A spoiled employee!!

jajwanda · July 2003

I will try to make a long story short. My husband & myself own the company, we have 1 secretary & she is spoiled. We live on the east side & work on the west & have done this for 1 1/2 years, now we are purchasing a building & doing away with the old one, which means we will be on the east side of town, giving our secretary a considerable drive. We just gave her a raise & put her on salary (putting her on salary is on a trial basis). Among many other complaints that she has had, now it is about the move, her gas, wear on her car & child care expenses. She now leaves everyday, every other week for a 1/2 hour to 40 minutes to go & pick her daughter up from child care & is able to bring her back until it is time to leave. She says that she is coming in 1/2 hour early to make up the time. But it is known & self admitted that she likes to come in early to have her coffee, breakfast, watch tv, & answer her e mails. She has not made up the time by staying later, which is a hardship for me because while she is gone I am answering phones & doing her job which puts me behind.
Ok, so now once we make the move (in 2 weeks) she will not be able to come back after picking up her daughter as she does now. and it will be impossiable for her to make up that time. Even after her daughter is back in school there is a whole list of other issues she has.
So I guess my question is are we responsible to pay her for her additional cost once we move? If we put her back on hourly she may not be able to get enough hours in to survive let alone be considered a full time employee therefore losing her benifits.
She is spoiled & has made some pretty specfic demands on us. Being a small company & with our own additional cost with now owning our own building we simply can't afford to keep meeting her demands. We are very good people to work for & don't mind helping employees that work with us & do a good job. But we will go broke really quick with demands like hers.
Any suggestions???

Parabeagle · July 2003

I have been in a similar situation when I was an office manager for a small, family-owned company. We had a Dir. of Ops. who was the owner's favorite and consequently he made some significant demands, which the owner met. After that, the DO assumed he was "bulletproof." The resentment toward the DO felt by the rank and file employees was so strong that they would no longer work effectively with him. Don't let your situation deteriorate to that degree and don't submit to what sounds like thinly veiled extortion attempts on the part of your secretary. You are under no obligation to pay her extra or anything else because of your move. She should stop whining and be grateful that she has a job! Frankly I don't think I would be quite as empathetic or understanding as you're being.

Theresa Gegen TX · July 2003

Consider firing her. If she is not working the hours that you have set, there is no reason to keep her employed. Also, I would not have her watching her child at work! How can she be working! If she is working, then either her child is being watched by another employee or there is a safety situation. It sounds like she is taking advantage of you. You can find a better employee.

If she has been with you a long time, you may want to sit down with her and tell her that these are her work hours, and it is up to her to make arrangements to be at work during that time. If she can't, her job is in jeopardy.

Good Luck!

mwild31 · July 2003

A few things:

One, any employee that is "spoiled" is generally so because the company allows it, or worse, there's no policies/procedures in place to "even the playing field" (aka consistentcy for all, not for the few) for all employees. So, do you have policies/procedures or past experience to draw upon in this situation? Further, if you allow for all of her demands, are you prepared to do it for others - because once other employees hear about - they will all want it.

Two, I always get a little nervous when companies make someone 'salary'. I feel more comfortable when they say someone is exempt or non-exempt - when this distinction is made I feel as though someone has researched the job and determined that the employee falls within one of the exempt categories of the FLSA - rather than saying 'salary' as if they do. So, is she salary and still elibible for OT? Did you make her salary to avoid it? Ensure that by re-classifying an employee exempt - you are following FLSA. If she truly is exempt - then you are walking into an area that makes a lot of HR folks a little green - demanding what her hours are and accounting for them. Talk to an attorney if you are unsure.

Three, if you're moving your facility and she can not perform the job, and she's not covered by ADA (child care issues), etc., then meet with her and tell her that you can't accomodate her requests. Make sure to state the business reasons and ask her to find other arrangements. (Unless there's some kind of employment contract that the two of you have - also, is your state At-Will and do your policies prominently state that your company is At-Will?) If she can't find those arrangements, then let her know that you're sorry she can't, you've appreciated her hard work, but you will have to find someone else.

