By Phil Harwood

I still can’t believe it. This guy seemed like a solid person. Sure, there were a few warning signs but what was discovered after he left was shocking. If only I had known sooner, I could have stepped in. We could have avoided all of this. If only I had known sooner… 

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard these words after a “problem” employee  leaves the company and everything this person was hiding becomes exposed. It’s as if everyone knows there is a problem but nobody wants to face the problem. Why is that? Why do managers ignore the warning signs for weeks, months, and even years? What is going on here? 

In my estimation, the reason managers continue to put up with the problem employee is because of fear. Fear of what? Fear of not being able to replace the problem person with a higher-quality person. That’s the fear. It sounds like this: “Yeah, I know (x) is a real problem but he’s better than nothing and until we can find someone who is better, we’ll just have to put up with him.” 

So the manager is making a decision to ignore the problem out of fear without fully recognizing the impact that this problem person is having on their organization. The manager has already decided to ignore the problem person’s failures. So now the situation worsens because the problem person realizes that he’s being left alone. He sees that his work isn’t being scrutinized. In fact, he’s being ignored. From his perspective, this is fantastic news. It’s everything he could hope for. He knows his days are limited but he’s going to enjoy the ride while it lasts. 

The problem is that the manager doesn’t fully appreciate the damage this person is doing to the organization’s culture and ability to retain good people. When companies hold onto problem people, it sends a bad message to everyone else in the company. Morale drops and good people start looking for other opportunities. And the downward spiral begins. Once the problem employee finally leaves the organization, it’s too late; the damage has been done and remedial measures will only go so far. 

“If only I had known sooner…” Well, you did know. You chose to ignore the problem and it has come at a big price. Was it worth it? Of course not. And yet, the scenario is playing out every day in organizations because managers are afraid. 

How about you? Are you afraid of making tough decisions because of the challenges with recruiting? How about your managers? Are they putting up with problem people on their teams because “there’s nobody out there” to hire? If so, I would like to invite you to a special educational event next month. 

We are partnering with Caterpillar to bring you an educational workshop, in conjunction with ELEVATE, being held Sunday, September 18 in Orlando. This workshop, titled “Winning the Talent War,” is co-located with NALP’s ELEVATE conference. If you register before September 5, you can register for ELEVATE with the member pricing (savings of up to $700!). Our workshop is from 12-5 and includes lunch - all for only $99. The ELEVATE conference kicks off with a reception the evening of September 18. 

Registration is open now here. We hope to see you in sunny Florida!