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How to Manage Entitled Employees

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How to Manage an Entitled Employee
Leslie Cain
Keller Graduate School of Management
Dr. Mary Welsh
August 18, 2014

Table of Contents

Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………3
Background…………………………………………………………………………………..3
Literature Application………………………………………………………………………..3
Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………5
Resolution Recommendation…………………………………………………………………6
Reflection……………………………………………………………………………………..7
References…………………………………………………………………………………….8

Abstract How do you handle an employee with personal issues who feel that those issues entitle them to different treatment then the other employees at the company? It is important to exercise compassion but not let it affect decisions for your employees that will cause problems for your company and the other employees. Also learning how and when to use disciplinary action for employees who abuse their sense of entitlement. See how I suggest handling the employee in this paper who uses her personal situation to get away with being late and calling in and it has created tension in the office with the other employees.
Background
Company ABC has rehired an employee, Sarah, that has worked for the company in previous years and been released of her position both times for being tardy, calling in repeatedly and poor work performance. Sarah is exhibiting the same behaviors now as she has in the past. She was in a drug rehab program and going through a divorce upon returning and was given compassion in the beginning months as to her situation. However, the same behaviors have not improved over the first year of her employment. The other dependable and hardworking co-workers in the office are frustrated about the situation. Not only is she repeatedly late for work and calling off, she also makes several mistakes when she is at work which makes everyone else jobs that much more difficult. While there have been several meetings with Sarah regarding her behavior, she has not improved and no disciplinary action has been taken. The owner of the company recently promoted Jessica which makes her Sarah’s new boss. Jessica has already had several meetings with Sarah and still no change. She has decided to reach out to a professional conflict manager to help handle this situation.

Literature Review This conflict situation is a combination of a few different issues. Sarah definitely has a sense of entitlement, however, most employees develop a sense of entitlement due to their tenure with a company or their quality of work. This is not the case with Sarah, she has a sense of entitlement because she was given so much leniency during the beginning of her employment sue to her situation of rehab and being in the middle of a divorce. I think at this point she has extended her need for leniency and is taking advantage of the situation. It seems that like some other company owners in dealing with entitlement, the owners of Company ABC would rather eat paint chips then deal with this issue. (Mueller, 2012) Mike Kraus from AllBusiness.com suggests that you must draw the line! He says that if you give in once then they have the upper hand. The owners at Company ABC have given in many times and Sarah definitely has the upper hand in this situation. “An employee who continually demands more isn’t worth having on the team as they only breed discontent among other employees—they poison other employees and before you know it, you have a mutiny on your hands.” (Kraus) With Jessica as the new manager, it is important for her to document all tardiness, call in, and mistakes. With clear documentation, you will avoid “he said/she said” disputes during meetings. (Lipman, 2013) This also ensures that you can avoid legal exposure in the case that termination is necessary. Since Sarah is an hourly employee, the tardiness and call in situations are already documented in the time clock system and Jessica can fall back on that information which will also reach back to the months before Jessica’s management position. Cardillo lays out the seven strategies for managing conflict listed below: ▪ Deal With It – Avoidance is not the answer. ▪ Think it through – Before addressing the issue, consider discussing with a neutral party may help to clarify issues and needs. ▪ Talk it out, face to face – always discuss face to face rather than emailing or writing a letter, it is much more effective. Use a mediator when necessary. ▪ Apologize if necessary – Be willing to acknowledge your part in the conflict, this will help open the floor for others to accept their part and do the same. ▪ Choose your battles – Only bring up the important issues, do make issues about every little thing, then you will be labeled a complainer. ▪ Work to minimize conflict – take steps to foster good working relationships within your office. ▪ Work on communication skills – The ability to express yourself will allow you to say what’s on your mind clearly. (Seven strategies for managing conflict).
Following the above strategies can prevent a situation from getting out of hand like the situation with Sarah has. With sufficient documentation, termination is not too harsh for this particular situation. When an employee has exhibited that they just don’t care or just can’t get it together, termination is the only answer. As a manager, you cannot be scared to go that far. With solid grounds to terminate, your conflict will be resolved with this decision.
Analysis
This conflict has many contributors. I do believe that this conflict was created and then escalated by the lenience given due to personal issues. Once the professional and personal boundaries are crossed, it is hard to go back to strictly professional and set the personal aspect aside. It is so very obvious that Sarah has taken advantage of the situation and is playing on the heart strings of the owners who were trying to be kind and generous. It is important to draw the line somewhere. You must make deals that are in the best interest of you as a business owner and not only the employee’s best interest.(Kraus) Only looking at what is best for the employee will at some point in the future not be beneficial for you or your business. The conflict at hand with Sarah and the other employees is a direct result of ignoring conflict management. The owners have not wanted to face dealing with this conflict and possibly hurting feelings since it is based on personal issues. Hence, the reason the management of Sarah has been handed off to another employee, Jessica. Burying your head in the sand and ignoring a conflict will only lead you to the same conflict in the future with another employee. Dealing with the conflict at hand and learning from it is the only way to prevent the same behavior in the future. When you deal with a conflict, you are better equipped to deal with it or avoid it in the future because you will make different choices at the onset.
Conflict Resolution Recommendation It is obvious that management/ownership is trying to avoid termination of Sarah. Therefore, my recommendation for Jessica as Sarah’s new manager is to follow the following steps: 1. Have a meeting with Sarah and discuss all requirements of her job. Make sure her hours for each day are clear. Let her know that this is the beginning of what is considered a probation period and going forward what is expected of her putting aside all personal issues. NO MORE EXCUSES! 2. Gather all documentation of tardiness, mistakes, and call-ins up to the present time. Have it together and ready to add to it if needed. 3. If rules are broken again during the probation period, termination must be exercised. The situation has went on long enough and frustration with other co-workers can lead to more issues. On the contrary, if behaviors are changed and Sarah starts being punctual and paying more attention so that she makes less mistakes, then a positive reinforcement should be given to encourage the continuation of good behavior. Suggestions for rewards could be letting her leave early on a Friday, a small bonus, or over an extended period of time, an acceptable raise in wages.

