Crankypants In the Workplace

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  jumille@...02/13/07 Report as spam
  1

  Crankypants are often the managers

  A client company has a vice president whom I believe suffers from narcissistic
  personality disorder. He's hostile, abusive, manipulative and totally without
  empathy or scruples. Yet this jerk (who by the way started acting in a
  threatening and abusive way toward me as soon as my husband, who was also
  my business partner, died) is promoted, coddled, rewarded and protected by
  senior management who SHOULD know better. None of this jerk's employees
  receive exit interviews when they leave, and those who complain to HR are
  basically told that the problem is with them. And the same sort of thing is
  happening to me, although my only misfortune is to have been a supplier who
  did good work for him.

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  tboonyawan@...02/13/07 Report as spam
  2

  Important quote from the article

  Please don't forget to read this part,
  
  "The authors caution there's a difference between "bad apples" and employees who think outside the box and challenge the status quo. Since these "positive deviants" rock the boat, they may not always be appreciated."
  
  These out of the box thinkers need the appreciation or they can turn out to be "bad apples."

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  miahart143@...02/13/07 Report as spam
  3

  Agreement

  Here Here!! Very well stated.

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  rachess@...02/14/07 Report as spam
  4

  More Agreement - Be Careful Who You Mess With

  I too have to agree with that. I was called "negative" when I challenged the management's strategy and thinking, a disruptor - when I didn't conform, and a poor communicator when I point-blank and directly stated what I felt and saw. The "negativity", I found out later from a professional, was highly developed analytical ability. Shame some of my employers didn't listen to me, maybe their companies wouldn't be in such financial difficulty.
  
  People who are extremely good at what they do or possess a unique skill, should be treated differently and valued and respected for that contribution. Ignoring the "gift" or devaluing it, is wrong also - not everyone is the same! Terminate that person and your company can collapse, saw that happen...
  
  I agree also that the management is usually at fault for not dealing properly with the person. Sometimes, they do contribute to the "development" negatively.
  
  I went out on my own so I don't have to deal with all that stuff.
  I am sure many "negative", "non-conformists", who are "disruptive" did the same and I know of a few who became very wealthy.

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  jasbell@...02/13/07 Report as spam
  5

  My advice....

  Just organize the staff to isolate this individual from the rest of the group. Then, every morning go to their work area, slap a two pound book on their desk to startle them and in a tense voice say "your job is on the line you pathetic Crankypants"! Then have your group give that person enough work so they have to stay late, and put post-its in their cubicle that say "everyone hates you", with the signature "us"

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  aebors02/14/07 Report as spam
  6

  isolate vs abuse

  It is one thing to isolate a negative employee in order to minimize his or her influence on the rest of the team, and another to create a hostile, abusive working environment. These kinds of tactics reduce us to the level of the crankypants, and moreover, are illegal and prosecutable actions.

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  answershere02/14/07 Report as spam
  7

  Hostile work environment

  I agree that isolating an employee is the wrong thing to do. People are talking about the cranky employee here with suggestions to isolate them further from the team. Too often the problem lies with the powerful employee who influences others to isolate someone from the group. Kind of like mean girls for the work place.
  
  I know. A team leader created a hostile work envrnment for me. To stay in her good graces the other team members followed. I would go for days with not one team member speaking to me. finally, after my manager failed to deal with the issue, I negotiated a multi-month separation pay agreement from the company in exchange for not suing them. Putting up with that environment is not a laughing matter. It qualifies up there as the worst 6 month period of my life.
  
  BTW I relocated and found a job paying twice as much within the month where my work is respected and my skills utilized to the fullest.

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  stepper_97@...02/13/07 Report as spam
  8

  Its not always the employee!

  Sometimes the employee that one thinks is the problem is not the one causing the problem. Sometimes it can be an agitator that management is not paying close attention to.
  
  For instance the "agitator" may have been given comp time, been included in a special event or even receive a bonus and then remind the so-called "cranky employee" that he/she was left out.
  
  That same agitator may be telling management the employee is stating things that the employee did not say, in an effort to get the employee terminated or at least demoted.
  
  Management needs to be neutral and view both sides of a situation before acting, as they may terminate the wrong employee which will cause more harm than keeping the person. Management also needs to determine why the person is "cranky", perhaps management is a fault for favortism or made promises which were not kept.

