Although self-employed for many years, I have been a regular
visitor to workplaces small and large as a Business Consultant,
Staff Trainer or Special Event Speaker. When the purpose for my
visit has to do with business consultation, it doesn't take long
for me to locate the biggest potential problem in any office.
It's WorkZilla!
WorkZilla is a nightmare employee who instills a quiet fear in
the workplace that causes productive employees to quit, stay
home or just give up when it comes to deadlines or productivity.
This monster is smart and knows how to exploit the system. Even
if supervisors know about the problem, they are unlikely to
report WorkZilla for fear of retribution. By the time upper
management becomes aware of a WorkZilla in their midst, most of
the damage is already done. This creature knows how to
consolidate its power and create carefully planned barriers to
prevent its dismissal.
WorkZilla isn't just smart; it's charming and often has many
allies. Carefully winding its tentacles around the most
emotionally or professionally vulnerable people within its
sphere of influence, WorkZilla carefully builds a small group of
dedicated supporters. This group is always ready, willing and
able to counter any negative comments or complaints that might
reach the ears of upper management. They become its first line
of defense against administrative action.
Supervisors often find themselves between a rock and a hard
place when it comes to WorkZilla. This nightmare employee
creates a personality cult of peer support and hides behind any
essential technical or other essential skills they may possess.
Most nightmare employees manage to blackmail their supervisors
by constantly reminding them how essential they are to any
project. It's not unusual for WorkZilla to have more power and
influence in the workplace then their immediate Supervisors.
Despite any technical or other indispensable skills a WorkZilla
may possess, no workplace can function smoothly with one in
their midst. There is always an ultimate price to be paid for
allowing this creature to inhabit and flourish in any place of
business. Besides creating an unpleasant and outright combative
atmosphere, WorkZilla tends to reproduce. Once other employees
see how this creature gets over on management, they learn by
example and become workplace monsters in their own right.
WorkZilla is not the kind of creature that will respond to
subtle hints. Trying to control it by sending employee behavior
expectation and productivity memos to the entire office will
meet with immediate failure. Such an action would merely create
another tool that WorkZilla can use to consolidate its power and
lower workplace morale. Any nightmare employee has to be
directly confronted. Because WorkZilla has nothing but contempt
for management, this confrontation has to be carefully planned
and flawlessly executed.
Any confrontation must be based on facts, not here say. Simply
rattling off a number of complaints from its peers will not be
sufficient to take down WorkZilla. It would simply enlist an
equal number of followers to discredit the whistle blowers.
Complaints must be based on inappropriate behavior or actions
that have been documented by upper management as they occur.
This means that a period of observation and work evaluation will
be needed before any confrontation is scheduled.
Immediate supervisors and upper management should conduct the
confrontation and WorkZilla should be notified well in advance.
Notification must be in writing and include a receipt signed by
the nightmare employee and witnessed by at least one supervisor
and a member of upper management. The purpose of the sit down
must be clearly spelled out. That purpose is be to present
specific allegations of violations of company rules, policies or
workplace etiquette. WorkZilla should be given the opportunity
to chose an alternative meeting date or time within reason. The
nightmare employee must be given an opportunity to respond to
the allegations verbally or in writing shortly after the actual
confrontation.
Once the confrontation is planned and WorkZilla is notified, the
entire matter should be kept strictly confidential. WorkZilla
should be informed that he or she is not to discuss the meeting
or purpose of the meeting before or afterward with other
employees. The only contact regarding the matter available to it
should be a member of upper management. There must be a clear
and immediate sanction available if WorkZilla discusses the
matter with others in the workplace or refuses to attend the
meeting.
The idea is to begin to socially isolate WorkZilla from other
employees and make him or her aware that their reign of terror
is coming to an end. Because most of these creatures have egos
bigger then their ability to control a workplace, the average
WorkZilla will probably throw in the towel and resign. However,
you must remember that WorkZilla is also a kind of jailhouse
lawyer that loves to exploit the system. You must be prepared to
follow through with the meeting in case he or she doesn't leave.
Before you hold court against WorkZilla, make sure that everyone
on your side of the table is on board with the agenda. That
agenda isn't to create a lynch mob designed to take down
WorkZilla. It's an organized effect on the part of management to
restore order and increase productivity within the workplace
environment that had been disrupted by an employee's
inappropriate actions. The idea is to bring WorkZilla into the
mainstream of accepted employee behavior. While it's doubtful
that will happen, the last thing you need is for WorkZilla to
perceive the meeting as a corporate witch hunt with him or her
caught holding the broomstick.
Once WorkZilla is isolated from his or her support system of
dedicated followers, the idea is to give this creature enough
rope to hang itself. Removing its ability to manipulate the
workplace and those in it is like taking drugs away from a drug
addict. It's unlikely that WorkZilla will be able to cope with
losing the power he or she has worked so hard to consolidate.
Instead, they'll probably try and negotiate one final victory in
the form of a lump sum payment designed to bribe them to resign.
Paying WorkZilla to leave would be a mistake and send the wrong
message to other potential workplace monsters waiting in the
wings. It would be better to hold its feet to the corporate
rulebook fire.
WorkZilla is not a problem exclusive to workplace management. It
will attack other employees for any reason or none at all. If
you find yourself facing WorkZilla on a daily basis, it's
important to keep a logbook. You should carefully document any
unnecessary sarcasm, insults or outright slander directed toward
you (not others). Incidents of project sabotage or purposeful
work disruption are likely to be of particular interest to upper
management.
If you do decide to blow the whistle, be discreet. While it may
seem wise to engage other employees in a discussion of WorkZilla
and even ask them to join you when reporting this creature,
that's exactly what you should not do. WorkZilla exists because
it understands the system better then you do. Enlisting the help
of other employees will merely cause it to bring on those who
are part of its personality cult. In the end, you'll look like
the villain instead of the victim.
WorkZilla's worst enemy is upper management. They are unlikely
to be as intimidated as immediate supervisors. For them, it's
all about productivity. If you can prove that good people are
leaving, missing work or slowing down because of WorkZilla, its
days will be numbered. When reporting incidents, carefully
follow company rules and do not expect an immediate response. If
you have been the victim of any sort of direct harassment or
threat of physical violence by WorkZilla, report the matter to
your company security office. If you honestly feel that you're
in immediate physical danger because of a verbal or written
threat, contact your immediate supervisor and ask them to notify
the Police. The key is to work within the system as an ally, not
an annoyance.
While it may seem that I have been unduly crass when it comes to
describing this kind of nightmare employee, everyone who has
ever worked for any amount of time has probably met or even been
the victim of a WorkZilla. That's because this creature is a
control freak who randomly attacks its fellow workers as handily
as it goes after management. I cannot tell you how many emails I
have received over the years from people who lived in outright
fear of going to work because of some horrible dark cloud
personality who ruled the roost and took on all comers.
WorkZilla is a non-discriminatory monster bent on making the
lives of others as miserable as its own.
About the author:
Author: Bill Knell Author's Email: billknell@cox.net Author's
Website:
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