Whatever our situation we all know it’s unproductive, dysfunctional and taking energy away from the co-op.
What do we do?
Do we “stay loyal” and find work arounds and accommodations?
Maybe just go into a bit of denial and look the other way?
Do we justify with the “they’ve been here a long time” reasoning?
These are tough situations, but I can tell you from personal experience that these are not the answers.
It’s not good for anybody to delay in managing these situations.
Not good to the employee, the rest of the staff, the co-op or ourselves as managers.
The difficult situation will just get worse.
The longer undealt with, the longer the employee gets disempowered, entrenched and more unable to turn around whether they stay employed with us or not.
From my experience, we do not do anyone any favors looking the other way, not setting a standard and upholding it.
These kinds of situations can be a real managerial challenge.
Yet in my time, I’ve seen many surprising positive results coming from finally getting down to business and dealing with situation like these.
Always remember, employees are paid to contribute, bring impact, and produce outcomes and results that support the co-op carrying out our goals and mission.
If any employee is unable to do that, they are not bad, wrong, a hassle, or a villain.
They are someone we need to manage on behalf of the co-op with grace.
If we have a longevity “challenge” it is not about the employee, it is about us as managers and our need to manage this situation. And when we do, we are not bad, wrong, or a villain.
You never know where things will go when we do our part, but I know where things will go if we don’t.
Let’s manage,