workplace snitches and tattle-tales...how to deal??

[VetTechJess]

weve all heard of being in the position of a co-worker to someone whose a workplace snitch/tattletale/workplace kiss-ass to the boss....

but I have another twist to it---

how does the business owner deal with an employee that is the workplace snitch/tattle-tale?

Ive tried looking it up on the internet but dont come up with any good solid answers--mainly what I come up with is how co-workers deal with workplace snitches---not business owners-----

[Akashic_Librarian]

Punch them in the face repeatedly....

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by VetTechJess

weve all heard of being in the position of a co-worker to someone whose a workplace snitch/tattletale/workplace kiss-ass to the boss....

but I have another twist to it---

how does the business owner deal with an employee that is the workplace snitch/tattle-tale?

Ive tried looking it up on the internet but dont come up with any good solid answers--mainly what I come up with is how co-workers deal with workplace snitches---not business owners-----

So, do you mean that this person is telling you what's happening in your business by "snitching" on other employees? Meaning, you're the "boss" in this situation?

[WanderingOak]

I come from a military background where team members have to trust one another, sometimes with their lives. If I were in that position, I would explain to said tattler that the office was a 'Politics-free zone' and that backbiting was not to be tolerated. I would then follow procedure to document the incident, and if the individual's behaviour continued, take appropriate action.

[VetTechJess]

Originally Posted by impaul99

So, do you mean that this person is telling you what's happening in your business by "snitching" on other employees? Meaning, you're the "boss" in this situation?

yes.

what im asking is what would you consider to be a trivial thing to snitch on (example: someone's cell phone going off when its not supposed to) versus the more serious things such as embezzlement of funds and sexual harrassment.

and how would you as the business owner handle it in those situations??

[VetTechJess]

the reason I ask is im gonna start a busines of my own where I would hafta hire employees. and theres a chance I would mistakenly hire a workplace snitch who "bitches and snitches" to upper management [which in this case would be me] (bitches at the said co-worker about said coworkers behavior then snitches to management about the said incident)

I would want to know what to say and do in situations like those, cause I too, cannot stand a workplace snitch that bitches and snitches about trivial things.

now in the case of something huge like sexual harrassment or embezzlement of funds etc, I would want to know....

any advice would be greatly appreciated...

[Angela]

If you're starting a new business, maybe it would be more valuable to focus on building a strong, talented, trust-filled team than to fret over one of a million tiny possible "what-if" scenarios that may or may not come to pass.

But since you are fretting about this one, it would probably be a good idea to resolve the trust and support issues your are harboring in your own heart before you attempt to lead a team, which will only magnify the impact of your own issues.

[impaul99]

Originally Posted by Angela

If you're starting a new business, maybe it would be more valuable to focus on building a strong, talented, trust-filled team than to fret over one of a million tiny possible "what-if" scenarios that may or may not come to pass.

But since you are fretting about this one, it would probably be a good idea to resolve the trust and support issues your are harboring in your own heart before you attempt to lead a team, which will only magnify the impact of your own issues.

Well said. It also takes 2 people to communicate. One to snitch, and one to listen.

[VetTechJess]

Originally Posted by Angela

If you're starting a new business, maybe it would be more valuable to focus on building a strong, talented, trust-filled team than to fret over one of a million tiny possible "what-if" scenarios that may or may not come to pass.

But since you are fretting about this one, it would probably be a good idea to resolve the trust and support issues your are harboring in your own heart before you attempt to lead a team, which will only magnify the impact of your own issues.

the reason I am asking this question is not because of any trust issues I may or may not have. please quit assuming that!

Why I ask the question is from my experience as an employee (for now in the future I plan to own my own business) is that the managers and business owners over me have already speant their time "building a trust filled team with strong talent" and are all the sudden blindsided by the massive amounts of workplace snitches they have accidently hired. This leads them to not know what the hell to do in that type of situation.

I will give a prime example of something that happened to me personally.


Anyways, my motto has always been "leave your attitude at the door".

I was working at the walmart bakery. There was this girl there named "Amy" (not her real name) that had a real attitude problem and had tendencies towarda bullying. She also had a flaring temper and was known to throw temper tantrums all the time. (dont assume I am making these accusations---I had other ppl in the bakery also witness her temper tantrums). management did nothing about Amy even though others in the bakery (not me) had personally went to management to complain about her. Amy had been working at walmart for 1½ years...

Anyways to make a long story short I called her on her attitude problem mid temper tantrum and she responded by forcefully physically pushing the sharp edge of a rusted stainless steel breadcart right across my shins. It hurt like a f u c k er, I wont lie. I went thru the motions filing a formal complaint--but management later on decided that I was at fault and that I was to blame for the entire incident even tho Amy was the one started throwing the temper tantrum. (i POLITELY called her on her temper tantrum telling her to leave her attitude at the dooor.)