Our company changed the hours of operation for one of our departments. One of the 35 employees could not come in during those times and after looking into other departments to see if they could take the individual and found out that no one could - we asked the employee to make a choice, change their hours or leave. He left.

Good luck!

jajwanda · July 2003

Thank you for your response, & yes you are right about the fact that we allowed her being spoiled to a certain point. Basically she has been a very good employee. We allowed certain situations because, both my husband & myself wanted to be an employer that we wished we would have had over many years. But it is to the point where she has taken complete advantage of our generosity, time & time again. To the point where she acts like we owe her?????
Although we have a company policy, because she is in the office with the 2 of us, she thinks that she is one of us. Therefore she is beyond complying to the company policy. Although we do not imply anything in the policy that we ourselves do not follow ourselves.

mwild31 · July 2003

Believe it or not, I understand where you are coming from. I've been coaching the President/Owner of my company over the last three years on how to hold people accountable - especially those that have been working here for a number of years. Here's the thing, don't treat your employees the way that YOU idealized an employer should be - what makes sense to you, may not make sense to others. Rather, treat employees fairly and consistently with set boundaries, expectations and hold people accountable for good and poor results. You can be an excellent boss, in fact you are an excellent boss when you do this, not when you cater to special needs that are inconsistent with how you will treat the rest of the staff. Good employees love fair and consistent structure and the great employees find it essential to their success! The more time you spend focusing on one employee who you resent, even a little, than the rest of the good/excellent producers within your organization, the less respect you will get from those producers. Plus it will take away from the main goal of the business - to make more money, so you can create good/great jobs for your employees! Don't loose sight of this when dealing with employee issues - the weight of the majority should come before the petty issues/special treatments of the minority. Good luck to you - I know it's a tough road to go down, but persistence and dogged determination are the keys to your success. x;-)

blw · July 2003

I think you can meet with her and tell her you understand the commute is not fun, you've done it. However, these are the hours she is expected to work and then spell it out to her. Regarding childcare, remind her that you have been understanding in the past and will continue to be in an emergency. However, again reiterate the hours she is expected to work. If she brings up money, tell her that the increase she recently received can cover those expenses. And then proceed with progressive disciplinary actions if she is late to work and/or leaves early without permission. Good luck!

Balloonman · July 2003

Plan on replacing her. She has it sounds like a very large case of entitlement mentality! I have a hard time with people who feel the company owes them. Sounds like you have been a good employer to her, maybe to good, but only because she is taking advantage. I can think of many people who would love her job. Outline the job expectations. Hold her to them. As someone who drives 42 miles to work, and who has driven 62.5 miles one way I know that driving is not a lot of fun, but no one has ever paid me more because of my drive.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman

Rockie · July 2003

All valid comments. I, too, get a little anxious when you talk about bouncing a person back and forth between salaried and hourly. I don't know of any case where a bona fide "secretary" would be considered a salaried position. You may want to rethink this and keep her as an hourly person.

While it is commendable that you want to be a "friendly" employer, I think you have found out that you have, indeed, been taken advantage of.

You just need to have a serious, frank discussion with this employee and outline what your expectations are for the future. I would advise the employee that you have appreciated her past work and you will understand if she cannot meet these expectations when you make the move. She will either make up her mind to comply with your expectations or she will go elsewhere where she will quickly find that she won't be able to get away with this type of behavior.

Good luck with this one.

Zanne · July 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-08-03 AT 11:49AM (CST)[/font][p]I don't have a lot to add, other than when you post her job, can I apply?

x:-)
I think that you can be a kind and generous employer, but still have reasonable expectations of your employees. It sounds like you and your husband are concerned with the welfare of your employee(s), but you also need to be concerned with the welfare of your business, otherwise there will be more than just one of you looking for a job.

I would list all the expectations that you have, from the hours of employment to child care, to salary etc. I would sit down with her, discuss it, and give her a day to think it over. If you need to replace her, you can - the job market is tough for a job seeker. If she agrees to the expectations, hold her to them.

Good luck.

A spoiled employee!!

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