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Topic: Another Employee Problem......and it wasn't my fault :)

Floyd Justin Newton
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 559
From: Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 03-17-2005 11:27 AM

It sounds like we have a bad case DENIAL here. [thumbsdown]

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Brad Allen
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 688
From: Evansville, IN, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 03-17-2005 11:44 AM

Couple of items. Cell phones should not be allowed to be brought to work by staff. Period.

Reason his company avoids firing, is the same reason lots of companies avoid firing. Frivolous law suits.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 03-17-2005 01:34 PM

quote: Brad Allen
Reason his company avoids firing, is the same reason lots of companies avoid firing. Frivolous law suits.

True, most definitely.

One circuit that I used to worked for, never did any firing, just place the offending employee on a "permanent suspension", thus keeping them on payroll until they quit. This releases the employer from any civil actions.

Plus with a "permanent suspension" in force, that offending employee cannot draw unemployment.

-Monte

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Dominic Espinosa
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1172
From: California, U.S.A.
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 03-17-2005 01:52 PM

The problem in a lot of management teams is the lack of communication and lack of uniformity.
More than once I've put my foot down on issues like proper clothing for projectionists to wear to work, etc. only to be litteraly laughed at and overruled by the GM. And what does this mean? It means that I, or anyone else in my shoes will be respected that much less by their subordinates. And it shows.

Moreover, I've found that the first step should always be to ask the employee in question what he/she feels his job is, and why he/she feels his behavior is warranted/acceptable.
You've then got to explain what your job is in a non-combative way.
Follow it up with the question of "what can we do within reason to resolve this conflict?".
You're a negotiator okay, you've got to come half way sometimes and do what you can to solve the problem.
Now when it comes down to things like wages, which I recently had a problem with a projectionist feeling he was undervalued.
Again, he/she has to understand the other point of view; how can the company justify giving someone a raise when they're not showing that they're worth it?

Moreover, steer clear of combative statements and questions.
Questions like "how many times have I told you..." are combative statements. You don't really want to know the answer, and it puts them on the defensive and closes up the conversation.

Read a good management book, it's worth the time. I recommend "Becoming a successful manager" ISBN: 0658014897.
It's not the best and won't cover a few things, but it's a good start.

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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-17-2005 07:28 PM

quote: Monte L Fullmer
Plus with a "permanent suspension" in force, that offending employee cannot draw unemployment.

The company has already potentially paid the Unemployment for said employee, and taking such actions only proves that the company itself is acting in spite, and I wouldn't want to work for said company anyways!

I've seen too many companies do similar things, to employees to prevent this, even though once that employee leaves, that money is not returned to the business. Just as there are unethical persons out there, there are just as many unethical companies.

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Wayne Keyser
Master Film Handler

Posts: 272
From: Arlington, Virginia, USA
Registered: May 2004

posted 03-17-2005 08:11 PM

You gotta see these "discuss the matter with the employee" tips - if the page doesn't automatically go to the "krunchlist" heading, search down the page for it:

http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Research/DAS/interneg/training/conflict_overview.html#krunch

And, by the way, if I was a new employee, and behaved in the way you described, I would not be surprised to find myself fired very quickly indeed. Lord knows, I've been fired for less.

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Tim Reed
Better Projection Pays

Posts: 5246
From: Northampton, PA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 03-17-2005 11:23 PM

Somebody needs to run down there and install a hidden camera so we can watch Richard and get to the bottom of all this. Something's not right with either the way he carries himself or the way he interacts with others.

Nobody has this much trouble unless he's doing something to bring it on. Maybe he just has no tact? (Or, maybe it's just for attention here? It's working.)

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Richard Greco
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1180
From: Plant City, FL
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-18-2005 12:00 AM

Ti9m, I do have issues handling things tactfully. I'm still learning however and also note that when I changed my training with him, he responded even better.

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Michael Gonzalez
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 790
From: Grand Island , NE USA
Registered: Sep 2000

posted 03-18-2005 01:11 AM

Since we are never going to get both sides of this or any other of Richards stories, the only thing that I would have to say on this subject is that it is too bad that Richards GM isnt a member of this site (at least as far as I know). I would be very interested to hear what he has to say about some of these situations that have been brought up.

Also I know that unemployment laws differ from state to state (at least I think they do) but isnt there usually a time period involved? Typically you are going to find out if an employee is going to work out in the first couple of weeks. If an employee is fired after only working two weeks or so, I cant imagine them being elegable to collect unemployment anyway.

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 03-18-2005 03:48 AM

quote: Richard Greco
He was playing the video games on the clock while I was counting money. He picked up a game and dropped it because he lost a quarter in it.

You should have let him go right then and there.. Do you want him picking up and dropping the lamphouses if the bulb won't strike? If you see major character flaws in an employee that early on, don't waste your time or effort - find someone else.

quote: Richard Greco
He asked for 4:30. I agreed.

Richard, if you are going to put your foot down, stick to your guns. If you want him there at 4, tell him 4 and end the conversation. You have now communicated that you will back down if he whines.

quote: Richard Greco
He then told me "Well YOU use YOUR cell Phone!!". I have a company phone and I use it occasionally at work to handle an issue here and there with other management. I told him it was a company phone and that it was different.

