How do you deal with standoffish employees?
 

We're mainly doing adult content with Japan, and I got the contact info for an adult content provider over there. I told an employee to call the content provider so we can start up communication. Instead of doing so, he looks up the company, finds the place on google maps, then tells me that they had a tax fraud case a few years ago and that their building looks cheap and that he can't believe they're really a content provider, and then he asks me where i got my source.

Ever work with guys like this? I can't straight up fire the guy because we're in a situation where we can't afford to find someone else at this point. What's the best way to handle these types of employees who always second guess you?

i poo on them...

give me the contact information for that japanese content ill make the call :)

Nothing a good swift backhand won't solve.

One day, that employee will save you monkey - I tell you...

Are you sure? Sounds like he is costing you money and trust. What benefits is he providing that overrides that?

Very tricky situation, for sure.

The questions I would raise are these:

1. Is this constant second-guessing or just seems that way because of how annoying it can be to deal with when you want a simple task done?
2. Is he usually right or usually wrong?
3. Has his role in the company been clearly defined?
4. If you can't afford to hire someone, how can you afford to keep him?

There are few things a gun in the face won't solve...


Just kidding. Is he passionate about something or does he take a certain view on things? Couch your commands/directives in those terms-make it appear what YOU WANT TO HAPPEN is HIS idea. Jedi trick his butt into productivity.

I would calmly thank him for his opinion and concern and restate what I expect of him and that I will be waiting for the results. He sounds like he is trying to look out for the health of the company but it really is not his place. I don't know the dynamics of your office but welcoming the expression of differing opinions should, IMHO, be essential to any company.

Is that an Irish limerick?:1orglaugh

I agree his intentions seems right, maybe there just needs to be a discussion about his role as employee. He doesn't sound 'standoffish' he sounds like the guy who wants to be a hero.

I would get rid of them.

I do not have time, nor patience, for silly reindeer games.

:2 cents:

nobody can afford to lose their monkey :2 cents:

1. He does this a lot. He's one of those guys who never seems to just do something his employers tell him, but rather give an excuse of why he shouldn't do it the way we told him and why he should do it another way. Makes things take longer than they should.

2. He's been right about some things but other times he's said things with confidence that were actually very stupid.

3. Yep, he read the job description we gave him and he knows exactly what he needs to do.

4. I'm going to the Asia Adult Expo in Macau in August and so far this employee has been involved in our preparation for the trip. He's also worked a lot on the first sites we're building. As of now we have nobody that could be ready to replace his position at a moment's notice. It's not a budget concern why we can't fire him now, though.

Ah now this clears it up a lot more. I'd honestly sit down with him after the trip is done and explain your position on everything. Lay it out exactly that what he does bothers you on a personal and professional level, remind him that there will always be things he doesn't necessarily agree with but must happen. Also make it very clear how you do appreciate that he looks out for the greater good of the company but that sometimes, time is of essence and risks are worth taking.

The downfall though is the risk that he may feel he cannot come to you about things he does see are wrong. That's why a good conversation about it is very important. Even if it means telling him he has to do what is asked of him, how it's asked of him and when it's asked of him at the end of the day because in reality, you are his boss. use a tactful approach with that.

Do this face-to-face if possible to avoid knee-jerk reactions and place him on a silent-to-him probation to avoid sabotage. If things don't change dramatically within your time-frame, let him go. . Have all your P's and Q's lined up to be able to quickly change everything just in-case.

Obviously I don't know the dynamics of your company but this is pretty much the best advice I can come up with. I've been in these positions before, especially worse when it's a person I actually like as a person. That's why I'm not a big fan of retail management anymore.

Kindly remind him you asked him to call this company, not research their tax history.

Repeat twice if needed.

If that fails, you fire him for not following orders.

Done.

If you have to ask a forum full of degenerates that is GFY the most basic management questions, then perhaps your time would be better spent learning more about management. So far, you're not very good at it.

To quote someone else... "the moment you feel the need to manage someone, you've made a hiring mistake"

So either you've made a poor hiring choice, or you've decided consciously or not, that your time is worth the same as this persons.

A coworker hired the guy before I came into the business. I have my own way of dealing with employees usually and it works well, but they've always been American employees. The situation is different for me this time, however, because my partners told me that I can't manage the employees in the same way as I would normally because they're conscious of wanting to respect 'Japanese business culture' or something. The employees are all Japanese immigrants who are pretty fresh of the boat and I guess I have to be more 'respectful' or what have you - meaning they prohibited me from getting scary and yelling when people fuck up like how I usually handle it.

So I guess I'm looking for a more tactful and "nice" approach.

He is Japanese and doing this? This is pretty bad as they have a very healthy repsect for authority. You have some how lost your position of authority with him. Not an expert on their culture or anything but I would look into that.

My normal approach is that I never let anyone go unless they know it is coming. I tell them when I perceive they are wrong and we discuss how to change it. Too many of these discussions and we both should know it is time to part ways.

If this is usual behavior, he needs to go. Sounds to me like he has zero respect for you or your business and is just there for the paycheck. You have already lost with this guy. Show him the door.

You can't be tactful and nice to people you are managing. You have to be both firm and fair. They are there to work for you. Stop being a pussy. Don't make the mistake of believing things are "cultural". I've made that same mistake in other countries when I was younger and you eventually learn the hard way that leadership is leadership in any language. No one follows a weak leader. End of story.

