tied because she is union and a 12 year employee-upper managment is no help at all. I can not simply fire-I'm easy going though, hate confrontation, but I feel like I let her walk all over me. What to do? She's disruptive, has created a "click" in the office to the detriment of one of her direct reports.

Sorry, from prior post-she was forced into our division-from day one she said she did not want to be here, had no interest in this job-and she was actually about to be laid off. She has been applying for county jobs constantly-asking for transfers-etc. She is of a different race which i could care less about, but I have gotten the impression she would use the "race card". She states she is late because of child care issues. UGH I'm at my wits end. She's what they would label a "sniper" or "no way" employee. She'll make comments then laugh like she meant it as a joke. I have to admit she's slick. And she's like the former post-if I don't give her an assignment, she loafs all day. Problem is, when I give her things I end up reworking them over or doing it again entirely myself. HELP!

The best place to start is to ask her WHY. Take your own words, "she rolls her eyes, wipes her forehead, sighs then gets defensive and ugly," and ask her innocently what is causing it.

Very simple, it goes something like this: "Suzy Q, why are you rolling your eyes? You may not know this, but it makes you look really bad."

Usually, that curbs the behavior a lot when you're not in a position to sanction or reward attitude problems.

HELP! Where to begin... I'm a first time supervisor and my only employee, an IT Technician, is my fathers age. I've recieved complaints from co-workers that sit around him the he is loud and distracting. He interupts when a user is trying to explain the technical problem they are having. Also that he enters other's workspace without receiving acknowledgement that it is okay - HR and Finance are particularly miffed. I've communicated that he needs to respect others work space in his last review and to cut down on the socializing in his last two reviews. I recommended he lower his volume and perhaps move his conversations to instant messager. Although I'm getting postive feed back about "

Although I'm getting postive feed back about "some improvement" the complaints are still coming in. I have to handle this issue but I don't know what to tell him because especially since he is convinced it's only one particular employee who is annoyed by his talking when it's at least 5. Also when one other employee (who had recently complained to me about his distracting conversations ) told my employee, "you're really not that loud, it's just *Bob* he's grouchy."

I have a team of eight technicians in which one is thinks he should be the lead supervisor. He is not the lead supervisor because he has not displayed the skills or leadership to fill the postion. He is a over achiever and consistently disrupts the team, and underminds the current team lead. Any thoughts on how to rectify this situation?

Tina, you're best bet is to call him out on it when it happens - every time it happens. Politely call his attention to it and as him to "adjust." Eventually he'll get tired of you reminding him all the time. If he doesn't listen, you have a case for insubordination at which point you can get HR involved.

Crown, have you reminded him that he is not the team leader for a reason and outlined specifically what those reasons are for him? You also need to tell him that he is having a negative effect on the team, which is not the goal. Simply ask him to stop.

I am HR Manager to 24 Employees, I hire/fire and inforce policy. Problem is one Physician seems to always be seen in a positive supportive light with staff(not that that is bad) BUT, staff does take advantage of that good nature to get what they want or out of what they don't want. Problem is damage control when the Doc steps in and runs me over. Today I had a staff nurse(3 month hire) tell the Doc that she didn't want to do the jobs she was hire for and that I made her feel like she would lose her job if I didn't do what I told her to do. Well, I do expect her to do the job that we hired her to do and I'm sorry she had made herself feel she would lose her job. But what has me stumped is up to this point the employee never had a bad word for me really the opposite....now, she states to the Doc(in front of me) that I am rude and unprofessional to her and she never said she was comfortable doing some of the work she is to do. I asked why she didn't talk to me and of course she says she did. I need to send a clear message to her that I am her supervisor and she need to be mature and show respect not manipulation....what's the best way...what would you suggest?

You need to ask her to give you examples of what she means when she says you are rude and unprofessional. Then you need to have the professional maturity to hear what she says and make an unclouded determination if her views are valid in any way. You may find that you need to make some adjustments to how you interact with her. Secondarily, if she doesn’t like her job and the work that it entails, I would suggest talking about that with her to determine if it is in fact the best place for her. Either way, the two of you need to understand each other and then find the middle ground. The doctor is irrelevant. If she is your direct report, this is between you and her.

How can the doctor be irrelevant if the employee is going to the Doc as a means to get what she wants? Anyway, I had already asked the question, "

Because it is about the differences that need to be worked out between two people. Once that is taken care of, you can add the third. It may also mean that you need to have a separate conversation with the doctor to explain the impact of his/her behavior on one of your employees. It is not that she is listening to the doctor, it is that she is not listening to you. That is what you need to dig deeper into.

informative post, keep it up.,

I have an employee who shows up late every day and is displaying a very negative attitude. She her work well so I don't want to fire her. But I will if I have to. Because her attitude is reflecting negatively on everyone, including myself. What should I say to her?

Exactly what you just wrote down. Tell her she is late every day and exhibiting a lot of negativity. Tell her it is impacting her good standing, the other people who have to interact with her (including you) and the company itself. Point out that it is also detracting from her work, which is otherwise good. Then ask her if she is/was aware of this, if there is a reason she is late, if she is having a problem that you are unaware of. Finally tell it that it can’t continue and that if it does it will affect her employment because her behavior is not considered acceptable performance at your company. The point is you need to tell her exactly where she stands so that she has an opportunity to improve and make the appropriate adjustments.

I manage a small business of 20 employees, one of which seems intent on discrediting me to the business owner. The initial complaint was based in fact but was skewed to imply that I had spoken abusively. A small meeting between the employee, me and the owner seemed to move the problem towards resolution.

But then the following day I stopped the employee to offer genuine regret for any misunderstandings and re-iterate that I hope all employees feel free to discuss their problems with me. This was then relayed to the owners that I had said that “

Continued...

“if you have a problem you need to bring it to me and not the owner”. In no way did I say, mean or imply this.

Obviously I don’t trust this employee and I feel now that conversations with this employee must be limited to the task at hand and that any communications should be with a witness present. Termination is not possible right now because of other issues (medical/injury) that would leave the company susceptible to a lawsuit.

