how to deal with a employee who bashes boss and business

I need help I have an employee that is very hard to deal with. anytime I try to let them know that they are doing something that is not right the person gets and attitude or crys and just plain flies off the handle..
Now heres my most recent problem with this person. I have had 4 complaints since december 2007 about this person complaining to my customers on how bad it is to work here, my boss is always whining about something, and just generally in bad mode when this person comes in to work.
Does anyone know how I should handle the situation. I dont think i can just fire this person for that but I know it has to stop NOW ! before it damages my reputation and the business

POST A COMMENTSouthernProgrammer(01/15/2008)
Why are YOU dealing with it? Are you in HR? You should be able to report to HR that this person is causing a moral problem which would get HR involved in coming up with a plan that the employee needs to correct his/her attitude within X amount of time or get out....

DoIKnowYou(01/15/2008)
If the customers are complaining and they are damaging the company's reputation those are completely legitimate reasons to fire someone. Don't be afraid to fire someone because they will have a bad attitude, cry, or anything else. If you are the boss, you have to make these decisions and it is part of your job. Your employees expect you to be able to do this when there is a bad employee in their midst. Chances are they all know this employee is a problem and they are waiting for you to do something about it. Whatever you do, keep it professional and don't ask your subordinates whether they think you should fire them. If you need to consult someone in the office on whether to fire them, consult your boss. Firing is not a team effort. No one wants to hear they are going to be fired from a coworker. Besides, once you fire them it will be like tearing off a band-aid. It hurts, but then it is over and you can move on without this person in your office.
Unless this person has blackmail info on you or they are related to the owner in some way, I cannot image why you would be unable to fire this person.
No offense, but you sound like one of the bosses I have complained about on this forum. Who knows, maybe I do work for you. Most of this post is what I think my boss should be reading, so it may not be relevant to your particular office situation. If it is relevant, trust me, the only thing more damaging to office morale than a disruptive worker, is a boss that prolongs the employment of this employee because they don’t want to deal with reprimanding or firing them.

CK(01/15/2008)
If you work in a "right to work" state then you can fire them. But just to cover your assets you may want to have a 'closed door' session with a verbal warning. The next time this occurs would require a written warning - next is firing.

Brad(01/15/2008)
I am the boss. I am HR. I am the one they report to. I just want to know the legalities that are involved with firing this person, ie unemployment ect. pros vs cons any input ?

CK(01/15/2008)
If you are HR then you should be the one who knows the employment laws in your state. The laws vary from state to state. For one when you talk to this person always have someone else in the room as witness. This gives you some legal leverage.

In the first meeting explain that you are giving this person a verbal warning. You need to start with with what is called a 'sandwitch' - explain what they have done that is good, then explain what they are going wrong, how they can improve along with milestones to correct the issues along with follow-ups. Then close with something good like "I know that you work hard and yada, yada, yada."

It is also VERY important to pick one thing that he has to correct. Do NOT unload on him - it isn't fair to him nor will it workout towards the good for you. Pick one thing and formulate a plan.

There is one thing that you could do is to explain what the issue is and if he was in YOUR shoes what he would think the consequence should be. Chances are he would give himself a much harsher punishment. If you give a lesser punishment (always have something in mind before ahnd) then you would look like a saviour in his eyes. Then stick to your guns!

I don't know if you can do this but isn't there some higher authority (CEO, the board, major customer, etc., fictional upper authority) that you can pass this off to? "Gee, I really hate to go over this but, see, the owner, CEO, would really like to end this. But I really placed it on the line and stood up for you and explained that we (you and him) can turn this thing around. What do you say, can we? How can we work this out?"

The let him talk - He may come up with some suggestions that may help. It also shows that you care about him. Again, stick to your guns and give feedback!

If he doesn't pull though then have a written reprimand ready (gain with a witness present).

dontask 0(01/15/2008)
There must be a reason for the person to act this way in the first place. This resentment must have a history. I am not sure I would take a customer's word for this. Seems the employee is already looking for a new job and asked the customers. As it turns out a mistake.
Another possibility is underhanded bullying going on, or feeling cheated, hours pay promotion praise attention treatment etc.

CK(01/16/2008)
It could also very well be his personality.

dontask 0(01/16/2008)
Whose?

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JobSchmobber Community Comments
thelma (01/15/2008) Why can't you fire this person?