During a meeting on Wednesday, we were discussing issues that many HR professionals might face and I asked the question, “What about when you have two employees who hate each other?” That got a few chuckles and wisecracks from around the table, but I was serious. I’ve seen workplaces in which employees couldn’t stand each other and it got in the way of productivity.
So I went back to my office and googled it. Well, technically I searched on “employee dislike coworker.” (Hate is such a strong word.)
Obviously, I’m not the only one thinking or writing about this. My search results included page after page of links to information about employees’ dislike of their coworkers. The top result was “10 Surefire Ways to Get Your Coworkers to Hate You.”
So employees’ dislike for one another doesn’t appear to be an isolated issue. That shouldn’t be surprising. Put dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of people in the same building and not everyone is going to get along.
But I’m not just talking about an employee not caring for a coworker. I’m talking about coworkers who actively dislike each other and it’s apparent in the workplace. They treat each other rudely and are unwilling to work together productively. They might even actively work to sabotage the would-be coworker.
Hundreds of business books have been written extolling the benefits of collaboration and teamwork. We constantly hear about the importance of team chemistry in both sports and business. Here’s what Dr. Scott Williams of Wright State University said about team chemistry in his free newsletter LeaderLetter.
Team chemistry is the composition of a team and the relationships among team members. Good team chemistry helps a team achieve its goals, and it results when (a) a team has members who possess the right competencies and (b) they work effectively together to achieve synergies. We most often notice that a team has poor chemistry when the members are talented but fail to work well together to make the most of their abilities. For instance, team members failing to play roles that their teams need someone to play or engaging in unproductive conflict are examples of problems with team chemistry.
I think Dr. Williams nailed the issue I’m talking about when he wrote that “engaging in unproductive conflict” causes problems with team chemistry. And if team chemistry is what helps the team be productive and achieve its goals, then two employees who hate each other are going to affect the team’s results.
So what do you do when you have two employees — both talented contributors — who can’t stand each other but their jobs require them to work together? You can’t make them like each other, but you can demand that they find a way to work together productively. And if they either actively or passively refuse? Then either one or both need to go.
One could argue that both need to be dismissed since they’re both contributing to the problem. But if they are both talented contributors, as I said, then retaining one might be the best thing for the business. Removing one of the two eliminates the issue, while still allowing you to retain the more valuable employee.
If you haven’t faced this issue yet as a manager, I’d argue it’s only a matter of time. Ignoring it will lead to big problems as the other employees line up behind one or the other of their coworkers who are engaged in the feud. And, like the Hatfields and the McCoys, they may not be sure why the feud began, but they’ll be a part of it.
So make sure you meet this issue head on, even if it means you lose a talented employee — or two.
Employees who are seriously feuding could be a sign that you have a dysfunctional culture or an employee bully in your midst.
What if it’s not the co-worker, but the boss?
When both are good workers but can’t work together it might work to transfer one to another area of the company where their expertise would be beneficial or they could be retrained. Often you can save both workers and when the stress is gone the team can function together again. I seem to be the supervsior that gets the people that don’t seem to work well someplace else and so far I’ve been able to find the good in that person and put them in a work position that enables them to function well and get along fairly well on the team. There are some people, however, that will never fit on a team because they can’t work with anyone because they think they should be the boss no matter where they go and they have already shown that they are not “boss” material. Letting them go seems to be the only thing to do.
We had this problem last summer. I called both of them into a conference room, told them that this was NOT a conversation, then told them that their behavior was hurting the organization, and that they were acting like school children and not responsible adults. If we got one more report that they weren’t getting along at work, they would both be fired. Each was responsible for both jobs. They both started the “But it wasn’t me, it was her!” speech. I reminded them that this meeting wasn’t a conversation. I didn’t care who was at fault, who started it, or about anything else. What I demanded was that they both do their jobs to the best of their abilities and that required that they work well together. Or else they BOTH were going to be fired. The change in behavior was to happen immediately. They could both determine to both show up for work and make it work, or I wanted both resignations on my desk before they left the building that day. No replies, no conversation. I walked out of the conference room. 10 minutes later, so did they. Haven’t had a problem with them since.
KMHamm,
I’d say your method was “right on” if anyone uses that term anymore. Both have a stake and both are accountable for the other as well. And you did not let it get out of control by shutting down any input from either person. Nice job!
Les