Any advice?

Proceeding with caution

I think it is perfectly legitimate to say, "Yes, I did say that." It's a valid thing to say to a direct report. You could do a few things. 1) Just approach the person and tell her that she misunderstood you and to be very clear that it's important to your working relationship that she deal with you first so that you have an opportunity to solve things. Then you can convey that if she is unsatisfied with the outcome, she is welcome to pursue other paths, but to do so without giving you a chance to respond doesn't make any sense. Secondly, you could simply ask for a few minutes with her and the owners and under the premise that you want to be sure that you are properly understood, reiterate to both parties that you would like a chance to resolve what ever issues she has without bogging down others with what you perceive to be your own responsibility. Again, if that doesn’t work, then tell her she is free to look elsewhere for assistance. If she is playing a game, this should stop her in her tracks.

I manage a small group-only 3 workers. One of the works is not meeting expectations of the organization. She has been told about this on several occasions. Instead of trying to improve, she has been seeking out "

cont. "praises" from fellow workers...who are then in turn sending me recommendations. I later found out that she request they do this b/c I am trying to fire her and she can't afford to be fired. Can this be documented as unprofessional and a hindrance to the organization?

It doesn't really matter. It can be documented, but you need to get her on performance. Otherwise, you start involving all those other workers and that can be a mess. It sounds like she is enough of a problem to just cut her loose on her own shortcomings. You may also want to remind her that unsolicited accolades from peers do not factor into her evaluation.

Thanks for the advice. We've been trying to stick to job performance...and each time job performance is addressed-she, herself brings other factors into it. I'm going to document the situation, but I think I may need to inform her that it's inappropriate to ask for recommendations. Can doing that hurt?

Can't hurt. But I would be really clear with her that it is not helping her save her job. I'd go beyond saying it's inappropriate to ask for recommendations...it's ridiculous, not to mention manipulative. If she is not meeting the expectations of her job, it can be very cut and dry. I don’t recommend you let her succeed in muddying the waters.

You are right. My concern is that she will muddy the waters...and I'm not sure how to prevent that at this point.

You just have to say it. The minute she starts making "noise" simply say, "That is not the issue. I am not interested in that. The issue is.... X (whatever performance problems you are documenting her on). You may also want to remind her that what her coworkers think of her is completely irrelevant as it relates to the discussion at hand.

Thanks Donna. I appreciate the help.

My pleasure. Good luck! :)

He is persistently late. I have had informal chats with him about his lateness and advised him that general traffic congestion, rain and wind are not suitable reasons for his lateness. He walks into the office most mornings 20 minutes late sometimes 40. We had an agreement in January that if he worked late he would drop me or his line manager an email to let us know he was goign to be in late as we have a duty of care towards him. Yesterday he walked into the office 15 minutes late, I asked him why and he said 'I was talking on my mobile' I told him it was not good enough he became quite agressive and said 'Alright I am not that late' I reminded him he was late no matter the time and he repeated the same thing. I work alone in HR and find myself really angry and upset with this chap as he just does not seem to care. I want/need to confront him about his attitude but it is proving really difficult as he is making me feel I am the one with the proble. What can I do?

Hi Ava,

Well I would say first of all, it's time to move the informal conversation into the formal realm. But a lot of your success or failure reaching this guy will have to do with the amount, and kind of support you have from his line manager. It may be that you and he or she need to have a conversation first.

That being said, with regard to the employee, you’re going to have to just sit him down and tell him that there is a problem. Well actually now there are two, because on top of the lateness, his attitude is an issue as well. Your organization needs to make a decision whether or not the behavior will, and should tolerated. In the end, if you don’t have support sanctioning his lateness’s, you will be hard pressed to effectively move him toward correcting it. If you do have support, it’s very simple. Give him fair warning. If it happens again, he will no longer be employed by your company.

Hi, I manage a busy and large bar and catering company, one of my long standing employees has a young child (18 months) recently she has been phonong in once or twice weekly to tell me she can't complete her shift as the babysitter has let her down.
I have managed to fill her shifts todate but moral amoung other subordinate staff is not good and I don't want to see her lose or job or fall foul of legislation.

The first thing I would do is let her know that her inability to cover her shifts is becoming a problem. From there I would suggest trying to figure out a solution. Sometimes these things can be fixed with changes to schedules and understanding what exactly is causing the problem. But your point to her should be that somehow, someway, it has to get fixed. You don't want to get too far into her personal life, but at the same time, she needs to be very clear that you're willing to help, but not willing to disrupt the business and everyone else on the team on her behalf.

Hello. I assitant manage a hospital where I have a front office girl who always has one type of personal problem or another going on. She's always calling in sick. Well, we put a stop to the calling in sick, by putting our foot down and simply saying that if she's truly as sick as she seems we need a doctors note. Well she now resorts to coming in to work, and telling us all that she's sick all the time and complains constantly about not feeling well and all the drama that's going on in her personal life. She is also the type of employee that is wonderful with our doctors and clientele when I am here, but when I'm not here I hear horror stories. What is the best way to handle this situation? Thanks for any advice that you can share!

Talk to her and explain it exactly as you wrote it here. It’s precisely what she needs to hear. The point is to make it clear that her behavior is causing a problem and that the organization is not willing or interested in having it continue. That assumes of course, that if you go down that road, there are mechanisms in place to sanction the behavior if your conversation renders no effect.

The mainstay of our business is sales work. I've hired a new sales person and he seemed like a fit at first, but, he does nothing. I've given him leads and even play by play lists to complete and still no results. He's very shy and won't speak with any volume whatsoever. I can't hear him when he asks questions and I don't want to ask him anything because I can't hear him speak. I'm 31, I have great hearing ability. I've asked him to stop speaking as if this were a funeral home but he cannot change. I can't seem to motivate him in sales and I'm the one my entire district goes to when they need motivational advice. What should I do? Is it time to have that "Do you really want to be here" conversation?

