Bitchy employee

[PeskyPotato]

How would you handle a bitchy employee in a small team of 5?

She can do the job, but has been there a month and thinks she knows better than everyone. When I try and manage her or ask her to work along side others she bitches about it and says we've hired her and need her to trust her to get on with it. There's a nasty atmosphere in the team now. Last week one of the top bosses came to the shop floor for a few hours to pitch in, she had no idea who he was, and bitched to him about her colleagues. We were a lovely happy team before but now I regret hiring her so much. But she can do the work. Do I let her go anyway?

You pull her to one side and explain that her lack of positivity is pulling down, what was a happy and energetic team.
You tell her that if she has any concerns to voice them to you and not everyone else.
If she can't follow through then you get rid before others leave

Take her to one side and remind her that she's only been there a month and, (assuming there's a probation period?), her suitability for the job is not just assessed on her work performance it's assessed on her attitude as well.

To be honest, I would just get rid. If you tell her she will be massively resentful towards you as well bitch about you to everyone else. A bitch is a bitch. You can't stop them being bitchy though you might be able to stop being bitchy in front of you.

I would get rid of her and say it was because of her bad attitude. Hopefully she'll learn from that.

100% @determinedtomakethiswork I wouldn't tolerate someone's extreme bad behaviour to that extent, no way, get rid. It doesn't matter if this person can do the job, so can many others.

What matters is that she's shown her true colours which is ridiculously stupid when on probation. That's the time to prove you're a team player, supportive of colleagues and wanting a harmonious work environment.

OP, don't regret not sorting out this situation swiftly and decisively. The longer you leave it the worse it will get. Even if you have a word, there's no guarantee she won't lapse back later, she's a liability and is needlessly creating a toxic environment

Fucking sack her.

People like this are toxic cunts that never change.

You basically have two choices, sack bitchy colleague and have a happy team again or keep bitchy colleague and lose all the other staff, I know which option I would be choosing tomorrow morning.

Employee we like your work but the bitching needs to stop now. If you have an issue bring it up in an adult manner.

People have forgotten the art of just saying the things they want to say clearly.

Family member was tying themselves in knots the other day “they always give me x and it’s terrible” Why not just ask for y then? 😊. They did and got y.

Sack her now while you still can - is she on probation?

Don’t even bother with trying to manage this. As pps have said, these types never change.

Get rid - she's been there a month, she is a PITA, go with your gut feeling

New employees don’t intend to start out as bitchy/moner/unhappy. I regret I could be considered unhappy in the role just left because of the uncertainty of it all. Whilst there were barely any policies I did make sure I knew of the organisational who is who chart.

Before getting rid I would try and find out why. Hopefully the person may be grateful to get the push.

You may have problems within a wider happy team - I’ve been in situations where people have very much bitched but smiled sweetly and the boss has never known what is going on.

I would echo the last post, hiring and training competent staff is never easy. It might be she’s come from a really bitchy environment where this behaviour is normal, it might be she’s covering up crippling insecurities by putting other people down and she might just be a bitch. Either way, tell her the attitude isn’t acceptable, give her specific objectives and a timeframe and if she doesn’t change she will still be within probation period. Eg Within the next month I want to see you collaborating on projects once a week, I want to see positive and genuine interaction with the staff and I want to see teamwork. I will be asking your colleagues for feedback.

That should do the trick.

Don’t do what @Aurasauras says. Total waste of time. You will just be extending the misery. She may improve for a while but will just revert back again. Nasty people will always be nasty people, and if she does have ‘crippling insecurities’ - that is for her to resolve and not take it out on everyone else, especially when she is new. She sounds a total liability and quite stupid to behave in that way in a new job.

It might be she’s come from a really bitchy environment where this behaviour is normal, it might be she’s covering up crippling insecurities by putting other people down and she might just be a bitch

Give me strength! if someone comes from a really bitchy environment it's more likely they dont want to recreate it in their new job. It's more than likely that's what they escaped from!

Also, if this behaviour is being carried over from a former employer it doesn’t reflect well on her that she hasn’t either picked up that it’s not the culture at op’s place or reflected that introducing negativity where there was none previously isn’t a good look for a new starter.

I would go with get rid too. Your first month is when you are playing it safe, on your best behaviour and trying to fit in. Behavioural issues this early on will just get worse in my experience.

Give her a warning and document/witness it, then you can fire he if she continues.

I like to give people an opportunity to address their behaviours, so I would make sure she knows what the company values and expected behaviours are, give her clear direct feedback with specific examples of when her behaviour didn't meet the standards and explain that if it continues you will take action according to disciplinary policies. She's been there a month so presumably is in probation period which means that you can usually move straight to termination of employment.

Get her gone. She’ll be easily replaced in regards to capability, and likely a replacement won’t come with the ‘toxic cunt’ chip loaded.