Employee thinks supervisor is out to get him
PHS09
42 Posts
After recently presenting a written warning to an employee for performance issues, he told me that he felt the working environment was very difficult to work in, that is boss and trainer are condescending and have made fun of him, and he thinks that they are out to get him fired. I asked him to elaborate and send me his grievance in writing with specific examples of his concerns. He is not sure he wants to have it investigated. Where do I go from here? I have vague remarks with no specific examples and the employee not wanting me to speak with the supervisor.
Comments
There are a lot of people, in the face of disciplinary action, will try to shift the blame from themselves to others to try to get out of trouble. If you have asked for specific information and he is unwilling to give it to you, then I don't think there is anything else that you can do. It is quite possible that this employee just doesn't like his supervisor. We all have stuff about our jobs that we don't particularly care for.
It can't hurt to talk to the supervisor and ask him for his input on the employee who feels singled out (as many do when they face written warnings). Then, start asking about how that employee is "fitting in" and see if another shoe drops. Even if it doesn't, most people figure where there's smoke, there's fire, and your inquiry may be enough to squelch any inappropriate behavior.
The detail you requested is needed for you to move forward with a formal inquiry / investigation. What you can do without his follow-through on formal complaint is review the warning and behavior. If the warning is justified, then receiving the warning is on the employee. Additionally, I would recommend reviewing the managers history with corrective actions on the team. If all seems consistent, and all seem to be measured with the same yard stick, then this warning is as fair as any other. If you identify inconsistencies, then you can address the subject with the incident of this employees corrective action being one example of several you would use to address inconsistency with the manager. If you don't identify any problem, then you can have a follow-up conversation with the complaining employee about ownership and accountability for their behavior as you found that the manager is consistent in applying standards of performance for the team.