Yes Jennifer - without a doubt, it's time. It doesn't sound like he is in the right spot. Round, peg - square hole - you know how that whole thing goes... Maybe you can discuss a role that would be more conducive to his strengths.

I am a supervisor of 4 years for a govt agency. I supervise 5 employees. There is one employee who has been a problem for many years. She has been written up so many times by so many other supervisors in the past. She constantly challenges and questions everything I say and do. She tattles on everyone in the office and winds up doing the same things that she complained that the other employees were doing. She talks about me behind my back and any given chance creates some type of problem. She is a great manipulator and can twist a conversation around and make you feel like you’ve done something wrong. Her behavior affects the other employees, because they want to know why she is getting away with behaving in this manner. Since I have never had any formal training, I don’t know how to handle her behavior towards me. I have written her up twice already, but her behavior towards me never changes. I really believe this woman has a chemical imbalance of some kind. What should I do?

Well first off, the reason she has not changed is that the efforts to write her up have gone nowhere. Your organization has no credibility because writing her up without any sort of repercussion is worse than doing nothing at all. If you have her in the “documentation process” certain actions must be taken in order for her and the other employees to take you and the other managers seriously. If you have written her up twice, make the third one a warning and start managing her out. You are right, she is toxic, damaging everything she touches and exhausting perfectly good resources that could be used to generate positive outcomes. During the warning you can make yourself clear that she is not cutting it. Tell her she has a long record of problematic behavior and she has been given multiple opportunities to correct it. Since she has decided not to, it is now a problem that the agency is not willing to attempt to fix any longer. Just be sure you get the agency’s policy on termination and then execute according to its terms.

I am in a dilemma. A colleague of mine who had been working under me for one year, is frequently making lots of errors in his work. During the past one year, I had given him more than sufficient support and training. But he keeps on overlook this and that in most of his work. In the end, other colleagues need to follow up his work for him. I have decided to demote and transfer him to another department. However, sensing of my decision, this collleague of mine has shown certain improvement for the past 3 weeks and has been taking his reponsibility much more seriously. As a result, some of Senior Staff have pleaded with me to re-consider my decision. I am second guessing as I am not sure by retaining him in my department and not demoting him for his past bad performance, will mean he will change his attitude in the long term. Even though he is imrpoving now, but I am not sure how long will it stays that way as the past one year I had been given him lot of opportunities to make amendments, I even had several good talks to him in relation to his bad performance too. But, nothing works until lately.

Wow, you could go either way on this. However, it is probably more prudent if you follow through with your current plans since you have already set the wheels in motion. If you reverse it now, then you become a company/manager that motivates behavior by threats, which is not good. Be explicitly clear with him that if his performance improves - consistently - then you will readily reconsider his status and promote him back. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating a see-saw effect which in the long term, could be problematic. Remember, your decision is based on performance that covers the last year, not just the last few weeks.

My problem employee is one who talks constantly! And not necessarily about work! He has a story about EVERYTHING and any ailment you may have, he has had worse. He also has a very cavalier attitude about work - does not seem to take it as seriously as others, even though we work in health care. Actual job performance is inconsistent and borderline acceptable. THese seems to be a personality issue more than a performance issue, so how do I deal with this in an evaluation? Thanks!

I have an employee who has been instructed several times on what their job description is and yet he constantly asking me or seeking me out for approval of his decision but will not make the decision on his own. He tells me it is out of respect that he is asking me and that he knows what his job is. And to make matters even more interesting he brags that he used to be a sniper in the military and is trained to kill. And at times stuck a gun under a landscapers chin that was working on his house.

Lucy, an evaluation is the perfect time to tell the employee exactly what you wrote. I would only add that it would be helpful to share (and elucidate) the effect that he is having on you and others. Probably the most helpful way to think about it is to appreciate that it is most certainly a performance problem. He is not focused on work or the needs of others which should be addressed. If he is a distraction, it's a problem. And if his attitude is not what you think it should be, then he needs to know that.

Steve - have you written into the job description that it is part of his responsibility to make decisions on his own? I would nip the sniper thing in the bud. No one cares, it has nothing to do with work, and he needs to know that

It is part of the job description. Which i am constantly saying that to him. The only thing is, I am in the medical field and the sniper thing is not that much of an issue, it is the fact that he is saying all these things to our patients. Am I wrong for thinking my patients should feel at ease when they come for treatment everyday?

Hmmm. I would point out that he is not actually satisfying the requirements of his job as it is laid out in the description then. You can either start the disciplinary process and manage him out (that may wake him up) or sit him down and ask why he is not hearing what you are saying. How frustrating!

How do I deal with a receptionist who can't seem to figure out where to schedule an appointment? Unless the schedule is wide open she always calls me to ask where to put it in the schedule. But when the schedule is wide open she schedules an appointment at 9 am and then another at 4pm leaving a huge gap in the day. I have tried training and schedule templates but none of it seems to work.

Hi Alison, Perhaps she is in the wrong job. Why don't you try giving her a scenario and ask her to schedule a day according to your hypotheticals. In other words set up an exercise "as if" it were a real day in real life. If she can't do it and doesn't understand what you want, cut your losses and start over. Maybe there is another role in your organization that would play to this person's strengths rather than to what appear to be her weaknesses. Having someone in a job where she can’t perform successfully is not good for either party.

I have an employee that is a great worker but has a bad additude always gossiping and complaining that I do not mange right, also says she has been doing this for a long time and she is not going to be ran over, She tries her best to get staff members to go to her instead of the designated person. What to do ??

Douglas, have you talked with her about it?

I am supervising two admin assistants and they are suppose to be covering one another everytime one takes leave. The problem is, everytime the first assistant is on vacation, the other will coincidentally had to go on emergency leave and requested that I cover for both of them. Both of them were also not in good terms, hence they will not communicate one another's need or request for the other to come back to work to cover her. She is making me look bad for not allowing her to go on leave when she urgently needs one, but it happen too often that I feel I need them to know that they have a commitment to deliver.

