Good employee with bad attitude - need some sage advice

[Shawnrs]

That's a tough call. Good workers are hard to find and the moodiness and attitude may be related to his outside life.

You mentioned that he "snaps back". That somewhat suggests that perhaps your approach is a bit confrontational. Perhaps sometime when he is in a better state of mind gently ask him if something you do aggravates HIM?

"... I consider him the best and most valuable employee I've ever had. He produces and contributes greatly to the shop output."

Given that statement I'd seriously suggest trying to work with him, as a replacement might be more pleasant but less useful and productive, quality work is essential to business. What's more important, the social aspect or the work?

They are not good if they are toxic.

 

[DPM]

Proper communication often falls flat in the work environment, especially between manager and employee. Its important to remember that even though he can be difficult to talk to, talking to him is still the best way to go about any problem. You're both adults, and if you have respect for this person, then you ought to communicate with him how he comes off, and explain to him how it effects you and the work place. He might not even realize whats really going on. If he has respect for you, then he will take it to heart and at least attempt to improve. Now, keep in mind that this guy has probably always had this kind of disposition. If he does attempt to improve, it might take time! People are people and there is always going to be trial and error.

But the takeaway here is: talk. communicate. reach an understanding. He's a good employee, and probably a good person! He just needs to be aware of what the situation is.

Thanks to all for your valuable input! As of this morning my employee came in and first thing he did was apologize for his behavior yesterday. He acknowledged that the behavior is uncalled for. I also expressed my behavioral expectations in the work place and how that sort of negative behavior is unwelcome. So I'll just leave it at that and just keep on trucking.

 

[Larry Dickman]

if you fire him, and are lucky enough to find a replacement who is worth a shit, he will probably be an A-Hole too

 

[Kalispel]

We have four basic behavioral expectations:

We will work safely
We will be productive
We keep a clean shop
We will be civil

It sounds corny but we have it spelled out in our handbook. We make it plain when we interview and again when we hire. We stop immediately and have a discussion whenever we get off track.

A few instances of frustration do not warrant anything more than a discussion. Communication is a two way street.

We will send folks home for a few days before we fire them.

If that doesn’t work, it is time to part company.


It is more difficult in a small company environment, especially when family is involved. But, an uncomfortable conversation beats quietly hating the problem.

 

[DPM]

We have four basic behavioral expectations:

We will work safely
We will be productive
We keep a clean shop
We will be civil

It sounds corny but we have it spelled out in our handbook. We make it plain when we interview and again when we hire. We stop immediately and have a discussion whenever we get off track.

A few instances of frustration do not warrant anything more than a discussion. Communication is a two way street.

We will send folks home for a few days before we fire them.

If that doesn’t work, it is time to part company.


It is more difficult in a small company environment, especially when family is involved. But, an uncomfortable conversation beats quietly hating the problem.

You've articulated exactly what I've had in my head for the longest time. Just 4 simple things to go by and yet so powerful. Thanks for sharing that. I'm going to implement it in my shop!!

 

[mkd]

Judging by how the thread title was truncated, I was excited to throw my hat in the ring assuming you were looking for a new employee with a bad attitude.

 

[Newman109]

Address the moodiness one time with him. If that doesn't fix it, gone.

Can't stand that shit.

"I hate rude behavior in a man..........won't tolerate it!"

My All-Time Favorite Scene From "Lonesome Dove" (1989) - YouTube (at 3:30)

 

[michiganbuck]

The OP could tell what was the subject of the big argument that was apologized for.
That would be the rest of the story.

Was it that the worker was playing with his cell phone when he made a bunch of scrap, or that he suggested to use some Tap-Ease cutting lubricant to avoid breaking another tap.

 

[ttrager]

There is more than 1/2 a chance that the words "Good Employee" and "Bad Attitude" don't belong in the same sentence, as the second one can cancel out the first one.

 

[Thunderjet]

As of this morning my employee came in and first thing he did was apologize for his behavior yesterday. He acknowledged that the behavior is uncalled for.

This tells me he's a quality human with concerns he's working thru.

Describes me to a "T".

I have multiple things that concern me daily. Some days I can ignore them, some days not.

Some days I have a stupid dream that won't go away until noon. I try to cocoon and work thru.

give the guy some slack, and realize that gifted folks are usually damaged in other facets of life. Just let him know that if he "needs a moment", that's cool.

It's really hard to find good mechanics right now.

Enjoy every sandwich.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

Thanks to all for your valuable input! As of this morning my employee came in and first thing he did was apologize for his behavior yesterday. He acknowledged that the behavior is uncalled for. I also expressed my behavioral expectations in the work place and how that sort of negative behavior is unwelcome. So I'll just leave it at that and just keep on trucking.

Glad the problem solved itself, that is great, but rarely happens.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

...and here I was, gonna say maybe he is just plain smarter, and bettererer than you, and you're just mad.

Maybe he is....

That does happen, but if the boss man is the owner of a small shop and you are the employee it is best to exit ASAP.

