These "mistakes" or "I forgot" or "I wasn't aware..." excuses have been the culprits in getting some employees prematurely laid off (with the hopes to one day get rid of them altogether), suspended from their jobs, demoted, or worse terminated.
1) A pattern of showing up late to work and leaving early. After all these years of getting away with this behavior with old managers, new management decides to carefully watch the time-honored employee who is guilty, and so the write-ups start building up.
2) Missing important deadlines whether a pattern or not. Whatever the excuse for missing a deadline, the point is the so-called established employee is cherry picking when he or she feels the need to work or not "I didn't think I had to do that...I didn't think it needed to be done so soon." Evidently this employee doesn't want to be promoted.
3) Missing meetings. Once again, the time-honored employee who believes that he or she can never be replaced and doesn't think that certain things are important, also doesn't think that having to attend every meeting is necessary. Why wonder why employees like this, regardless of tenure, are passed over?
4) Refusal to take company classes. They are boring and a waste of time to the long-standing employee, but necessary. Chances are there is something new being discussed and that employee who thinks he or she knows it all will be bothering his or her coworkers for answers. Why get angry when they don't want to help?
5) Workplace harassment (sexual and bullying). After all the media hype about harassment, yet an employee still thinks it is okay to flirt with a coworker while bullying another with insulting remarks. Can someone please call human resources?
6) Discriminating behaviors. The deep-rooted leader sitting cushy in the corner office, huh? What's with the eye rolls and deep sighs when "those people" come around? Why does an employee consistently hire people who don't look anything like he or she while there are plenty of resumes that aren't even viewed because "I think that name is black...that name is definitely middle eastern...I know how those people are...U.S. and China aren't getting along so let's just pass on this one." Again, can someone please make some phone calls, we have racist on site?
7) Lying. The complacent workers recruit new employees to lie. "I just say this...Don't tell the manager that...If she asks about...tell her this..." Long-standing employees sure know how to lie and when caught they are "never aware, don't recall, can't ever remember saying that." Enough already! Let's just start building that case to get rid of them! There are plenty of other companies that welcome liars.
8) Stealing or so-called "borrowing." Interesting how things go missing and then are suddenly returned when questioned, then go missing again and are never returned. The seemingly stable employee still has something at home from like five years ago and another long-standing employee knows all about it (chances are he or she used it to) and never says one word. Write them both up or better yet can we just call this company theft and start the process of getting them out!
9) Bring family and/or pets to work. What's with this? The workplace isn't a family reunion and there sure isn't any babysitters at work. Stop with the "emotional support" case. Funny, how all this happens when now it is inconvenient for everyone to stay home. Start looking for a new job, because coworkers are only going to deal with so much concerning an employees' crying child and barking dog--either they get to work from home or not! How long they have been with the company is not an excuse to keep allowing children and pets to come to work adding to an already stressed atmosphere.
10) Staying on personal phone calls for long periods of time. Established employees feel quite comfortable doing this because they have gotten away with it for so long. Meanwhile, coworkers are answering phones, running around offices, helping visitors at the door, and doing other things while the veteran employee continues to talk and talk and talk. Then after the phone call, this employee wants to share. Well this kind of sharing is not caring to most employees, stop accepting these unimportant phone calls during business hours! Is anyone noticing that the employee is stealing company time to do his or her nonemergency personal business? Hmm. I smell a write-up.
11) Using company equipment to visit websites for personal pleasure. The use of this equipment was never meant for employees to have fun doing what they want when they want and how they want it, but veteran employees feel like they are entitled because "well I use my personal phone to take photos for the company and I receive texts from management on my phone...so I can use their computer, copier...whatever to do what I want. No one cares." Are you sure about that? Someone is keeping track of how much shopping for company supplies is happening each month. Looks like it's time to check company credit cards, phone bills, office supplies and the like. There's a veteran employee guilty as charged.
12) Favoring employees who one has a friendship with while criticizing others. This behavior is key in creating division between workers. It is obvious that the personal friendships that the complacent employees have with their favorites is getting in the way of making important business decisions. Those that aren't favorited are reprimanded formally, but friends are rarely talked to. Can we find another department for this employee or an exit out the door? If there is racial, gender, or sexual discrimination involved well there is another case to build against the complacent employee.
So if you aren't one who is guilty of the above, no worries. However, if you are, it is never too late to change. Do it before all this catches up to you sooner rather than later.
Nicholl McGuire is the blog owner and author of many nonfiction books.
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