Breaking Point - job stress and problem employees

HR Magazine, Oct, 2001 by Merry Mayer

More importantly, don't discount any complaints about an individual.

Sometimes managers assume they can handle the situation. Lynda Higbee, president of Higbee and Associates in St. Louis, an HR consulting firm, recounts a situation she had while working for a now defunct dot-com. Employees complained about the inappropriate anger one of the top executives exhibited. The first complaint was attributed to sour grapes because it came from a person with a vested interest in making the executive look bad, Higbee says.

After two additional complaints, the company president spoke with the executive. Even though the company was in the midst of layoffs and the executive's position was disappearing, the company decided to keep him and move him to operations, where he had to deal with even more people, and problems continued, Higbee says.

In the end, the company let the executive go during a round of layoffs, the executive sued, and the company settled with him. The company's president had been just too nice, wanting to give the guy another chance, Higbee says.

Employers should make it clear that certain kinds of behavior will not be tolerated from any employee. If necessary, counseling should be made a requirement of continued employment, Jennings says.

Merry Mayer is a freelance writer based in Chicago who specializes in business, government and technology.

Causes of Job Stress

* Employees working longer hours and taking fewer vacations.

* A downsizing, layoff or reorganization that creates uncertainty and increased workloads.

* Employees lacking control over work and career.

* A corporate culture in which the required effort exceeds rewards employees can earn.

* A poor social environment and lack of support from managers and coworkers, resulting in workplace isolation.

* Conflicting or uncertain job expectations, or too many responsibilities.

* Unpleasant or risky physical conditions.

Signs of Job Stress

* Headache

* Sleep disturbances

* Difficulty concentrating

* Short temper

* Upset stomach

* Job dissatisfaction

* Low morale