In this paper, the reader will find the analysis of Sam and Chuck as a manager and as an employee. Throughout this paper the reader will see the opinions of the author as well as incorporating the textbook readings and various researched authors. Are people like Chuck common? Seeing as how I am not in a managerial position, I cannot make an accurate assumption about how many ‘Chucks’ there are within an organization. I can only state the Chuck’s that I see. I would say that there is only one ‘Chuck’ among my group of tellers at work.
She is just the one teller that uses any opportunity possible to do one of two things. The first, advance herself, or the second, look for situations that involve other tellers and use that to get them in trouble. I can see this teller being just like Chuck in the aspect of getting a remark on a review that she did not like and trying her best for the next year to make her derogatory mark better. She would work on improving this remark then she would slip back into her old habits.
She may even continue her old habits within the year that she is trying to make her marks better, but only do the derogatory things in front of a few specific people she can “trust”. However, I have a very close friend who works with a significant amount of ‘Chucks’ and one of these ‘Chucks’ being a supervisor. He complains continually that his supervisor treats people with little respect and demeans them whenever possible. This supervisor also does not do any work and orders his workers to do the things that he, as the supervisor, should be doing.
I think that in different job settings there will be a variety of different workers and there could be different careers that would hire more “Chucks” than other places, as well. How Should Sam Ramirez deal with Chuck during the current annual review? Well, Sam’s first mistake was naming the employees that said something negative about Chuck. As a manager, the last things you want to do is betray the trust of your employees because then these employees will not come back to you with concerns and remarks.
Charlene Li (2010) states, “At the core of any successful relationship is trust” (pg. 14). Li (2010) also states that “the repeated successful interchange of people sharing their thoughts, activities, and concerns result in a relationship” (pg. 14). If Sam is telling Chuck exactly who said something about him in confidence, how is Sam going to build trust among his employees? A person like Chuck will go straight to the people who said something about him, and will more than likely bully or harass those employees.
The employees will know exactly who said something and, in turn, Sam has lost the trust of those employees. This is a communication error and more than likely a training error. However, when asked the question of how should Sam deal with Chuck? He should tell him that the feedback he has been given and the observations that he has made have been suffice evidence to give Chuck a needs development rating. Chuck should not question his superior and his superior should not be intimidated by an employee who simply states that he “vehemently disagrees” (Zaremba, 2010, pg. 3).
Sam should simply states (with accurate examples) why Chuck is receiving a Needs Development rating and Chuck will leave the office with the understanding of what he needs to do in order to improve this rating. How might Chucks communication patterns affect the current culture of this organization? Sam is already losing employees and if employees are also unhappy with the way that Chuck is communicating with them, then ultimately, Sam is going to lose more employees. Sam should seriously ask himself if one arrogant employee is worth the cost of hiring and retraining new employees.
In an article by John E. Richardson and Linnea B. McCord (2001) they state, “Some bullies are obvious – they throw things, slam doors, engage in angry tirades, and are insulting and rude. Others, however, are much more subtle. While appearing to be acting reasonably and courteously on the surface, in reality they are engaging in vicious and fabricated character assassination, petty humiliations and small interferences, any one of which might be insignificant in itself, but taken together over a period of time, poison the working environment for the targeted individuals” (pg. 1).
I would say that Chuck is not an obvious bully. I think that he does all of the right things in front of his manager, yet treats his coworkers very badly. This sort of communication patterns could start to upset dependable employees and either pave the way for inappropriate communications or make it easier for employees to quit. On another end of the spectrum, if this behavior is not taken care of, employees could get the idea that it is okay to start acting the way that Chuck acts. Sam should seriously consider the way that Chuck’s communication could be affecting the other employees.
Within an organization, most workers, will look to their superiors or other workers to see the way they can act or communicate and if Sam continues to allow Chuck to act this way, other employees will start to follow suit. How could Sam’s response affect the culture and perception of power relationships in this organization? If Sam continues to do nothing about Chuck’s communication and the way Chuck acts, other employees are going to notice. Sam needs to make an example of Chuck. Chuck has to learn that he cannot domineer the annual reviews.
Soon Sam will see unhappy employees who will no longer respect their superiors because Chuck treats them with little respect as humans and demeans them on a daily basis. Ultimately, nothing good will come of the response that Sam is giving Chuck. Sam does not seem to be a bad manager, but he is not responding to the employee that needs the most attention and correction in the right way. Will someone like Chuck be able to change communication behaviors for extended periods. The observations noted, Chuck should be on probation until he can get his character and work relations in check.
No employee should think that he is higher than what he really is and no employee should ever think that he can treat human beings the way that Chuck is treating them. As a moldable human, Chuck should be able to change his behavior simply because his boss told him to. There is little need for an employee who think that he can act however he wants because no one is doing anything about it. Chuck would get his communication and behavior in check or this man would be put on probation. This probation period could last as long as necessary and if Chuck cannot get in check the man would be fired.
There are plenty of people with degrees that would be able and willing to treat employees like human beings and help, while also listening and taking criticism where necessary. This company does not need a Chuck who cannot listen for longer than a year and rather than losing multiple employee to keep one who has been there the longest, you nip the problem where is starts and you tell Chuck that since he cannot listen and follow instruction the organization thinks it is necessary to find an employee who better fits the position.
Conclusion In conclusion, Sam and Chuck make for a very difficult working situation. Being a manger is a very hard position and many people can form differing opinions of their manager. Unfortunately, Chuck has been given to many liberties and he is treating employees very poorly. All in all, Chuck needs to be reprimanded and Chuck needs to be controlled. If he is not, sadly, I feel this business will find a grave turnover of employees.
