There are a number of ways employees can create problems both in the workplace and for the employer in general. the most common is the busybody who wants to know everything about everybody. The busybody spreads rumors and makes trouble, yet considers. They think they are being political when the are just being disruptive, bring down morale.
There is the employee who has substance abuse issues. Hence the reason more and more employers are mandating drug tests. Substance abuse costs a employers a fortunate, annually. Accidents and injuries, violence, increased medical costs can all be attributed to drug abuse. Then there is the unproductive employee, and the one who likes to bad mouth his employer out of school. You can read questionable comments on the less discriminating social networks and blogs where disgruntled employees diss on their bosses.
Then there is the more intricate situation. Such as situation evolved in Hartford, Connecticut when George Gombossy, the long time consumer investigation columnist reportedly wrote negative articles about some of the newspaper’s advertisers. According to an article in the New York Times, there is some controversy as to what actually took place. According to Gombossy, he was called to task for writing negatively about the advertisers, after the advertisers complained. He was asked to stop and write more friendly material. When he refused to do so, he was fired.
Management’s story is a bit different. They claim they requested Gombossy write more helpful news and less gotcha news. It appears management was looking for more engagement on Gombossy’s part and when preparing a negative blog or column, he would give the advertiser prior awareness.
As I said, there are different ways to look at this issue. The new owners at the Hartford Courant had already laid off a hundred people and may have been looking to cut costs. They may have Gombossy would write them out of advertisng clients, and in a poor economy and at a time when newspapers are dying on the vine, that is never a good idea. Or it may be a difference of opinion, compounded by miscommunication that brought both Gombossy and the new owners to the breaking point.
When dealing with employees and the problems they bring, it is incumbent upon management to be clear about expectations and to offer possible remedies. It is vital to memorialize any communication, following up conversations by email if necessary, reiterating and clarifying what took place.
As for employees who are laid off because they are considered a problem, this will not bode well at their next job interview. Pre-employment screening is much more strident and it is a buyer’s market for job candidates, what with this poor economy. If the employer is conducting professional reference checks on prospective job candidates as part of its background checking package, then negative reviews may be registered by former managers. It does happen. And it happens more through reference verifications than through basic employment verification where it usually goes through Human Resources or a database, and the questions are more simple, the answers briefer.
So the problem with problem employees should be addressed by bother parties, management and worker. Open communication and compromise are almost always the best way to reach a solution, before the situation gets too out of hand.