---------------------------------

there was (and still is) a workplace snitch there at the walmart bakery that worked her way up to department manager of the bakery thru her constant snitching--again management wont do a damn thing about it.


I wanna know how I can deal with it. what to say/do about the snitch and workplace bully, to let them know I will not tolerate it whatsoever.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by VetTechJess

the reason I am asking this question is not because of any trust issues I may or may not have. please quit assuming that! ....
I wanna know how I can deal with it. what to say/do about the snitch and workplace bully, to let them know I will not tolerate it whatsoever.

So, this is not about your future possible experiences as an employer after all, but rather about your current war with a snitch and a workplace bully? But you don't have any trust issues? Don't you think it's possible that your method so far of "letting people know what you will not tolerate whatsoever" is what is actually leading people to do the things you will not tolerate (pushing a cart at you, blaming you for being a snitch, not hiring you, hiring you but then writing you up for asking too many questions & hanging out in the office all the time, suggesting you may have issues of your own to look at, etc.)

I'm guessing you will say, "No, it's all THEM! (and YOU, angela!)" You would like to know how to deal with all of these people in your life who are so wrong, wrong, wrong all the time! Your life would be so great if it wasn't for all these other people!!

And you have already answered your own question, if only you would invoke the answer:

Originally Posted by VetTechJess

Anyways, my motto has always been "leave your attitude at the door"....

[VetTechJess]

Originally Posted by Angela

So, this is not about your future possible experiences as an employer after all, but rather about your current war with a snitch and a workplace bully? But you don't have any trust issues? Don't you think it's possible that your method so far of "letting people know what you will not tolerate whatsoever" is what is actually leading people to do the things you will not tolerate (pushing a cart at you, blaming you for being a snitch, not hiring you, hiring you but then writing you up for asking too many questions & hanging out in the office all the time, suggesting you may have issues of your own to look at, etc.)

I'm guessing you will say, "No, it's all THEM! (and YOU, angela!)" You would like to know how to deal with all of these people in your life who are so wrong, wrong, wrong all the time! Your life would be so great if it wasn't for all these other people!!

And you have already answered your own question, if only you would invoke the answer:

this IS about my future as an employer. And the workplace snitch and bully were at a previous job, not my current job.

I am asking a simple question, how come everytime I ask a simple question, my question gets micro-examined and not taken for face value? I will ask the question again:

"How do Business Owners deal with workplace tattletales and workplace bullies?"

please, I need advice on the above question taken at FACE VALUE nothing more. please dont psycho-analyze my question, just please everybody answer my question at face value!! I have tried to look it up on the internet first, but I must be using the wrong keywords in my search.

I am asking advice on said above question or I wouldn't be here on the forums asking for business advice.

If I wanted advice on trust issues, I would go to the social and relationships section, not the business and financial section.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by VetTechJess

"leave your attitude at the door".

OK, then. "How do Business Owners deal with workplace tattletales and workplace bullies?"

Business owners (the good ones, anyway) look at what THEY, THEMSELVES are doing to create the work environment. They take 100% responsibility before they start judging their employees. If they find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having an employee who displays undesirable behavior, like constantly complaining about her coworkers, they encourage that worker take responsibility herself for working out the situation. If the complaint appears legitimate (harassment, stealing, creating a hostile environment, hurting someone deliberately) there are very specific steps to take with the perpetrator. You have to appoach calmly, document incidents, interview the appropriate people, and sometimes report to authorities. Failure to take the right steps can easily lead to legal recriminations that may cause you to lose your entire business. If the complaint comes from a chronic whiner/blamer (and a business owner with even a little experience finds them easy to spot) it's best to eliminate the whiner/blamer in everybody's best interest. (fire them, I mean; not kill them.)

A first-time business owner would be wise to read up on and take seminars in the subject of employee relations: hiring & keeping good people and removing problem people.

A good business owner first takes responsibility for her own issues, so that she can avoid sullying the workplace with her own sh*t.

[Angela]

Originally Posted by VetTechJess

If I wanted advice on trust issues, I would go to the social and relationships section, not the business and financial section.

P.S., seeing as how the umbrella of these forums is "Personal Development," I'm surprised you're surprised that any business advice you get comes from a personal development standpoint, which would most assuredly includes social and relationship issues.

[VetTechJess]

Originally Posted by Angela

OK, then. "How do Business Owners deal with workplace tattletales and workplace bullies?"

If the complaint comes from a chronic whiner/blamer (and a business owner with even a little experience finds them easy to spot) it's best to eliminate the whiner/blamer in everybody's best interest. (fire them, I mean; not kill them.)

no matter how much the business owner may want to....(kill the chronic whiner/blamer/complainer)

<insert devil smiley here>

[Angela]

The "Tony Soprano" approach!