Reflection Looking back at this conflict management, I can reflect on the quote from Socrates, “Everything in moderation, nothing in excess.” There are lines that must not be crossed in all situations. Moderation of sympathy, moderation of mistakes, moderation of excuses; all of these are tolerable. It is when you move into the excessive category that it becomes a problem, a conflict, and must be handled. Positive reinforcement is another concept that I have learned to apply in a managing conflict setting. I always understood this concept in training pets and teaching your children, but never thought about actually using it in the workplace. But it fits, if you want more of a specific behavior from an employee, what better way to get that then to reward that behavior. But just like with children and pets, discipline is also necessary to discourage bad behavior. Conflict in the workplace is not much different than conflict in personal relationships. You must address the conflict, learn from it and move on. Burying your head in the sand does not help the situation nor does the situation go away. Dealing with it head first is the only practical solution. Reference Page • Mueller, MP. (Mar 23, 2012). How to Manage (and Avoid) Entitled Employees. NY Times. Retrieved August 18, 2014, from http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/managing-and-avoiding-entitled-employees/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0 • Kraus, Mike. Young Employees’ Sense of Entitlement. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://www.allbusiness.com/retail/6070443-1.html • Lipman, Victor. (Apr 11, 2013). How to Manage Conflict at Work. Mind of the Manager. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mind-the-manager/201304/how-manage-conflict-work • Handling No-Shows and Employees Who Arrive Late To Work. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/web-page-no-author.aspx • Cardillo, Donna. Seven Strategies for Managing Conflict. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://donnacardillo.com/articles/sevenstrategies/ • Griffith, D.B., & Goodwin, C. (2013). Conflict Survival Kit: Tools for Resolving Conflict at Work. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

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