Yes that's exactly right Dannie. They need to know. I would sit them both down (together at the same time) and explain exactly what the problem is and that it can't continue because the needs of the business are not met when they are both out. I would prepare the one who submits for emergency leave that granting them has limits and he/she shoudln't expect them to come so easily in the future.

Donna

I have directly spoke with her about this it goes ok for a while and then back again

I have an employee who is fairly brand new to the company and has turned the office upside down with a false and slandering statements about the director, the employee has filed a complaint with corporate compliance office and is now in investigation. Prior to the director knowing corporate compliance is involve, the employee and the director spoke and they came to a resolve that it was all a misunderstanding but the process of the investigation must still play out. the director was instructed by the vp not to get personal or get too involved with the employees in the office least it gets misconstrueb. Business only no small talk which now the office feels tension and this employee is still reaping havic in the office with other fabication of untruth with the other management team in the office made mention to fellow co-workers that they are untouchable now - no one in management can do anything to them

When they come in the office the morale become low - people watch every word they say and everything they do around this person . How can we stop this maddness and salvage our integrity.

Leader, without knowing more about the situation, it's hard to say what stratgies would be most effective. However, one way to boost morale, regardless of the specifics is to communicate with people/employees and keep them involved in work processes. It tends to help keep the focus off the unpleasantries of the complaint and on the work at hand.

We have seven employees in a small bakery. One of our employees is young, high maintenance and insecure. She complains to Employee A that Employee B doesn't do as much work when Employee B doesn't even have the same job description as everyone else. She tells Employee A that Employee A is "in trouble" with the boss when no such condition exists. She presents herself to other employees and to customers as having more authority than she possesses. She tells ex-employees that she doesn't get enough attention compared to the other employees. She tells ex-employees that Employee A "has trouble getting orders correct" (when Employee A is within earshot). She calls Employee B at home to complain about Employee A. As you can imagine, the other employees are unhappy, and they have complained that work "feels like high school". I want to talk to her about the complaints but she has the tendency to "witch hunt" and make the others lives miserable (especially since the boss goes home at noon and the employees are on their own until 5:30 p.m.). When I have talked to her about specific things that we have observed (as opposed to things we have only "heard" about), she changes the subject to unrelated incidents. The last time I talked to her about giving product away, she blurted out that she was offended that the boss' son made a racial slur (she is bi-racial). I have suggested to her that she needs to decide whether the bakery is a good fit for her but she chooses to stay (probably because the job market is so dismal in Michigan). Her work is good when someone is there to watch her. When someone is not there? Not so much. The last time we had a meeting, she was a model employee for about two months. How can I talk to her without throwing the others under the bus? What happens if she denies what the others are saying? At what point do you decide that an employee is too high-maintenance? What is the best way to absentee manage mininum wage workers?

Cheri, This employee is too high maintenance - the point has come... and gone. She is poisoning your workplace and is making way more work for you than she is worth. Get rid of her. She has given you absolutely no reason to continue employing her. Good luck.

I am a dentist getting ready to purchase a dental office. I have had the opportunity to work with the staff for the last 8 months. I am having trouble with the current office manager challenging my authority. The selling dentist is very passive and allows her to do this. She has been there for 35+ years. Should I hire her?

Hi Jennny I would say probably not. Inheriting someone wtih an attitude is not easily fixed. If she treats you like this now, what makes us think that she has any intention or desire to develop a good and positive working relationship with you later? None. That's the problem.

Thanks for the advice. I agree with you.

Hi I joined My current compny as a Newb and after 5 years struggle & playing a Perfectionist I just got promoted as a First Line Project Manager. I have a Team of 20 Memebers. I have known 10 of d Team Members for years now as colleagues and Friends. At times I find that they have a casual approach towards me & if I try to correct them they take it personally. Basically the chemistry has changed between them & Me as they find there New Boss is a guy they have known for years as a colleague. There are New Team Members as well & they take there work and My instructions vry seriosly. How do I handle and turn around this chemistry.

Shaw, first I would be clear with them by simply saying, "You guys can't be so casual with me, and please don't take it personally." You can even just say, “It’s not personal.” I find that to work really well. Meanwhile, you still need to be very professional and focused on the business while maintaining the friendliness that you have cultivated in the relationships over the years. And they in turn need to respect your effort as their friend and boss. Give it some time, and if the wrinkles don’t iron themselves out, have a more in-depth conversation about how they may be feeling or processing the effect that your new role is having on them and their ability to successfully do their jobs. Good luck… and Congratulations!!

Thanks a Lot Donna. I was thinking on the similar lines. Would i b going overboard if I start My First or Second day with a Formal one-on-one with every Team member (Old & New) and set there expcetations and cut down casual approach if any as well as discuss goals and How I can be of help to them?

I don't think that would be overboard at all, but what may work even better is to have them as a group to discuss goals. That way you set the tone for the whole rather that its parts and establish a shared understanding from which everyone can work forward.

