Every organization has at least one employee who, for whatever reason, is a “bad apple.”
If managers don’t deal with their bad apples – either by (metaphorically) cutting out the rotten behaviors or tossing the entire apple out of the barrel – their “spoiling” effects will only multiply. Here are a number of strategies to protect your culture from bad apples:
Problem: Some company cultures tolerate managers passing bad apples from department to department.
Solution: You must create a culture that doesn’t allow people to pawn problems off on others. We call this kind of company a Vibrant Entrepreneurial Organization. A VEO has the kind of corporate culture in which a sense of ownership can flourish. And when managers feel that they “own” their work and their company, they won’t allow a bad apple to spoil either one.
Problem: Managers expect team members to deal with the bad apple, but they can’t – or won’t.
Solution: The problem comes when team members don’t feel like they have enough power in the situation. A VEO culture’s sense of ownership makes every employee want to find a solution. In these kinds of workplaces, clear and open communication is key.
Problem: Bad apples can be master manipulators. When you confront them, they aren’t afraid to pull out all of the stops to redirect your attention from poor behavior to their more positive traits, or as is often the case, to some other employee.
Solution: Stay focused. Simply say, “That’s not what we’re here to discuss,” and bring her back to the subject of her destructive attitude. Rest assured that if you ignore it, you’ll have that same employee in your office month after month.
Problem: Bad apples aren’t always poor performers. Some can be great producers for the company.
Solution: It’s important that you provide balanced feedback to all of your direct reports, including your bad apples. Acknowledge the positive contributions your bad apple is making, but don’t be afraid to confront the behaviors that negatively affect others. Ultimately, however, you must decide whether the negative behaviors outweigh the good.
Problem: Rather than model and recognize the behavior they want, expect and demand, managers focus too much attention on poor behavior.
Solution: While you shouldn’t ignore the negative behavior in the office, you should deliberately place much more emphasis on the positive. Reward employees who go out of their way to help their teammates. Be open and responsive to employee feedback. If you create employees who value teamwork and understand how their behavior affects their co-workers, you may actually modify the bad apple’s destructive tendencies.
Problem: Some are afraid to fire bad apples for fear of legal retribution.
Solution: Legal retribution shouldn’t be a worry for you if you follow the sound human resource practices required of a leader. Great leaders should coach, provide balanced feedback, help the employee develop a plan for correction, discuss what you document, and document what you discuss. After each meeting, cite the problem, the action taken to correct or eliminate it, the dates, the result that occurred, and any comments that will help you to recall the sessions.
Problem: Firing employees, no matter how bad their behavior or poor their performance, is never easy.
Solution: Even in a VEO, there may come a time when an employee just isn’t working out. Make sure you discuss your situation and intended actions with your human resource professional and/or legal counsel. Here are the important points that should be made in the exit meeting: a reminder of previous discussions and warnings that have been previously communicated, a brief explanation of why the separation is taking place, and the follow-up activities necessary to complete the exit strategy. This final meeting shouldn’t be a surprise to the bad apple. It should be the implementation of the next step that has been communicated in a previous meeting.
In the end, of course, you can avoid the bad apple by not hiring him in the first place. Hire for talent, values and character, not just for skill sets. You can teach people the skills they need, but you can’t always teach work ethic or integrity or respect. These are the raw materials that make up a VEO. Remember, culture is everything . . . so make sure you build the kind you want, one employee at a time.
Joanne G. Sujansky is the founder and CEO of Key Group, a human resource/ organizational structure business consultancy.
