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How would you manage such an employee? Would you eventually fire him at some point, and if so, under what circumstances? Or, taking into account his many other positive attributes, would you take him under your wing and help him develop himself in the weak area? How would you help improve? Do you think that doing so could backfire?
Do you know or have you read about anyone like this in real life?
I don't like any of your options. Are you talking about yourself?
I think the person has a lot of strong characteristics, and would be worth the investment, if....
I'm seeing many things that would need to be taken into consideration, before I could tell you. For starters, what is the industry, the size of the business, the type of business - independently owned or a corporation (my rules vs upper mgmt), if his weakness is affecting business overall or with clients or peers (vs being tucked away, working independently on production work)?
This sounds like a PIP (performance improvement plan) situation. I'd make sure there was specific requirements, with measurable outcomes & due dates. For example, possibly require that he attend a class on communication within 30 days, and is able identify & demonstrate a new technique within 7 days after the class. The specifics really depend on the industry & type of business. I think in the ideal world, he could be taken under the boss's wing. There's not always the ability to do that however.
Unfortunately, clueless, naive people can destroy a business or a businesses reputation, so this is definitely something to be taken seriously.
Again, if this is you, and you want some ideas how to improve your communication skills, let us know, as I have lots of suggestions (been in somewhat similar shoes & survived my PIP!). We also need to know the industry & type of business
You did, however, provide one piece of information that is not only irrelevant to the employment consideration, but is actually illegal to consider. As a manager I don't care if the people working under me are religious. Most of my coworkers are not, but being religious is not, and should not be, either a positive or a negative characteristic.
What young people don't understand about themselves, is that they are all naive. Some things just take time. So this problem is not unique to one person, but pretty much all of them. Sure, some develop faster, and some have seen or done more, but to some extent, the most difficult people to bring into an organization are the youngest ones who are basically transitioning from young adult day care, where they are taught about how to do things, to the snake pits that are some workplaces.
Sadly, a lot of people think that work is a social event, so they focus on the social engineering before the primary goal, which is to accomplish things. I don't care if someone is naive if he does a good job. Or if someone else wears different colored socks. Some people, especially in certain fields, are focused on what goes on in their heads more than workplace theater.
You did, however, provide one piece of information that is not only irrelevant to the employment consideration, but is actually illegal to consider. As a manager I don't care if the people working under me are religious. Most of my coworkers are not, but being religious is not, and should not be, either a positive or a negative characteristic.
My first thought exactly. Unless the employer is a religious insitution the employees religion has zero to do with anything.
As others have said, it depends on the job. I would try to work with him but all people aren't suited for all trades or professions.
Last edited by joe from dayton; 03-28-2013 at 01:18 PM..
Depends on the job. Is he a day care worker? Is he a CIA operative? It sort of depends.
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