hi,
I own a motel with my brother which we took over from our father that lives in a different province. Weve had it just over three years now and recently opened a convienience store on site as well. My brother and I do not see eye to eye on anything. He won't put anything into either business stating he is sick, has a headache, overtired, etc. His shifts are made up of him showing up for work and surfing the internet and doing nothing productive. His cashouts are always wrong and won't accept any help. His integrity has faltered so much I can't believe anything that he says as he just aggrees with my father and I to get us off his back or return with some angry remark. I was quite clear when we opened the store that we needed an acceptable amount of cashflow and he spent it all before we opened and without consulting anyone. Now we of course are having cashflow trauma in both businesses and I am left having to go over all his minimal work which is always wrong, deal with the staff badmouthing him (it really is valid points they make, they come in the place is messy etc. and nothing is done) his excuse being 'we have staff to do that'. Generally I would aggree with some of that comment however these shifts that we are doing right now are staff shifts in which we should be doing the duties that come along with it. Ive tried talking to him, being firm with him, writing emails, letters, being angry, dissapointed and now finally am setting up a manager's contract hoping this will make a difference. Usually we don't have both of us here as one of us works and the other goes on vacation which is a great setup except when I come back everything I did to put systems in place is negleted and im back at square one. I think he is one of the laziest people I have ever had to work with and I can't fire him which I would have done long ago. But, hes my older brother. His decisions are emotional based and he gets staff involved in drama and gossip. He doesn't understand basic bookkeeping principles and therefore his business decisions always leave me wondering 'what? why would he do that?'
I don't know what to do, I have suggested he take courses on his time off and he won't. Hes now resorted to not taking time off and complaining that he should be able to just show up and not do anything because he hasnt had a vacation. I forced him on a week long vacation to Vancouver where he used to live but it did no good. Any suggestions? I have talked with my father to provide mediation and intervention but though my father has tried it has no effect and we are both wondering where to go from here. I have since taken 100% control of the finances but I think it may be too late and that doesn't even spur him into action to help us get out of this mess which unfortunatly I feel he created most of himself. All my energy is spent trying to deal with him and his incompetant business decisions and low work ethic and morals. He wants to make money 'under the table' and deal with shady people etc. I want everything above board and everything accounted for.
I really could go for hours on these issues. Help? Thanks in advance I really appreciate it.

Oh my, what a nightmare. Is there any way to get him out of the business or pay him NOT to come to work? Can you buy him out? I don't think you will have much luck changing him. It sounds as though he is too into being miserable and is enjoying imposing cankor on everyone else. I don't think it's about figuring out how to incorporate him into the business. He is toxic. Your goal needs to be to remove him and his negative impact as best as possible. What if you told him you were fed up and leaving it all in his lap? Do you think he would want it? Or, is there ANYTHING that would make him happy? Are you able to leave?

Those ideas have all been going through my head as well. I was thinking about leaving it in his lap but any choice I make would affect my dad as well since its his whole retirement etc.
Buying him out is not an option as I would consider that as well but now I have to play catch up and get a cashflow going as the store requires a good amount of daily in-out cash.
My father is really worried and stressed and calls me every day now about this since he can't even talk to him.
I don't think that anything will make him happy, I have tried taking him off graveyards but he won't and then everyone he talks to its like 'oh i work graveyards every night, it such a hard shift. Poor Me.' As I previously stated he is merely 'there' and no work is done except serving customers that come in.
I am very close to being done and washing my hands with it unless we can come to some kind of aggreement. He has no interest in doing a manager's contract so I'm doing one up anyway. Ive put more time and labour and effort into dealing with him than any other aspect of the business. That's not right.

Gosh, I couldn't agree more. What if you asked him what it would take for him to leave? The only other thing I can think of is to have your dad get involved (more) since he has a vested interest. I guess the key is to find something or someone that can get through to your brother. Whoa. Please let us know. This is a tough one.

I was just promoted to manager and spent two days with the leaving manager. She ran her office like the military and micro managed everyone. I am not as "strict" as she is, but only one week in and my assistant is already running free. I need to pull in the reigns on her, but not quite sure how to. Example: she comes to me with a prob and I tell her that I need to handle it but give her advice on how i will for future, she will in turn go behind my back and do it. I get assignments from my boss and my asst is CC'd on emails in case im out and she has been down my back on things asking did I do it yet. she went behind my back to address another staff memeber to do something that was not priority, as she was sending the staff an email she asked if I had them do it, so whiel tellig her no it was not priority because of a huge project review coming up..she replied by telling me she just sent an email telling them to do it. I feel she is rebelling a little after being kept so tight under control, but I need to get her back in control and remind her that I am the manager and she is my assistant and she should not be going above my head for answers nor when I tell her that I will take care of it for her to do it. As soon as I leave the office for a meeting or lunch she starts up even worse. I need to speak wiht her, but don't want to cause a rift between us since we have to work so closely, but need to lay down the law of who is the manager and what the roles are. It's not like she doesn't know but she is trying to push.

I would focus more on the specific things she is doing that she shouldn't be and ask her to stop. Very clear. Very cut and dry. Just keep telling her "it's inappropriate," or "I don't want you to do that, so please don't." If it continues, tell her she is looking at disciplinary action. Nip it in the bud. You won't be sorry. Good luck!

My husband and I are having and issue with 2 of our highest managers. We are a growing company and have had to start to separate departments so we removed one manager and put her under financial and promoted one who is now at same level. The original mgr resents her and is constantly undermining her. They are both good at what they do and neither of them should be intimidated by the other but there is issue after issue which seems to be instigated by the original manager. There are even emails sent to lower level employees by her and she makes sure to tell them to delete them when they are emails that should not have been forwarded to them. Any suggestions on how to nip this in the bud.

Yes, Oh my gosh... by all means, nip it in the bud! Take the original manager aside and explain specifically what she is doing that is inappropriate. Tell her it reflects poorly on her and her ability to manage and take on additional responsibilities in the future. Explain that you can not afford to have your leaders lack maturity and if she wants to keep growing she needs to stop playing games with the other manager. Suggest that she focus on herself rather than worry about what someone else is doing. It's childish and she looks ridiculous. Hope that helps! Good luck:)

I have a department of 60+ personnel, under three different managers. The three managers report to me.
One of my managers is constantly undermining me. His job performance is acceptable (not great, just acceptable).

However, the constant undermining me is making management a near nightmare. Constant rumors, confusing feedback, numbers that cannot be trusted, and management pointing the finger at each other because of issues started by him running his mouth.

I do not have these issues with my other two units, just his. When I meet individually with the staff, we easily understand each other and are aligned. However, when I interject his layer of management between myself and his units, it all breaks loose.

Any ideas on how to address this issue?

Yes, Austin, I do. Sit him down and itemize everything that you just listed in your post. Tell him that it is your observation of his performance. Then tell him that if he doesn't correct it immediately, he will lose his job. Don't give him 30 days, give him three strikes and he's out.

Thank you for the feedback.
The unfortunate factor is that I have to have documented proof of my accusations. Working in state government has some substantial drawbacks, and this is one of them.

