Those who practice the Hindu religion see cows as sacred. Injuring or killing one of these religious icons can result in jail time. Citizens often feed them tasty morsels before breakfast as it is said to bring good luck. They are allowed to rest wherever they choose, snarl traffic and allowed to roam freely in the streets of India. While no one is advocating that any animal be treated poorly or deny anyone freedom of religion, it does cause one to question the practicality of seemingly outdated practices. The same is true in the wonderful world of work.
There may be systems, tasks or, negative behaviors in your organization that are not productive, yet people practice them daily. Examples include non-accountability, trying to please everyone, the fear of not speaking out about something that has group-think written all over it, getting an action approved by four people when two will do, or not getting anyone’s approval and disaster occurs Systems, practices and animals are not the only sacred cows you will find in the workplace. People often achieve this status as well.
This person might be the high achiever who is amiable one day, surly the next and outright belligerent the next. This person keeps everyone walking on eggshells. The employee rarely receives reprimand for fear of reprisal in the form of behavioral tactics. Firing this individual is inviting a lawsuit. Unfortunately, companies allow sacred cows to hold them and their organizations hostage. This is particularly true of the small business owner. The CEO or owner worries that there is no one else in the organization with the knowledge, skills, or attributes this person possesses. A recent client has such an individual on staff. The owner is hesitant to bring in a person with equal skills for fear of reprisal by this now sacred cow. Further, the owner states that this employee has “run subordinate employees off” and “knows” he/she would do the same with a peer. Here are some points to consider in such situations.
First, no one is irreplaceable. Regardless of the size of one’s ego, there are a dozen people “out there” who would love to have that job and would do it better. If such a sacred cow has knowledge or information about a job that a CEO or owner doesn’t have, shame on the CEO or owner for allowing this to occur. As far as expertise, refer to the first two sentences in this paragraph. In addition, a question I like to ask someone in such dilemmas is: “What would you do if this person unexpectedly quit, became disabled and unable to work or experienced sudden death? You would, of course push on. This world and companies alike have gone on after the loss of even great people. To be fair to the employee, ensure that he or she is not in the wrong job. If this is the case, then a lateral move might be the ticket. Sometimes, an employee can recharge and reengage through such a move. Be careful here, because if you make this a practice rather than addressing performance issues, you will have a company full of uncooperative, surely employees. If it’s a case of poor performance, this must be dealt with. Here are some ideas to consider.
Ensure that 1) you and the employee have the performance issues in writing and that the employee has been given ample time to correct these issues. 2) Follow your company’s discipline steps as stated in the employee handbook. 3) Follow-up with corrective actions, including termination. In terms of firing, there are ways for the owner to put protective actions in place. 1) The employee handbook, which the employee signed off on receiving, will help prove that the sacred cow had knowledge of the company’s policies, procedures and rules. 2) Ensure that you have conducted and documented a thorough and fair investigation of incidents.
3) Progressive discipline policies need to be in place and followed. 4) Document. Document. Document. The size of the organization does not matter; documentation is a vital tool that can save the headaches of lawsuits and EEO complaints. Be sure the trail of documentation is comprehensive and can be easily followed.
Following these steps with consistent and equal implementation will help prevent sacred cows from earning that title in the first place, stop these cows from snarling your productivity and keep you from making a trip to court.
Graphic Credit: Big Stock
