what would you do? – employee question

[Walter Biscardi]

[Sam Lesante Jr.] “The employee also said that my father, who is CEO, should be working harder and not them. This was said to my family member in front of most of our employees.”

Anyone who has this attitude is not really worth keeping around. I don’t care if they are the greatest editor/animator/producer in the world. The owner / CEO of the company hired this person to do a job and that’s all they should worry about. If he / she wants to run their own company, the door is right over there.

I would have certainly given the employee a warning on the spot and remind that person to worry about their own position and not be concerned with running the company. Depending on their reaction, it’s either out the door or back to work.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Greg Ball]

I have to agree with Walter. It also sounds like this employee may be looking for a severance package. I’d suggest someone (his immediate supervisor) pull him aside and calmly tell him that he has two choices…do his work and keep quiet, or leave. The other thought I have is that obviously there’s something going on here. If the overall feeling is that this employee is a 9-5er only, and gives nothing more than his job requirements, does he know that this is the perception of management? Has he had a performance review?

Perhaps that would be a vehicle to clear the air.

[Debe]

It’s hard to judge someone you don’t really know, but he sounds like the employee equivalent to a “grinder”.

What’s the benefit of keeping him around? How many of those resumes coming in the door are from folks who would be happy to be a part of the team, instead of being….well, whatever it is that this guy is? Are there folks out there that could slide into his chair with minimal effort?

It does sound a little bit like burnout, though. Was he always like this? Is it possible to get the “original” guy back? Was THAT guy worth keeping around?

If it were me, I’d find out what’s REALLY up with the guy. If he’s a malcontent, I’d find a way to show him the door. Morale in a small business can go in the toliet faster than anywhere else when just one employee starts carping about things that aren’t his business to carp about. (Of course, carping about things that ARE his business to carp about are certainly things to pay attention to…)

If he’s just “off” for some reason, and you can find a way to get him back…then he might be worth the investment.

Otherwise, can ‘im!!

Just my 2

[Mark Suszko]

Don’t be too hasty. There seems to be more going on here than just a quick surface impression suggests.

I assume this worker was pretty good up to now or in this competitive market they wouldn’t have got the job to start with or kept it this long. Managers will tell you it is easier and often cheaper to fix a problem employee having a rough patch than to go get a brand new one. Something has gone sour with this one over time, and whether you fire this guy or not it would probably profit you in any case to figure out what that was or is, or you may keep repeating the conditions that lead to the problem.

Even if the deceased person was not too close, death in the family, or any major change, like retirement of a co-worker, etc. has a tendency to make people re-assess their life and the progress they are making. The rant about overwork: have you looked into that? What was his basis for the remark about not pulling weight evenly? Did he see the CEO breaking a rule and getting away with it or otherwise cheating? That could be a very corrosive thing for morale.

I have been in situations over the course of my career where I was overworked and thrived on it, and overworked and hated it. The difference was how emotionally and creatively invested I was in what I was doing, and if I was recognized for it; it could be like the runner’s high, just knowing you are operating at a peak performance level and are unbeatable in that moment, throwing off art in all directions like bolts from the hand of Zeus. I think this is where you get the axiom: “if you want something to get done fast, give it to an already-busy man”.

Or it could be like digging ditches at the edge of the beach, watching each scoop fill back in as soon as it was dug, working to a cookie-cutter list of someone else’s decisions like some kind of robot, and knowing I would not be getting any recognition for my contributions. Or only blame for someone else’s failings.

It also may be that they feel overwhelemed because of a lot of recent changes in the home life apart from work have taken up mental space that used to be free for work problems.

When an employee cries out something drastic like that about the boss, you can bet whatever is behind it has been festering for a long time, and the person has gotten so desperate or disgusted, they are a hat-drop away from quitting and feel there’s nothing left to lose. You have daily meetings, but are you sure you are getting all the issues aired at some point, or are they all one-way “this is your list of tasks for the day, kthnxbye”? Do you ever talk about longer-term strategy or direction, about ultimate goals? Daily meetings can be really frustrating for a grunt if you have something to talk about that never makes it to the agenda.

Maybe he IS a flake and this is a single-person aberration. It happens. Or… It could be this guy is the canary in the coal mine and you have a LOT more morale problems in-house than you really knew, perhaps the whole crew is about to mutiny. Sit down and evaluate exactly what the supposed problem of the moment is with this guy, perhaps a little communication will straighten out some misunderstanding he has talked himself into. Put this guy on a quarterly evaluation schedule, also have a weekly ten minute one on one to go over status, and STICK TO IT. If you have those meetings for the first 3 weeks then drop them, you’re just going to re-create the problem. They can be informal, say, the time it takes to start and finish a can of soda and bag of chips in a break room. Or a walk around the block, outside the office, on “smoke break”. That is very effective because people will often talk more freely about the work if they are not in the building. We often have our best strategy meetings with co-workers in the car on long drives to and from gigs with nothing better to do but look at the road and think and talk. It’s a comfortable, neutral space.

It is worth it to retain a good worker and make them re-invest themselves in the work from time to time. Particularly the longer they have worked for you, because people have a tendency to take folks for granted the longer they’ve been around, and that’s a shame.

That works for family as well as co-workers, btw: when’s the last time you had that kind of talk with your S.O. or kids? If you can’t recall, it’s been too long.

Now go take on the day!:-)

[13]

First let me say that my comments are based from my own personal experiences in working for a small business, which I assume that you are because it sounds like this is a family business.