[opinestle]

Seeing that I am a person who has dealt with,and moved past a soap opera fueled work enviroment,I can kind of understand where you are coming from.It's all fun and games until you are playing a leading role in the soap opera,and my guess is that you were a bystander to this ladys'"attitude"until that fateful day when your shins met her breadcart.Then you bacame involved,and enraged at the onesided world of buisness management, and the enevitable acceptance of the workplace snitch.It's sad,but true.
And I bet that you are scared that you will become a boss that reluctantly caves into the plight of said snitch.
My advice would be to:
1.When the time comes, act accordingly.
2.Keep an open mind,and listen to this employee.
3.Determine whether this employee has good intentions,or is motivated by drama.
4.Whatever you do,don't undermine your integrity by buying into the drama if that is the case.
5.Realize that to maintain a positive,hard working crew/staff,you have to also maintain a neutral standing when it comes to workplace politics;don't allow yourself to pit one employee against the other,this just adds fuel to the fire.
6.Remember YOU'RE the boss.YOU have to maintain the kind of work enviroment you want for your employees,and yourself.


I hope this helps a little,and I hope that you end up having a wonderful experience as a boss

Good Luck!!!

[Doku]

ISSUE:
To answer the question:
1) Always assume that the situation is worse than they say it is. Most people let things build before trying to do anything about it. For every complaint, there are another ten that just are not being voiced.
2) Trust but verify. Before taking action, make sure that the story you got is true.
3) If the person is a niggler and just complains about everything, replace them.
3a) Make SURE that your employment agreements are for "at will" employees.
3b) Do NOT give a reason when you let them go. If they ask, do not give a reason, just remind them that they are an at will employee.
3c) Do NOT fire them on the spot. wait two days or so.
3d) a,b,and c help you avoid a "wrongful termination" lawsuit.

PD:
Before starting a business, you should highly consider resolving the personal issues that you claim to not have. I remember your posts about workplace cliques, and co-workers finding problems with / picking on you, and now this thread... If you take the same attitude to your own company, and you have employees... your business will fail because you will not be able to keep any employees. I have found that in any given workplace disagreement/problem, it is extremely rare that ALL of the blame falls to one person, and not to both. You seem to have had more than your fair share of workplace problems, so my armchair quarterbacking from my years of experience in this tells me that the problem is likely with you, not the others.
The language filters are there for a reason. Putting spaces in the words and other things to get around the filters is another instance that shows me that the problem likely lies with you. You seem to not respect the wishes of others, and do whatever you can to get your way. That does not work in business. Another example of that within this thread is you demanding that people stop analyzing you and answer your initial question.

If you want to fail, then read this post as an yet another attack on you, and flame on, etc. If you want to succeed, then take it as sincere advice, and try to figure out WHY we are telling you these things. What are YOU doing that is causing us to respond this way, etc.

best of luck,
--Doku

[Asmoday]

Doku,

A common problem, but a simple solution exists. I disagree with every lightworker here, simply because communication will not solve the root problem, nor is it your job to help this person resolve the inner insecurities that cause this behavior.

Every time I've had an employee like this, I've slammed them with work every time they snitch. Eventually, they either make the connection and modify the behavior or quit. Either way, you keep them so busy that they can't disrupt the productivity of the team.

[VetTechJess]

Originally Posted by Asmoday

Doku,

A common problem, but a simple solution exists. I disagree with every lightworker here, simply because communication will not solve the root problem, nor is it your job to help this person resolve the inner insecurities that cause this behavior.

Every time I've had an employee like this, I've slammed them with work every time they snitch. Eventually, they either make the connection and modify the behavior or quit. Either way, you keep them so busy that they can't disrupt the productivity of the team.

any ideas come to mind on what work to slam them with?

**what I wouldnt give to make the snitch write with that special quill that engraves on your hands like the one in the harry potter movie for times like those**

[Asmoday]

Ideally, things that have tight deadlines, or require attention to detail -- thus, requiring focus.

If they repeatedly fail, you have an open and shut case for termination.

If they suceed, they're too tied down to start trouble.

[1000feet]

Angela pretty much says it all, although there's other interesting suggestions. All I can add is that when it comes to deciding if an employee is "snitching" about a real issue or something they should look past, you need to look at whether it interferes with other people's jobs or creates an uncomfortable/unpleasant work environment. If so you probably want to do something about it; if it doesn't pass that test the person may be complaining about nothing.

There can always be bigger issues though. If, say, a phone going off really is preventing a person from doing their job maybe you aren't giving them an environment where they can pay attention as much as they need to.

Ultimately this is a specific example of the general conflict resolution issue - how you react to it can encourage or discourage certain behaviour. You need to deal with it in a way that's fair to both people and doesn't aggravate the situation. If you find yourself doing it too much you might want to look at team-building, so you can direct your employees' attentions towards cooperation and the shared objective rather than fighting each other to get ahead or because they're just bored. A lot of people more qualified than me have written about these subjects.