There’s a woman on my staff who’s a real Debbie Downer. She complains about everything, from the quality of the coffee to the workload and the weather — you name it. I’d fire her, but she’s also brilliant and produces great work. I’m worried, though, about the impact on the team. Does her job performance outweigh her personality?
OMG. I’m with Debbie. I mean, how hard is it to stock good quality coffee? I look at the workplace like an ensemble cast of a TV show — a mosaic of styles and personality types. Some have quirky personalities whose negative traits are overlooked or neutralized by their expertise and quality of work. With others, their behavior can’t be offset, no matter how brilliant they are. So, the question that applies to every employee is: Does this person impact the organization in a net positive or net negative way? If Debbie is that talented but an “SNL” caricature, have a conversation with her about it, but bear in mind that she is unlikely or perhaps unable to change. Maybe you can help the team to come to appreciate what she brings. But if you can’t, and Debbie is damaging the team and culture, she may have to find another job or environment that is more conducive to her personality — like the DMV.
My colleague and I hold the same job and title. We did a stupid thing — we had a very expensive dinner and we each expensed it as if we had taken out a client. We got caught. I got fired, and he got a warning. Is that legal?
If it makes you feel any better, I would have fired you both. You both lied and stole from the company. If that’s not a fireable offense, then that’s a low bar that your employer set. However, employers do not have to punish employees equally. Think of the criminal justice system. There’s a range of sentences based on many factors, like prior record, standing in the community, etc. The same applies to the workplace. A company may choose to apply different punishments based on the track record of performance, tenure, and so on. They can’t differentiate for discriminatory reasons, however. Sounds like they valued your partner in crime more than you.
Gregory Giangrande has over 25 years of experience as a chief human resources executive. Hear Greg every Weds. at 9:35 a.m. on iHeartRadio 710 WOR with Len Berman and Michael Riedel. E-mail questions to GoToGreg @NYPost.com. Follow at GoToGreg.com and on Twitter: @greggiangrande