A common problem with many small businesses is that the people running them have little or no experience or knowledge in actually running a business, they are people with a particular skill that they base there business around. This lack of business knowledge leads to many many problem in the company especially once employees are introduced in to the equation. Now I am not saying this is true in your case, I just say this because based it is possible that the employees comment has some validity.

Another potential problem is that because this is a “family” business, it can make it difficult for a family member to stay impartial when it comes to potential problems with a family member in the business. This is why most companies have strict policies about family members working together.

I do not however agree with were the comment was made. But in a family business it could be that the employee felt that no mater where he made the comment it would be taken by family members as an attack on the family, and so he chose to say it in-front of others so that at least someone who is not a family member could hear his concern.

I also wanted to comment on your use of the term “troops” I hope that you don’t use that term in-front of your employees it can easily make them feel like they are an un-valuble grunt, and no employee wants to feel that way even if they really are an un-valuble grunt.

Running a family business can be difficult especially when you start introducing non family members in.

[John Davidson]

I’d give the guy a pass. He may not have been close to his step-mom, but he still had to watch his Dad suffer, and that’s enough to make anybody a little funky mentally. There’s a fine line between people that should be fired and people that will make your ship tighter if you listen.

I would tell him to be a little more constructive in his criticism if possible so that positive change can result if in fact there is a genuine problem. Compaints are like roaches, for every one you hear there are 100 you don’t hear. Could be a morale problem around there.

If it is discovered that this guy is a sower of discontent, then you’ll need to let him go. If the discontent is malignant and widespread, you’ll need to address the problem. 10 resumes a week are useless if the applicants are inexperienced or untrained, which 9.5 of them probably are.

In other words, make sure you don’t have a mutiny brewing. Might be a good time to have one of those fun and exciting “voice your concerns” all-staff meetings where people anonymously write-in questions to be asked in the group.

Good luck!
JD

John Davidson____ writer | producer | director____https://www.magicfeatherinc.com

[Mike Smith]

Nope. You’re just loopy. If you think the old man is in the wrong and should have fired this guy, tell the old man – don’t waste our time!

The guy has been to a funeral. Who knows the background – you? Do you even know him?

My guess is he’d be well out of a hick family-run outfit …

[Stan Timek]

“Is the guy lucky” I’d say he is. Many times, in family business situations, the non-family members fare a little worse than the family.

I don’t know what your situation is, and I’m sure the people running the business are fair and equitable to all – but is that the feelings of “the troops”? Just that classification or phrase can be very telling of the family’s attitude towards the employees.

Maybe everyone at the shop is lucky that your father was entreprenurial enough to start a business and keep it running.

[Walter Biscardi]

[Stan Timek] “”Is the guy lucky” I’d say he is. Many times, in family business situations, the non-family members fare a little worse than the family.”

Especially if it really is “a family business” ifyouknowhuti’mtalkin’bout. my Italian heritage comes in useful in all things “family.” 🙂

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”

“I reject your reality and substitute my own!” – Adam Savage, Mythbusters

[Frank Otto]

[Sam Lesante Jr.] “All this employee does is come in, put there 8 hrs in and leave.
They don’t have to worry about if a camera breaks, scheduling people to work, maintaining equipment, buying supplies, etc….”

That’s what “employees” do…their 8 (or 10) and go home…they’re employees. All the rest you mention is what managers/owners do.

The “employees” will never feel the same about your company as you and the principals feel – they probably have little say in the operation, wage and perks, and outside of wage/benefits have little in the way of profit sharing, or other things that make entrepenurial folk keep at it long after the whistle blows. Especially if you refer to them as troops.

Step back and look at the world in which we live in now…employees have a who cares attitude just because of statements like “this employee is one of the luckiest people in the world”. Most employees are tired of the cavilier management approach of “you’re just another number.” Or…”I get thirty resumes across my desk a day.” Look at what corporate mentality has done to local stations, news and public affairs – “You don’t want to work for 14,500 a year? Fine, I got a hundred kids just outta J-school who would kill for your gig.”

I just read a Forbes report about employee/employer loyalty and how non-existant it is. The days of two or three generation in the same line of business – same employeer are long gone. Management has used the we’ll just replace you line for so long that the employee base just wants their paycheck and two weeks notice so they can get another job from another employeer who sings the same song.

I’ve been on both sides of this table – as an employer, I’ve fired a few for cause and cried when I had to layoff 27 talented individuals. As an employee, I’ve also been the dissenter. One employer took the time to find out what the issue was once, and I busted my ass for him more than before – another told me if I wasn’t happy then I could vote with my feet, cause “one phone call and you’re replaced.” That makes you really loyal.

You mentioned a funeral and personal leave – was that a begrudgingly given leave? And so what if he wasn’t close – I wasn’t close to my parents, yet when I found out two years after the fact that they had passed on, I was a wreck for a week and have to take time off…so much goes on inside your head no matter what your day-to-day relationship with family is/was.

I’d sum up – but in todays profit driven and us/them world of business labor…what’s the point. I hope you’re asking because you care about this person…or have some amount of humanity vs. the souless corporate mentality and are wondering why it has to be this way…

Of course…if he’s a poor performer (I mean REALLY can’t do his job)…then cut the rope. Otherwise, it’s big picture time…buck the trend – get in his head and maker him better.

Cheers,

Frank Otto

“Design is a process by which you create something for a client who has no idea of what they want until they see your design – then they know what they want, but your design isn’t it.”