The Smart Techie was renamed Siliconindia India Edition starting Feb 2012 to continue the nearly two decade track record of excellence of our US edition.
January - 2007 - issue > HR Talk
Screen for skills and hire for attitude
ST Team
Let's face it! Every organization has them: the bad apples that can set the rot! For them, the company is always going down the tube and its customers are worthless.
There are three courses of action you can take against such 'negative employees'. The first step would be to channel this person's disruptive energy more positively. Turning the griper into a solution provider gives this "class disrupter" an avenue to contribute in a valuable way and also plays into the person's self-esteem. For instance, at e4e the canteen committee for food improvement is constituted of the employees who complained the loudest and longest about the quality of food.
The second would be to coach/mentor the employee. The mentor should provide the employee with positive reinforcements and suggestions for improving his/her behavior.
The third option is disciplinary action. An employee who has a persistent negative attitude must be dealt with strictly; if no action is taken, it sends out signals that their behavior is acceptable.
Having said that, it is equally important to establish a sound recruitment policy, and spend adequate time and resources on the hiring process. Do everything possible not to hire a problem employee in the first place. 'Screen for skills and hire for attitude. When you start with good people, good things happen' should be the mantra.
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