On day 4 of working in a small shop decades ago the owner came up to me and said he did not like my work habits. I asked if my set-ups were too slow, he said "no". I asked if my production or quality was bad he said no. I asked if he thought I was messy, once again the answer was no. He just said he did not like the way I did things. I told him to pay me up to now and I quit. The guy flies into a rage and starts rifling through my tool box. I told him I am not a thief and and to get his hands off my tools. Then the psycho threatens to call the cops on me. I said "go ahead." I found out through the grapevine the guy died of brain cancer, I figure that is what caused his strange behavior. He gets my boss from hell award, hands down.

 

[michiganbuck]

Best worker I ever had/but argues.

We had a situation where a worker was picked on every day by his boss, then one day that worker picked up a heavy rough casting casting and broke the bosses skull into 7 pieces. That boss lived but never came back to work.

At the hearing it was claimed that the boss did not like the worker and picked on him at every chance, and that this worker never missed a day of work and was the best worker in the department. Complaints of this activity of picking on him going on was on company records.

Likely in a two man shop that is making money, one should not like to loose the other guy.

 

[CITIZEN F16]

Best worker I ever had/but argues.

We had a situation where a worker was picked on every day by his, then one that worker picked up a heavy rough casting casting and broke the bosses skull inti 7 pieces. That boss lived but never came back to work

At the hearing it was claimed that the boss did not like the worker and picked on him at every chance, and that this worker never misses a day of work and was the best worker in the department.

So what happened to the worker, charges, time in the can?

 

[michiganbuck]

Can't remember, but it was stated that the company was way wrong for not addressing the problem and the guy had enough support/evidence for a big law suit if the company fired him.
Some said the company did not press charges, the guy was set to another company shop, that he was fired, that he went to jail for a time.... it got hushed-up pretty tight.

 

[Fadriver]

My shop consists of myself and one employee. He's been working here for 3 years and he's been extensively trained over time and I consider him the best and most valuable employee I've ever had. He produces and contributes greatly to the shop output. But here's the rub... He's a moody guy and carries a chip on his shoulder. At times, it's difficult to approach the guy on matters because he wants to challenge or question my reasoning and he will sometimes snap back. His bad attitude generally pollutes the work environment on a daily basis unless he's in a good mood.
I'm at a point in my life where I want peace and tranquility in my life and I dread this kind of crap.

Not sure if I should keep the guy and deal with it or find a new employee and start all over again.

I'm looking for some sage advice from others who have been in similar situations.

Had exactly same problem, same circumstances two man shop, I let him go got pissed and went to
another place no machining powdercoat place, and its been switching places, nobody wants him
because attitude, wants to control place, wish him good luck and move on not the end of a world

 

[michiganbuck]

I worked with a guy who would sabotage a CNC program so the next guy would have problems.
He told me that when he was retiring, nobody needs a guy like that.
He would make tweaks so it would run out of spec after a time of running, so he would not be caught.

 

[SIM]

Employees, bosses, and owners are human beings and as such can find themselves with problems.

Some can deal with problems better than others, even those that can deal with problems pretty well, can at times find themselves overwhelmed. That can come out as anger, arrogance, or quiet, lost in thought, or becoming seemingly uncaring.




Being a kind of human being myself I think sometimes you cut the labels off and speak to the other person in a calm way, out of earshot of everyone to see if something is wrong, maybe they need an ear.
It's the benefit of the doubt talk...

I'm far from a therapist, but I can listen. I think if done correctly this time can also be used to show you are seeing behavior that is out of character, not appropriate, and will not be tolerated.

Does this work? I'd say maybe 10% of the time the other person gets it. The others are a mixed bag of people with perpetual problems, just rude or obnoxious people. For those, the path traveled together needs to come to an end sooner rather than later.

 

[michiganbuck]

Some bosses treat an employee like their lackey..or as black people phrase it like their N-word.

They can't even say hello at the beginning of shift ..but expect you to jump hurdles, Right Now.
Or if you make a suggestion they act like you are an AH...and then start doing it in a few weeks.
Agree some workers can also be jerks.

 

[Gmerchant3]

I don't tolerate negative attitudes in my shop (~55 team members). I tell every interviewee this, and explain to them that I will not let their negative attitude affect my team, and that if they have real concerns they should bring them to their area leader, shop foreman, plant manager, or directly to me. Anyone not able to adhere to this is out. Sometimes people have a bad day, we're all human, I get it. In that instance, we console and identify with them, and ask if there's anything we can do to help. I've literally spent months trying to help negative people come around and be a positive force on my floor. When I first identify someone with a poor attitude, I set a deadline, and begin working to help them overcome it (behavior takes time to change). If they have not shown improvement by the deadline (6-12 months typically), I release them. I know you don't have other team members, but you'd be surprised how many times core people have thanked me for getting rid of the bad apple. Dave Ramsey has an excellent audio series that covers this (as well as other facets of running a business) called "Entre-leadership: 20 years in the trenches." I've adopted a lot of his ideology into my management style, and (IMO) he hits the nail on the head 99 times out of 100.