Topic: staffing Question for management type people

[aquadorhj]

say you have a company.

and you have to fire one of the two employees.

one is great at the job, but nobody likes the person. 

the other is good at the job, and everyone likes the person.

[bridgecity]

We had hired a senior individual within our group about a year ago.  Nobody enjoyed working with him or for him, and the morale of our group went into the toilet.  He was let go within 3 months, not for those reasons only, but it had a part in it. 

Would the morale of the other workers improve if the employee who is great at his job left?

[mrthompson]

It's likely easier to improve the skills of the person that is good at his/her job than it is to change the demeanor of the prickly employee.

[initial_D]

Depends on the environment and situation. Sometimes it is almost a necessary evil to have a great worker that nobody likes.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

It's all case by case, but generally, I'd keep the good one that people get along with.

[Dexer]

Good and likable beats highly talented mench.

I have seen the damaged that can be wreaked by a single, unlikable worker and it's not pretty.

[The Mighty Duck]

It's all case by case, but generally, I'd keep the good one that people get along with.

Agreed. It also depends on the type of job, I think. Creating a positive workplace that people want to be engaged with is important in a lot of jobs, but I imagine there's some fields where this would be less important. If it's a role where the work is very independent and there's not a lot of interaction between staff, then keep the great worker. If it's a role where interaction with other staff is a big part of the job, then keep the good worker who people get along with.

[Weels]

Not sure what you mean by 'fire one of the candidates'?
Are you talking about two current staff that do the same job?

[Snowman]

Not enough information to make a call.

 - cost to terminate each individual
 - what level in the organization is each person at
 - why is the one person not liked by the others
 - seniority of each person
 - can the person who is popular be motivated or trained



 

[Railton]

What will happen:
The likeable employee will be turfed.
The unlikeable employee will be promoted to your job.
You will be turfed or end up reporting to the sonofabitch.
Welcome to the real world.
Railton

[tpl]

Depends what these guys do.   Someone who is brilliant at writing operating systems internals...well you can put up with a lot. 

[safristi]

why bother with an arsehole...there will be a "NORMAL" person along in 3 minutes..........U do know that arseholes twice a day. all ov'r your "business"

[aquadorhj]

Depends what these guys do.   Someone who is brilliant at writing operating systems internals...well you can put up with a lot. 

..well, let's just say both are equally replaceable.   but one of them kisses rears better.

[aquadorhj]

What will happen:
The likeable employee will be turfed.
The unlikeable employee will be promoted to your job.
You will be turfed or end up reporting to the sonofabitch.
Welcome to the real world.
Railton

quote of the day.   

feels like everywhere i go to work, those who kiss the rears instead of working hard, ends up with most benefit..  either by not working and getting paid the same or working little and getting promoted.

it's hardly encouraging..

[Railton]

...and it gets worse.
Railton

[Triple Bob]

I would keep the one that is best for the company.  It may be that the prickly one is an ass, or it may be that he/she is implementing change and the dead wood don't like it.

[rrocket]

I would keep the one that is best for the company.  It may be that the prickly one is an ass, or it may be that he/she is implementing change and the dead wood don't like it.

I have seen that before!!  The "dead wood" may be the lazy ones, and sometimes the prickly ones tear it up and make the dead woods look bad.  So obviously, Mr. Prickly has a big target on his a$$.  Ask me how I know...

[Triple Bob]

I would keep the one that is best for the company.  It may be that the prickly one is an ass, or it may be that he/she is implementing change and the dead wood don't like it.

I have seen that before!!  The "dead wood" may be the lazy ones, and sometimes the prickly ones tear it up and make the dead woods look bad.  So obviously, Mr. Prickly has a big target on his a$$.  Ask me how I know...

LOL, same here.

[rrocket]

I would keep the one that is best for the company.  It may be that the prickly one is an ass, or it may be that he/she is implementing change and the dead wood don't like it.

I have seen that before!!  The "dead wood" may be the lazy ones, and sometimes the prickly ones tear it up and make the dead woods look bad.  So obviously, Mr. Prickly has a big target on his a$$.  Ask me how I know...

LOL, same here.

"Hey, we've got a good thing going on here.  Don't make us look bad and wreck it for all of us"  Hear that one, Bob?   

[Triple Bob]

I would keep the one that is best for the company.  It may be that the prickly one is an ass, or it may be that he/she is implementing change and the dead wood don't like it.

I have seen that before!!  The "dead wood" may be the lazy ones, and sometimes the prickly ones tear it up and make the dead woods look bad.  So obviously, Mr. Prickly has a big target on his a$$.  Ask me how I know...

LOL, same here.

"Hey, we've got a good thing going on here.  Don't make us look bad and wreck it for all of us"  Hear that one, Bob?   

It's funny, I worked in a factory for a few weeks in the Summer once, sorting coat hangers of all things.  These giant boxes would come from retail stores full of tangled up coat hangers, they would be emptied onto a really wide conveyor belt, and we would have to lean over and untangle them as they went past, sort them into different types, and hanging them up and re-boxing them neatly to go back to the store.  It was back breaking work.  Me and a few other kids just messed around all night whilst working, and we still did more than DOUBLE the number of boxes the regular staff managed in the same time! We were temps, and the regular team leaders were not happy with us for showing them up. 

I also got into a bit of bother a few years ago for ignoring office politics and telling the VP of UK Credit Operations he was an incompetent swerver.  Oh well, I was right. 

And I still hate tangled coat hangers...