Ugh - that I didn't realize. I guess the next step then is documenting and letting him know how displeased you are every step of the way - right?

Hello, I manage a staff of four employees at a magazine. One of them is constantly challenging me, sending me e-mails like "I think the workflow would be better if we do it this way", "I can't do a story on "x" subject because I wasn't born when that happened", "Ash, why do I have to interview this uninteresting people?", "There's a typo in my story that you didn't correct, should I leave it that way?", "What's the url for the site where I download the pictures (everyday), I forgot..."...
And so many many excuses more that I've had it. It's her first job, she's young and rebel, she evidently does not who is the boss...
I don't have the same problem with the rest of the staff though.
And there's a clear division of a team of four and her own team...
I do not know what to do... I talk to her and she responds back like "well my voice should be heard, I have opinions, and you've never complained before about my behavior until lately..."
I want to fire her, but I can't because the company won't authorize severance packages right now... Am I trapped with her?

Hm. Quick question. Does your company have a policy that pays severance even on terminations due to performance problems? That would be unusual. Anyway, the real issue here is to be clear with her that her behavior is not working despite the fact that she thinks it is. When I’ve been confronted with this situation in the past, I finally just said, “I don’t want the resistance,” every time I got it. I’ve also said, “I am not enjoying working with you because of it.” Let her know that over time it will deteriorate the quality of your relationship and her chances for success – at least as it pertains to your purview. Otherwise, can you either demote her or take away some of her responsibilities? If you can and do, just make sure that they pertain directly to her performance issues and tie them together when you speak to her. Good luck!

Hi! Thanks for your answer. Well, HR recommended issuing a warning. I did. I talked with her very calmed and relaxed, but serious. She rolled her eyes at me. And the discussion was not productive. Today she started gossiping on the floor that I humiliated her -not true- and she talked to everyone in my office, including my boss, and she wants to go to HR.
What is she going to complain about? That she doesn't do her job? That she got a warning in recommendation of HR?
I can't have her in my team anymore.
But HR wants me to give her a second chance.

Ugh. That's my frustration with HR. She should have been out at the eye-rolling. Every single incident infects the other people and the business and that's what HR often doesn't get. And every time she gets away with it, it sends a message that it's acceptable conduct and treatment of others. It is so not healthy for the organization. Good Luck!

Hello,

I supervisor a service facility and have 11 employees who report directly to me. My problem is with my "lead man". From a technical standpoint he is about as sharp as they come, from any other stanpoint he leaves a lot to be desired. He has created devisions in the shop that has led to hard feeling and gossiping. He approaches some of the techs with the pretense of speaking for me (he doesn't). He has befriended some of the guys and made it clear that he dislikes others. He wont hesitate to go around me to our branch manager to "score points'. he's no threat to my position since my record with the company speaks for itself. It has gotten so obvious to everyone in the shop that it is undermining the entire structure of the shop. Here's my problem, after countless face to face meeting with him and the appropriate warnings and write ups, I'm at my wits end. I do not want to "demote" him back to a floor position as this would no doubt lead to worse behavior. I believe that my only choice is to either fire him for his actions or force him to transfer elsewhere in the company. Big problem though, my supervisor is a total marshmallow and wants me to keep giving him more chances and he'll "come around". Calgon take me away lol.

I don't normally recommend transferring problem employees unless you strongly believe that the job itself is causing the problem and that another spot would bring out different skills and better qualities. Sounds like you need to work on your boss to approve letting this guy go. You have to get him to see that this employee is NOT changing and that he is draining other valuable resources from the company. Good luck!

I work in a franchise type of environment. Two person office with MY name on the door and on the line at all times. I have an assistant who is paid by the company but, technically works for me. We have worked together for nearly four years and I can't take it anymore. (This is a financial office). I contacted our HR in home office (we have over 10,000 offices) to discuss the fact that I discovered on her e-mail (company provided) some not so flattering comments about me. I used to let her have time off with pay whenever she needed, allowed her to take care of personal business, gave her bonuses, etc... and when the Swine flu went through my house I took two days off. (I am her immediate supervisor and for all intents and purposes HER boss) Well, it so happened that on one of those days she ALSO took off and my office was left unopened for the day. After I returned I discovered the e-mails along with the fact she put on her time-card that she worked that day without okaying it with me first. I contacted HR about both things and she was written up. She then proceeded to tell HR that I cuss in the office and because I viewed her e-mail (MY office mind you) without her permission I was put on written warning as well. I now am working in what I consider to be a hostile environment. She does her job to a "t" but, the only communication is business related. She is very pithy with her communications with me and now resorts to making comments under her breath and whispering during phone conversations. I can't prove anything or even say anthing for fear she'll try to come up with something on me. It's tense every day and I just can't take it anymore, HELP

Well, there are a few things to consider here. First, would it be possible to set up a meeting with HR, you and your assistant? I sounds like it may geographically be a problem, but if you could, it would be worth it for it debilitates her from pitting parties against one another. I think you guys need to have a powwow and get it all out in the open. Or, you could also just tell her that she is difficult to work with (have a witness) and you are not enjoying or appreciating your experience with her as an assistant. And, you could also weigh all of this aggravation up against how much you like your job and decide if it's worth the fight. If you go down the "hostile environment" road, it gets tricky and I can't glean enough details from this to understand sufficiently how the corporate structure is inhibiting your ability to manage this employee properly. In the meantime though, how is it the corporate HR doesn’t let you fire her if she reports directly to you? Wishing you luck.