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  nickclark5002/13/07 Report as spam
  9

  Negative Employees

  I agree to a small part of this article but the biggest problem I see is a lack of respect for those with seniority or some other form of higher rank in the department. I pride myself on giving out free information if it will save time and money; however, it seems the younger guys want to still beat their heads in the wall or "do it their way." Needless to say, I have been seen as the bad apple since I take these ID10Ts to task. Seems to not be very politically correct these days to call a spade a spade, but in turn, pick on the guy who wants results and respect from his peers and/or suboordinates. Of course, all of this would go away if the company would grow some balls.

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  mmullen@...02/15/07 Report as spam
  10

  Negative employees

  Nick,
  
  I have to disagree with your comments. Seniority in and of itself does not deserve respect. The sharing of knowledge, partnering and constructive advice given by an experienced employee to other employees is extremely important to allowing employees to learn, grow and reach their potential. Perhaps it is not the content of the information you are giving to new employees but the manner in which it is delivered and the obvious lack of respect you have for your collecgues that is the root of the problem.

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  lbradley@...02/14/07 Report as spam
  11

  Toxic replies to the Toxic Employee story

  It appears as though most of those who are replying to this story are themselves toxic. One of the signs of a toxic employee is the unwillingness (inability?) to objectively examine one's own behavior. That certainly comes through in some of the replies.

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  Larraineboyd@...02/14/07 Report as spam
  12

  Toxic Employees

  Sometimes an employee becomes the toxic employee for various reasons. Locally, we've observed this from one person particularly. Because she is the only one that knows that particular job, she feels empowered, and uses it. She is also reverse-predjudice. She looks down on people who have more than her. Her job had been protected because we all felt she was the "mole." With our new boss, I hope things will change.

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  klong@...02/14/07 Report as spam
  13

  If ya hate it sooooooo much...

  Why complain and be negative? There is a shortage of EMPLOYEES to fill jobs at this time, so: IF YOU HATE YOUR PRESENT POSITION, GET A NEW ONE!
  We have a person in our branch who complains constantly, argues with everyone and states everything that is wrong with the world constantly. She wreaks havoc amongst us, because as they say: "misery loves company". I finally told her, "hey, quit, find a position you are better suited for, or shut up!"
  She was somewhat offended, but hasn't said one negative thing to me since then. Sometimes you just have to say it like you mean it!

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  rmmacdonald@...02/14/07 Report as spam
  14

  I agree...leave or quit complaining!

  I have to agree. I was toxic at one time. I learned it from another employee then I learned to stop and it was hard. When you sit back and shut your mouth, it is amaizing what you hear. My environment was toxic. I found a better employer with better management and I make more money. I don't think I'll ever work in a large medical facility again.

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  katyw@...02/14/07 Report as spam
  15

  Agree with article

  I've seen the toxic employee take a high performing, highly regarded team completely out - everyone but toxicity laid off. The point the article makes about the effect of power structures is right on target. In my example the "toxic one" was hired because the team manager was "instructed" to hire this person by her manager...despite the fact that everyone on the interview team voted NO!!! - bad fit.
  
  The result? The high performing team completely disbanded within two years of this "forced" hire - and 50% of the team completely left the company.

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  jimmartin@...03/14/07 Report as spam
  16

  Oblivious Management

  For the most part I agree with the article, and I have seen this on a few occasion. One employee in the group seems to be the black hole of teamwork, sucking in all ability of the others to collaborate, create and work effectively. What this article does not address is the same affect from, what I like to call "the Snake" employee. The employee that is one way to co-workers and another way to management, constantly pitting one against the other. Until finally all the team gets fed up and remove themselves from the situation. In both circumstance, it seems to be an oblivious posture of management that allows both to occur.

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  sonidenic@...03/28/07 Report as spam
  17

  Crankypants in the workplace

  The so-called bad apples might not really be at the intellectual stage of development to handle the pressures of the work place,their whole socialization process may have impacted on them in a negative way or they might have personal problems that they find difficult to deal with and are displacing it on other persons. Therefore I do not believe in isolation, because it is not solving the problem. I believe that workplaces should be forward looking and seek to hire in-house counselors to help these persons they may turn out to among the best workers to have been hired.

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  Suefloridian11/11/09 Report as spam
  18

  RE: Crankypants In the Workplace

  Did anyone think about the possibility that the crankypants may be the boss and the boss followers?