So I'm A-hole for a Boss & Should Except that People aren't Perfect

So I have an employee that has been with us for over a year. There are a few things that I have instructed "T" to do a certain way and other things I've instructed not to do. On the at least fourth time explaining the same thing I get the response, "you need to understand that people are not prefect and relax with all this criticism." I'm sorry, but this is not "my need." I believe that excepting the fact that we are human and not prefect leads to mediocrity. One needs to deny this fact and always push for perfection. Once you say, "well I'm just human" you are domed to mediocrity. I wish I could get this across to my people.

End rant. [Rant1]

tell him it is his job to do it a certain way and that if that can't be accomplished it is time to seek different employment.

Sounds like its performance review time..

Maybe you should try to explain it differently (if you haven't all ready)

At my currentjob its my first time doing construction and I would have to keep asking for direction the first month or so because people would be used to giving instruction to people with more experience then me and leave stuff out or gloss over stuff that would normally be common knowlage

Anyone is replaceable.

It doesn't matter if someone is a 25 year tenure professor at Oxford, Chief Medical Officer at a pharmaceutical company with MDPhD who is a Nobel recipient , or CEO of financial company who makes $65m/yr.
We just proved that even a state senators are replaceable. :)

There's the door... Lots of people who want to be perfect need a job right now. I wouldn't put up with it. A shitty employee becomes a reflection of you.

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Originally Posted by KS63

There's the door... Lots of people who want to be perfect need a job right now. I wouldn't put up with it. A shitty employee becomes a reflection of you.

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Hit the nail on the head!

As our CEO is fond of saying "I'm sure that either you or your replacement will be able to rectify the situation".

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Originally Posted by sniper7

tell him it is his job to do it a certain way and that if that can't be accomplished it is time to seek different employment.

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This.
It is your business Richard and as an employee he has the OBLIGATION to perform his duties to his employers standards. As an employer you have a reasonable expectation that the employee will perform his duties as instructed.
Until he has his own business he is just an employee.

If that is too much for him..........well, as a boss of mine used to say: "you can always find an ass to fill a seat"







But yes, you are an A-hole.[LOL]

Not to bash on the boss here, but I think you meant accepting, not excepting.

For the employee situation, your 'T' I half right. There is no perfect employee. You need to decide what level of 'not perfect' you can tolerate in your office. Based on your description of this guy, he does not demonstrate a desire to improve or do the job better. That, for me, is a much bigger issue than doing the task incorrectly. Personally, I would explain that I don't expect perfection but I do expect accountability and for an employee to man up and fix their mistakes. And also set the expectation that employees should be able to learn and improve.

If the attitude and performance doesn't improve, it's time to start accepting applications for the position.