Hi -
I have a different perspective on this topic - I am a small business owner, but still work for someone else until my business supports me.
What I want to know is, when there is a co-worker who has just about all of the above bad characteristics, and has had them since day one, has been "written up" more times than I can count, has been responsible for several people quiting because of her, makes the office barely tolerable & STILL the owner won't fire her - what recourse does a person have besides quiting themselves? (I have tried to find another job because I can't take it any more - but it's a bad job market & I am stuck for now)
I just dread going into work everyday because of this person. I have spoken my piece to HR & management as well and so has just about everyone else in the office, but still the owner does not fire her.
I should mention that this person goes out of her way to kiss up to the owner big time & hide her discretions from her.
Is there any sort of outside help/resources for this type of situation?
Thank you ~

Unfortunately, this is a systemic problem and other than facing this person head on and letting her know that she is a miserable presence and terrible to be around, your best bet is to get out and find something else that is healthy, positive and productive. I realize the job market is challenging right now, but I would at least get out there and start trying as it will potentially take some time. Good luck!

I have an employee who has been with me over a year -- good attitude, seems to try hard and seems to want to succeed. We have spent a lot of time training him, in addition to answering questions as they arise, and even setting aside weekly time to go over issues and questions. In the end, though, he simply can't seem to grasp the work, asking the same questions repeatedly as well as not doing the work accurately. I know he wants to do well, but he just doesn't seem capable. Do I have any choice but to replace him based on his inability to perform?

Not really. It sounds as though he is not in the right job. Is there anything else you can offer him that might be a better fit?

I have a problem where I am an under utilised employee. I took a position that was supposed to be a Financial analyst, was lead to believe that this was the situation, and in the first twelve months done nothing more than accounts payable clerical work. This was not as the position had been described. Last October, the Finance Manager left, and I am carrying out some aspects of that role until a replacement has been found. My supervisor has commended me on my hard work and diligence and even went as far as saying that I would make a better FM than the previous person. The job market is tight at the moment, but I feel that I am going to get pushed out. I have attempetd to raise these issues with my supervisor, but feel I have to take a more formal road. Any advice would be most gratefully received.

Well Darrel, my first question would be, have you been given a job description for the FA role?

Yes I have, but the job description is interesting and not related to the actual work being done. Once a new FM is employed, I will go back to my previous role. There is a tendency to employ the correct department level of personnel irrespective of workload. This is my first experience in the public sector!

Hm. So it's hard to say without knowing more, but it sounds as though you may need to get clearer on your objectives, because that clarity will help you communicate what it is you are trying to accomplish, no matter who you have the discussion with. I would say start with your supervisor and if that nets you nothing, ask what other channels may be available for you to pursue an appropriate means to your end.

in response to'January 3, 2010
In response to: Handling a Problem Employee: No More Nonsense!
Donna commented:

Gosh, I couldn't agree more. What if you asked him what it would take for him to leave? The only other thing I can think of is to have your dad get involved (more) since he has a vested interest. I guess the key is to find something or someone that can get through to your brother. Whoa. Please let us know. This is a tough one'
Well, its consistantly gotten worse. unfortunately he does less than nothing. I took him off the schedule and said it was because he needed a break since hes always complaining how graveyards are sooo difficult and hhow rough things are for him. He legally owns 51% of the business so my dad is contemplating coming up here for a month to try and deal with things. He is writing a contract for us that will state since my brother owns 51% then I will assume full operational authority over the business as my brother cannot be trusted with any of the finances. It really is unfortunate, but he can't be trusted with any aspect of the business, not even to work a shift that other staff will do. I let an employee go yesterday and he was fine with it but then proceeded to tell me how everything was a mess when he would come on shift etc. (he would take over for my brother). How many more times do I need to appologize for him to staff? I take responsibility for my own actions right or wrong. The Employee I let go yesterday; my brother's answer was 'just keep him on and cut his shifts and then we still have him on standby'. There may be some people in management roles that aggree with that statement however I feel it is a sleazy business tactic and refuse to keep employees around just to 'have them around'. It hurts me personally that I feel my own brother has the business and moral ethics of a slum lord. I am doing everything I can to alleviate his complaints but it never works. He ripped the new schedule down and said not a chance (I gave him the whole week off). Wow, I'm so frustrated. He would have been fired long ago. On that note, he won't let anyone go, fire them, etc. He uses the management model of letting things go and go with staff until they boil over and he becomes just an ass to them and they quit. We are so different. I'm structured, organized, and want everything to be fair and proffessional. He models his business style as 'ma pa operation', every decision is made on the fly, unorganized and the attitude of 'don't worry, everything will work out'. Yes it will work out. Because you have a brother that spends 15 hours a day cleaning up your messes and putting standardized systems in place while building core clientele for a brand new business. I've never had to ask for help like this while dealing with business. I have never been unfair to an employee and never let personal feelings get in the way when I deal with work but like I said, I really don't know what to do at this point. Unfotunatly, a buyout of either party it not an option at this point as my brother drained the accounts and skyrocketed us into a large debtload before I forced a takeover of all our accounts. Until I bring our debtload down and secure our business accounts we are all dead in the water paying off massive amounts of useless bills that he incurred. Now all hes talking about is spending 30k on kitchen equipment so we can make fresh and hot food. It is something we will do when we get our feet back on the ground. We will do very well with it, but not until we are secure again. In the meantime he just won't lift a finger to help with anything.

Wow. Esthree. Thanks for the update. See, the thing is that if your brother were an employee, he'd be gone. So now it becomes not only a business management issue, but also a family management issue. I don't know if it's possible because this appears to be a very complicated situation, but I still think that your dad is the only one who has influence at this point and that the matter as a whole requires a new and different legal agreement. If it's any consolation, these things do tend to get worse before they get better. Hang in there...

Thanks for the encouragement. I admit its getting more and more difficult. We are such different people and have such different ethics. I have written a 4 page letter to my dad and my brother and CC'd it to myself outlining every issue and my recomendations in a proffessional non accusatory manner and sent it out this morning. Dad will be flying in here on the 14th of March until the 22nd to assess things however it is unfortunate that I will be away from the 10th until the 22nd for an engagement I committed to almost a year ago. My father is definately disgruntled about what is going on and understands what I am going through (none of these complaints are new) but he intends to come and hopefully set things straight in person while im away. I have pushed for a contract that sets expectations of each party and hope this can rectify the situation until such a time we can offer a buyout to myself or my brother. It has become exceedingly clear (however unfortunate) that 2 owners with such different management models and ethics that retain the same authority cannot work in unison. I will keep you updated. I know there will be a lesson learned after the problem is eventually dealt with. Once that happens, I will ponder the situation objectively and offer any thoughts I come up with on preventitive measures.

