Last evening I was conversing with a Realtor colleague who ran a sizable business for a few decades before getting into real estate. We got talking about the damage that one person can do in the work place if they're a bully, rude and unpleasant. (Props to the managers who once aware of this kind of behaviour are solid enough to address it.)
"It's always your best employee that you have to fire," said my friend. Meaning, of course, one most strategically placed or hard working. He told the story of needing to fire his mechanical manager of 14 years -- a man who knew everything and was irreplaceable in his business. But, the high cost of keeping a manager or employee who demoralizes the work environment is beyond calculation and my friend was savvy enough to know this.
Many of us have worked in offices with bullies; often management avoids intervening because that particular employee is their work-a-holic favourite. However the cost of replacing, retraining and recruiting new staff is astronomical! And, everyone knows that life is too short to put up with going to work somewhere that you dread walking in the door. Make no mistake, a great employee in a toxic environment is already looking for another job and will leave as soon as possible to avoid dealing with dinks.
What a huge relief when a boss has the fortitude to make it very clear that no one is indispensable and that bullies in the work place are simply not tolerated. Period.
Family stories tell me that my grandfather was a corporate "ax man" back in the day. He travelled in the 60's to companies and would have to deliver the news that each and every employee was fired. He followed that with the invitation to show up the next day if they wished to re-apply for their job. Doubtless a much hated role my grandfather had; which is why companies contracted this to a professional that wasn't local.
But the sad part is in coming to that point that places the company on the brink of bankruptcy. Chances are a big part of that was due to H.R. and management ignoring repeated complaints and revolving staff in certain departments.
Be honest. Are you sheltering someone in your workplace that is making life miserable for many? Do you honestly think they're worth the millions it will cost you to avoid "the talk?" Step up and speak out; if they won't or can't change you simply must let them go.
"It's always your best employee that you have to fire," said my friend. Meaning, of course, one most strategically placed or hard working. He told the story of needing to fire his mechanical manager of 14 years -- a man who knew everything and was irreplaceable in his business. But, the high cost of keeping a manager or employee who demoralizes the work environment is beyond calculation and my friend was savvy enough to know this.
Many of us have worked in offices with bullies; often management avoids intervening because that particular employee is their work-a-holic favourite. However the cost of replacing, retraining and recruiting new staff is astronomical! And, everyone knows that life is too short to put up with going to work somewhere that you dread walking in the door. Make no mistake, a great employee in a toxic environment is already looking for another job and will leave as soon as possible to avoid dealing with dinks.
What a huge relief when a boss has the fortitude to make it very clear that no one is indispensable and that bullies in the work place are simply not tolerated. Period.
Family stories tell me that my grandfather was a corporate "ax man" back in the day. He travelled in the 60's to companies and would have to deliver the news that each and every employee was fired. He followed that with the invitation to show up the next day if they wished to re-apply for their job. Doubtless a much hated role my grandfather had; which is why companies contracted this to a professional that wasn't local.
But the sad part is in coming to that point that places the company on the brink of bankruptcy. Chances are a big part of that was due to H.R. and management ignoring repeated complaints and revolving staff in certain departments.
Be honest. Are you sheltering someone in your workplace that is making life miserable for many? Do you honestly think they're worth the millions it will cost you to avoid "the talk?" Step up and speak out; if they won't or can't change you simply must let them go.
No comments:
Post a Comment