Every agency I have ever been to has one, a pain in the a$$ employee who refuses to change. This person generally stirs the pot of negativity, makes threats to the owner about leaving them, talks about “their” customers and how indispensable they are. In addition, they resist change and don’t work well with other team members. The owner literally bows their head and walks by hoping they don’t have to talk to them. If you are reading this, you most likely have one or had one so you know exactly what I am talking about. Someone you pay $40,000+ a year to make your life harder. Now, you stick with them because you are concerned over EPLI suits, their customers leaving, and they generally are an encyclopedia of insurance knowledge. They are usually the most insurance knowledgeable member of the team. However, none of it matters. You need a team that is teachable, has a great attitude and can work together.
So let’s get real… holding on to this employee is costing you far more than moving on from them. But they are so scary you stay. So let’s break down how we got here and how to get out of it.
How You Got Here
You may have made a hire out of desperation rather than preparation. Or this is the person that has held in there the longest and they know every little mistake you made along the way. Either way, both of you are perpetuating the flames of disdain for each other. Maybe you come down on them extra hard and they hold resentment for a comment you made in the last team meeting. It took both of you to get here and if you have a shot of turning it around then both of you need to work on getting out of it.
Typical Characteristics of This Employee
- Resist change
- Have a terrible attitude
- Blame you for everything
- Remember how it was
- Doesn’t follow directions
- Talks about their customers and how much their customers love them
- Stirs the pot with employees
- Refuses to work as team
- Talks about how busy they are
- Are the last ones to step up to the plate
- Work against you behind your back
- Finds ways things can’t or won’t work
What do you do about it
Option 1: You meet with the person and lay it all on the table and take full responsibility for any failures. You ask for a line in the sand where everyone can focus on the future. Warning, this person is usually pretty black and white. They want to see right and wrong so they will be looking for a way to prove you wrong.
Option 2: Move on. You can find better people with better attitudes and skills. The customers won’t make a mass exodus. Your team will step up once you cut out the cancer.
Generally we give these people 90 days to improve and identify a performance improvement plan on their attitude. This puts them on notice that it’s not going to happen from this point forward. From here the person either fires themselves or moves on. Either way your agency wins.
Don’t let your agency be held back by 1 person. If you are paying someone you don’t like $40K+ per year you are way better off giving it to us… you will like us better!
