Asking an open-ended question, getting some interesting answers

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I recently posted this question on FB:  If you had an employee who continually made promises and failed to deliver, what would you do?

I had nothing specific in mind. Sort of throw the grenade and see what happens. It generated 4 likes. Eh. It also generated a number of answers from folks, some of which are quite thought provoking. Answers in order with commentary from me as I see fit.

J: Is this a trick question? Warn once with suitable instruction on how to fix the situation, official reprimand if no progress made and, then, removal (firing).


 

I am reminded here of something Don Imus said. To paraphrase, he said he gives so many people a second chance over and over again because he was given a second chance over and over again.



R: It's rhetorical and he's being clever. If I had an employee who was trying to deliver but kept being badgered by assholes, I would understand and get rid of the assholes.


R frames this as a political question. I can see that. If you take it to the president, then yeah some of his promises have been blocked by others. Plenty of his promises he's had the power to keep and didn't. I trust Politifact because all sides use it when it supports their view and blast it when it opposes their view.

R and I are, much to the surprise of people who see our political debates on FB, in agreement far more often than we disagree. However, we do have fundamental differences. 



R (again): Your message is the one the KKKoch Brothers are pushing, by the way.


I have only a vague idea of what she means here.
 I also replied twice, once accusing R of a subject change and once thanking her for calling me clever.
MAB: I for one will take "clever" over "educated beyond my intelligence" anyday!!!!



J: Depends on the company - in some, it all depends on how good he is at dodging the blame.


Toooooo true. I recommend reading The Peter Principle.


M: Wait, do you work where I do? I have a co-worker I wanted to fire the third month she was here. It's been three years, I have multiple complaints filed with HR and she is still "coddled"


M works in NJ. Nuf said.



D: I get 3 performance reviews to solve the problem. Then I can be fired. Of course, there was that first year in which I could be fired for no reason. And the probational 3 year period which was any reasonable reason. Now it literally takes an act of Congress or 1 1/2 years, whichever comes first. I think everybody deserves a chance to change behavior and work performance. But how many chances should you be given? I think 1 1/2 years is a little too lenient myself. (but it does have peace of mind).


D (again): I heard of a couple of guys that actually threatened their bosses with guns (different locations/different bosses) and still didn't get fired.


J (different one): If we are talking about I think we are talking about, I think this is kind of like the things my Dad is always talking about with some of the people who have contracts with his company. He says that there are a bunch of people who don't perform all of the things they are obligated to do under their contract, but that the contracts the previous owner of the company negotiated with them were so poorly defined that he can't break the contracts without a whole lot of troubles so he just has to wait till the contracts end and then hope for better negotiations once the new contracts start. That is kind of what is happening now in the Government.

MacT as she is also known, has this ability to cut right to the heart of things. She nailed this one pretty good from several different angles.



B: Run for public office. LOL


Willis: Around here we generally promote that sort to some sort of public office where they can do no more harm.


Unfortunately when said people get "promoted" like this in the US, they do more harm.



P: For an employee, promises don't matter. Contracts do. Agreements do.

If an employee fails to deliver doughnuts he promised, I'd give him grief about it when he promised again, and let him know he's just hurting his credibility, but doughnuts are not part of his job (unless they are.)

If he fails to deliver on the functions of his job, he gets progressive warnings and then dismissal, promises or none.



P: (different one) Nominate them for president of the company?


H: They wouldn't drive the delivery truck anymore.



T: Not much of a corollary, BB, cause in the case of politicians, it takes consensus to get them gone. If I run a company and one of my hires isn't working out, they just get shown the door. Yep, they'll get a few chances and a couple warnings, but as boss, I'd have to do what's best for my company, and I wouldn't have to get anyone's agreement on it.



R (different one): If he or she works for the government, promote them to get them out of your department.


D (different one): I would go to see a movie... but that is just me.