Problem Employee
offadmin
13 Posts
This is a long post but I need to give background for understanding of the problem. I have an EE who has worked for us for 3 years. She began as receptionist and moved to a secretarial postion about 6 months ago. She has an extremely bad attitude and her personnel file is full of documentation about this. She refuses to ask questions when she doesn't know how to do something and then I have to speak with her about not doing her job properly. She immediately goes on the defensive and nothing is ever her fault. She went so far as to tell me I must be the most unhappiest person she's ever known because I didn't have anything better to do than to pick at her. Thinking that it might actually be a personality conflict between the two of us, I moved her into a vacant secretarial position. Her supervising attorney says her work product is good but he doesn't keep her busy and the secretary she shares an office with (who works extremly hard) complained about her not restocking supplies, talking on the phone constantly, and never offering to help other secretaries. This complaint happened over a month ago and the problem employee is still not speaking to the other secretary, thus causing a lot of tension. She is also going around telling other staff members that it's the other secretary's fault....of course she would say that. I was ready to terminate her late last year but didn't after finding out that she had just filed bankruptcy...didn't want any discrimination backlash. Any suggestions on how to deal with this?
Comments
James Sokolowski
HRhero.com
good luck!
Allow the ee to read and respond if she accepts the challenge or quits. There is no time nor room for discussion of the points of instruction in the letter. She will either rise to the level of a caring, helping, trusting, and professional secretary or she can choose to resign or stay and rise to the expected level of performance.
Be prepared to go either way, but in no uncertain terms loose control of the conference with a witnessing party.
Good Luck!
PORK
It sounds like you have done something that many supervisors do, move the problem ee to someone else rather than deal with the issues. With all the verbal coaching and all the documentation in the file, you stopped short of the next logical series of steps that would have led to either finally correcting the problem, or termination. As is often the case, avoiding the issue(s) has merely delayed the necessary steps. If you are wondering what the correct thing to be done is, it is often the hardest thing to do.
Good luck.
As others have written, with all the documentation you already have, it is time to sit down with her, discuss her peformance issues (not attitude), and inform her that one more problem or difficulty will result in immediate termination.
I do have an observation as to why you would move someone from receptionist to secretary if they had a bad attitude, less contact with customers.
Now for your problem. You really have had the previous posters lay it out. Document the current issues that have been brought forth by her new boss and the other secretary. Sit her down, last chance agreement outlining the unacceptable behavior, what changes must occur and make it clear that her employment will be terminated if it does not happen. I think PORK, said it, do not let her take over the meeting. Have a witness. When she starts to go off cut her off, let her know this is not open for discussion, you are very comfortable with the facts and have seen it first hand.
Have a glass of wine, or go for a bike ride at the end of the day after having this less then fun meeting. It won't be that bad, the termination meeting in 30 days, or less will be much worse. x:D
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman
Good luck...