Well good luck and I'll look forward to the update... and I'll keep my fingers crossed for positive news:)

I’ll try to make this as short as possible. I have an employee who seems to have problems getting along with others. He has been here about a year, his work is satisfactory (and at times quite good) but his personality leaves a lot to be desired. He has had complaints about each of his assignments, is moody and can be difficult to communicate with. His complaints include statements such as his first supervisor didn't communicate enough, his second supervisor went directly to a subordinate rather than this employee which left him out of the loop, he is a [self-proclaimed] computer whiz but isn’t given projects to utilize his skills, and on and on. On top of this, there are even more problems which I am hearing second and third hand, or am told in confidence, so I can’t use them when talking to this guy. Some of these complaints have come from staff working under him and if what they say is true, he is not encouraging and coaching staff, but rather is ridiculing them for asking questions by making statements like “you should know that” before answering. He doesn’t fit in with the rest of the group, and is rude with other organizational staff. He seems to have a problem with treating anyone at a lower staffing level appropriately. I’ve talked to him about these things before, but he yes’s me to death, gives all the right answers, and then the problems continue. The problem now is that his evaluation is due and writing it up is a nightmare. Unfortunately, I work in a bureaucratic environment where the written evaluation is necessary. In my opinion, the fact that he doesn’t fit in here is reason enough to send him on his way. Any ideas?

Mhadge - I'm totally with you, he should be gone. Now that said, if the structure of the organization doesn't allow that, then write up his evaluation and include much of what you've written above. It is actually very good news that he is due for a review. Tell him that you have spoken with him about this in the past (It is irrelevant whether he agrees with you about that or not.) and that the net result of his behavior/attitude is undermining the efforts of the organization and people in it. Set a date (make it a short window) and tell him that if it doesn’t improve (according to your assessment) then he will no longer be employed there. Good luck.

I am a new supervisor of 7 local govt employees. One of them is a "princess" in several regards and feels she deserves special treatment because she has a slightly different job description than everyone else. However, if it weren't for her excellent track record in this specialty, she would probably have been dismissed. She has can't communicate with others, she is moody and passive-aggressive (gives you the silent treatment if you question her), and she thinks her co-workers should read her mind. She literally stated she doesn't think she should have to ask them for help.

The worst part is her reaction to criticism. She is the type who overreacts by threatening to quit, gets very emotional (angry, crying), and makes excuses. She complains constantly about other employees, her workload, etc. There is no pleasing her. Even when I make changes, she still finds flaws.

I inherited this employee from previous supervisors, and none of them was able to handle her, either. She often jumped the ladder. Recently she went over my head to my Supervisor after I set some boundaries for her behavior. She also discussed this with HR. HR and my Supervisor sided with me. Even after hearing that, she still treated me with contempt. She never backs down, never apologizes for her behavior, and never thinks of anyone but herself. Her behavior continually disrupts the workplace and lowers morale. How do I approach this topic without inducing the usual flare-up? I am tired of the tantrums, the pouting, and the silent treatment.

Wow. Well, the first thing I would do is say exactly what you wrote in your last sentence. Open the conversation with, "I’m tired of the tantrums, pouting, etc..." Then I would flat out tell her that her behavior is ugly, that it does not reflect well on her as a professional and that the net result is a very unpleasant work relationship that she has created (and continues to create). Tell her that you expect the people who work for you to behave like adults and not two-year-olds who haven’t figured out how to adapt to the adult world yet. You may be met with one last flare up and when she does, use it as an example of the exact lack of maturity and professionalism that you are talking about. And if it’s possible, ask her to go away and come back later on when she gets the child within her in check, but that in the meantime, you have no interest in dealing with it/her. I have often reminded these types of folks that I was not hired to be a babysitter and that if that is what she needs, she is in the wrong job. If that doesn’t work, I’d fire her. Life’s too short and one person is not worth that much grief. Good luck!! Keep us posted:)

I have an emplyee who has a great attitude and lots of enthusiasm. The problem is she talks too much. When she makes a point, suggestion, or asks a question she imediately launches into a longwinded explanation, often repeating herself- often to the frustration of those having to listen. Usually you have to cut her off in order to respond to her. I have recently asked for volunteers to lead a weekly team teleconference, and she has jumped at the opportunity. How do I tactfully tell her to reign it in?

Hi Emily, Just tell her that you think she's great, but that has a tendency to ramble, which could make the teleconference more cumbersome than it needs to be. Then ask her if she thinks she can be better at editing herself down and then mention that you think this is great practice because it's an important skill to have as she grows and advances in her career. It's a perfect opportunity to talk with her about it, since it is tied directly to work and something she is interested in (that being the teleconference). Good luck. It sounds like she has a good attitude and I suspect she will appreciate you taking the time to counsel her and pursuing what is in her best interest.

I have an employee that is very competent and performs well. However, he has been moved from team to team because of a bad attitude. He believes it is a perception problem. Now that he is on my team he is affecting my A players. Everything nasty he does is undercover so I hear about it second or third hand. He is smart enough not to act that way when I am around. I have coached employees before for bad performance when I had the evidence to back it, however this is more difficult. What can I do when I don't have direct evidence and I have to keep certain confidences? It usually comes back to perception and he believes he has done nothing wrong and everyone else has the problem.

Ew, that's a tough one because the conversation ends up being one about his inability to see things clearly as opposed to it being about his actual behavior/performance. The best you can do is tell him that regardless of what he thinks, it is not a perception problem, that you are getting feedback from everywhere that he is difficult to work with. Tell him he can choose to believe whatever he wants, but that if you continue to get such negative feedback about him, he will no longer be employed at your company. Then it’s up to him to make the adjustment – or not.