Go to McDonalds in Tokyo. Go to TGI Fridays in Moscow. Go to KFC in Amsterdam. Go to IKEA in Kiev. Go to a BMW dealer in Minsk. They aren't all just doing their own thing because everything is "cultural". All of these places are ran exactly the same no matter what country they are in. They hire well. They train people well. They fire quickly.

You let people know whats expected. You let people know what you expect of each of them. Then you start firing people to get the bad people out. Then you let everyone know why those people were fired. The damage was already done. Shitty people were hired and they are testing YOU right now. Your response? To surrender to them. VERY bad idea. Anyone that has managed people on a large scale or ran a large business understands very well that even a single bad employee can be a fatal cancer. Trying to appease cancer is not an effective strategy to remove it.

You're the boss. Act like a boss.

Start figuring out how to replace this person. If you can't... then you're doomed to fail anyway.

Maybe it has to do with the age difference. I'm still in my 20s and this guy is in his 40s. I've heard Japanese are really weird about having someone younger than them be their direct superior.

You will get older, but he isn't getting any younger. :-)

"I didn't told you to do that"... PIRIOD.

bingo:2 cents:

If this is done out of concern then I don't see the negative aspect of it.

If it's done in a talking down to you manner then this is an issue.

I'm picking up your sarcasm.

The bottom line is, an employee is paid to serve you. What he basically did, is disobey to you, and waste time on things you did not asked. If an employee is not happy serving his boss, he just have to leave and build his business, or work at the gov.

Everybody is replaceable, including yourself.

It's clear to those who have owned and ran large companies or managed large numbers of people, that you are a minimum wage employee who never has.

:2 cents:

I'd say check out what he said. If it pans out great. If not tell him to do what you said. A good employer will know when to listen and get input but also lay a hammer down when need be.

I apologize. My bad :)

gay hug?

To OP... give him a reach around and congratulate him on job well done... off to the next task.

I'll hold you long and hard. My GF is also from Toronto btw.

start the recruitment process immediately, whiny diva cunts like that cost you X10 in the long run compared to getting someone now who might not be 100%, but who you can work with and bring along and progress over time. IMHO taking the time to post about it was wasted time to get a replacement. Look to the long haul and not having to deal with a shit like that instead of the focus on business growth. You'll enjoy a better long term growth, feel better about having someone who grows with your business and not have to waste thinking about crap. I would guess the % of the time they are draining you would far offset someone not "quite" as good.

Monkey needs to eat too

I had an employee like this 2 years ago.

He would always and I mean ALWAYS argue the point. If I asked him to do it this way - he would stand there and tell me a better way of doing it. It was a nightmare.

I remember once we were having a weekly meeting - what's up / how you going / any problems / ideas etc etc. His phone rang and he answered it, walked out of the room and proceeded to chat for 20 minutes.

I completely lost it after that incident and he said to me 'you answer your phone', which was one of the funniest things I have ever heard - after explaining to this guy it was my business, i quickly got rid of him ( week or so after that ).

Honestly, I could not give a fuck how someone does something, so long as it gets done in a timely manner. If they want to stand there and tell me all the reasons my way is bad, well then they can tell me as they are walking out the door as far the fuck away from me as possible.

It's not like he unilaterally made a decision for the company. It appears that all he did was research which he then brought to your attention so that you could make the call. Without knowing what sort of leeway you give your employees or the manner in which he brought it to your attention, I can't say for sure, but an employee that has the best interest of the company at heart is someone you might want to keep around. Think about the flip side, the employee in question finds something that could potentially hurt the company and says nothing, since it's beyond his responsibility. Is that someone you want to have in your employ?

This sounds to me like it has nothing to do with performance and has more to do with egos.

It could be both. If you've got an employee that wants to have a big dick contest instead of actually doing his job, that would be a problem.

That sounds a lot like an employee I had years ago. Similar situations came up a lot. I didn't deal with it in a good way, normally I'd wind up doing the work myself instead... I think it doesn't actually come from a place of concern as stated, I think it's more an excuse to not have to work :2 cents:

In your case, I would say something to the effect of thank you for the advice, we'll be sure to have a solid contract and make sure we have everything in order. See how that goes over.

Just thinking out loud here...
but sounds like you asked the employee to look up someone, and he did.
While doing so, he found something that may be a threat to your company in someway and held off contact until he discussed his findings with you?

if that's the way I'm reading it, sounds to me like he's got your companies interest at heart.

I don't understand how people are saying he was trying to avoid work.. it's a phonecall :1orglaugh hardly backbreaking labor :2 cents:

If you want robots, that's one thing, but I'd want someone who thinks about what he's doing when doing it, and might question me if I'm about to make a business decision that would hurt the company.

right or wrong, nothing wrong with noting an objection. :2 cents:

I would hate to work with some people in this thread. A tax fraud case is pretty serious and if they are willing to defraud the government who knows what other shortcuts they would take, especially with those they supply.

Considering you can't just do away with him now, he has helped you build sites and you trusted him to open dialogue with a potential supplier, it sounds like he is doing more than grunt work.

Will be ironic if that company ends up screwing you.

If he ALWAYS does this then that is ridiculous. Otherwise you should say thank you for having your back but you will take your chances.

BTW those who usually fail to do due diligence with producers are usually the ones posting about company X having $XX,XXX and no content to show for it.

i have worked with people that have that type of attitude its fucking annoying

Everybody has something to hide.

Except me and my monkey...:winkwink:

tell him you arent paying him for that & if you wanted to hear his shit you'd marry him. Next time tell him to gtfo.
ds

I think he should of made contact with the content provider regardless, and also let you know what he found out after a little research. It sounds like he thinks you might have more of a partnership than whatever his position really is.