Rather than argue, restate your instruction as clear as possible. This kid understands the disticntion, he just wanted to argue. Don't give him the argument he wants.

quote: Richard Greco
I figure he should've asked me to open the door by now, but no sign of him. I walked outside and called his name. No answer. I walked over to my main booth to get some candy and saw him sitting on a picnic table on his cell phone..on the clock!! I told him, "Maybe I should adjust your clock in time to 5:15 since you havent been seen and have that phone glued to your ear" (he'd been warned before BTW)

Richard, you shoudl have unlocked the door for him right then and there. If you want respect from your staff, you must give them respect as well. "Sit here until I have time for you" isn't going to make your staff respect you. If his duties were in the booth, and he was waiting on you to give him access, then what did you want him to be doing?

quote: Richard Greco
Me: "You need to get off that phone and get to work, you should've found me and asked what to do."

He did ask you. You ignored him while you did something else.

quote: Richard Greco
it was his day off, but to send the projectionist home and come in tomorrow to talk. I told the projectionist this and he said "Fine, I'll clock out, but I want the GM's number." The gM was ok with me giving the number. The projectionist then left...

Again, you gave in when he wanted to argue... If you tell an employee to leave, and they refuse, call your security and have them walk the person off. By giving in to his "talk to the GM" demand, you showed him a lot of weakness.

quote: Richard Greco
He just has horrible social skills. From my experience, you just don't tell your manage that he NEEDS to stop his attitude. He doesn't NEED to do anything.

Actually, Richard, there is plenty you need to do. The biggest thing is to lead your staff - I saw no leadership in your account of the incident.

quote: Richard Greco
I have noted to the GM what has been happening and also a 17 y/o female employee told me tonight that he was bumping into her and harassing her this past weekend.

What are your chain's policies regarding sexual harrassment complaints? Letting this one go will get the company and YOU sued.

quote: Richard Greco
I hope he gets fired.

Then fire him already...

quote: Richard Greco
Some other enployees say he acts like a girl. He also said to that 17/yo girl (One of my best employees) "Listen, Little Girl" When she told him to stop bothering her.

Acts like a girl? What? Are you joining in the employee bitch sessions? There is a like Richard between staff and management. If you cross that line, you are useless as a manager because your staff will walk all over you.

quote:
William......HUH? English pleasE? [Smile]

I believe he was analyzing you Richard. Although, AFAIK, William doesn't have the professional qualifications necessary to do so. This isn't the first time he has played shrink...

quote: Floyd Justin Newton
When are you going to grow up and act like an adult.

One could ask you the same question, Floyd...

quote: Floyd Justin Newton
The things
you post on this forum "can" be construed as "libal".

Great.. First the armchair shrink, now an armchair ambulance chaser.. Floyd, nothing he posted was libelous.

quote: Richard Greco
On a side note, The GM had a talk with him today and tonight he was turned around 180 degrees. He was well behaved and I also tried a different approach to his training.

Richard, you need to SERIOUSLY re-examine your management style.. And your GM needs his head checked for allowing this joker to stay.

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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-18-2005 07:20 AM

quote: Jim Ziegler
I believe he was analyzing you Richard. Although, AFAIK, William doesn't have the professional qualifications necessary to do so. This isn't the first time he has played shrink..

Jim's assessment is correct. To be a psychiatrist or a psychologist, you need a PhD & a license to practice, & I have neither. Psychology is the 2nd job I decided I didn't want after spending too much time on it - people who start on the health professions need to FIRST ask themselves, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life with sick, miserable people?"

I've never "played shrink". You want a psychologist or psychiatrist, call & make an appointment with one. Ask a bunch of strangers what they think, about your network hookup, car, or whatever, & they give you an answer based on whatever their own experience & education are. Take it for what it's worth, & be critical of it all.

I agree with most of what Jim Zeigler said, & still think that much of the problem is inexperience, & that's not having learned how to communicate clearly & on a non-hostile level with folks, how authority is structured in the workplace, & a lot of lack of objectivity about yourself & others. Don't beat yourself up, just do what everyone else does & recognize that you've got to find a more effective way to approach a problem when results matter. I wish I could just send home or fire every piece of equipment that was broken & I couldn't fix on my first hunch, but the fact is in management, talent, design, sales, or tech, you've got to figure out HOW you will make it work & make it work.

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Larry Myers
Master Film Handler

Posts: 371
From: Herndon, VA, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 03-19-2005 01:29 PM

It does seem a little strange. You hired a 21 year old projectionist? Well is he a projectionist or not. If he is, why does he need trained. If he isn't, why did you hire him?

Sometimes bosses come on a little strong. If he is indeed a trained projectionist, he really doesn't need to be retrained by you or anyone else. Think of how you would feel if someone said you need training to filling-in at a theater across town.

Larry

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Richard Greco
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1180
From: Plant City, FL
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-19-2005 01:54 PM

Larry, he was hired to be a projectionist as I was hired at Carmike for projection. I had no knowledge before hand. He doesn't know about projection.

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Adam Wilbert
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 590
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 03-19-2005 05:14 PM

Larry, keep in mind that Richard wants to promote "film-done-right" and in that case I would agree that most young "projectionists" definitely need to be retrained in many of their duties.

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Larry Myers
Master Film Handler

Posts: 371
From: Herndon, VA, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 03-19-2005 05:48 PM

I guess the issue is the word projectionist. One moment your just a guy walking the street and the next moment your a projectionist by someone saying your hired. I don't think so.

Being hired doesn't make you a projectionist. It looks like you had problems with a guy you just hired of the streets to work in the theater. Hey it happens all the time with all kinds of entry level jobs. I think if you really did hire a Projectionist with a capital P, the outcome would have been different.

Larry

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