Dealing with a problematic employee can be the worst, especially when they try every trick in the book to sidestep taking responsibility for their actions. For a supervisor in this position, things can get frustrating fast.

One guy had to discipline a new hire who always played the victim, even though his incompetence was clear as day. The employee somehow got HR to nix the write-up, but little did he know his manager would have the last laugh. 

More info: Reddit

Disciplining an employee can be a painful process, as this supervisor found out the hard way

Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)

When he tried to write up one of his workers for gross incompetence, the employee ran to HR and cried foul

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION / Pexels (not the actual photo)

HR threw out the write-up and told the supervisor that they would deal directly with the problematic employee in the future

Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels (not the actual photo)

The supervisor followed HR’s lead to the letter, knowing full well they would eventually grow tired of the employee’s constant excuses

Image credits: Atrocity108

HR had to deal with the employee’s issues on the daily for months, but the trash finally took itself out when he suddenly quit after yet another infringement

OP begins his post by telling the community that his story revolves around his time as a supervisor at a call center and an employee who didn’t much care for him, Jamers. He goes on to add that Jamers was a new hire and bore all the hallmarks of privilege and entitlement.

Continuing his story, OP says that he prides himself on being someone who’s fair, but that Jamers always played the victim whenever something went wrong. The issue arrived when Jamers gave a client potentially damaging info, something that qualified as an automatic write-up.

Jamers responded with his usual slew of excuses before accusing OP of being mean and refusing to sign the write-up. To make matters worse, he then stormed off to HR.

A little later, HR called OP in and asked him why he’d yelled at Jamers, a fact he immediately denied. HR then informed him that they were throwing out the write-up and would deal with Jamers directly. Effectively neutered, OP followed their instructions to the letter and pointed Jamers in their direction almost daily for a few months. 

One day HR called OP in and let him know that Jamers would need to be issued a final warning. OP reminded them that they’d asked to be put in charge of Jamers, but compromised and said they could both do it. When Jamers was called in, he said he had to go to the doctor and would provide proof the following day.

Well, the next day arrived and Jamers quit, saying things weren’t working out. OP concludes his tale by telling his readers that HR got a taste of what he’d been dealing with, and, in the end, the trash took itself out, which was sweet justice.

Image credits: Drazen Zigic / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Fortunately, OP and HR’s problem took care of itself, but how can managers deal with employees who think the rules don’t apply to them? We went looking for answers. 

In her article for Harvard Business Review, Liz Kislik writes that some of the most challenging employees to manage are people who are consistently oppositional. 

According to Kislik, these workers might actively debate or even ignore feedback, refuse to follow instructions they disagree with or create a constant stream of negative comments about new initiatives.

In his article for the Society of Human Resource Management, Paul Falcone writes that it’s important that you create a documented record of the ongoing challenges you’ve experienced—along with your go-forward expectations—so that the employee understands what the problem is, what they need to do to fix it, and what they’re expected to do in the future to meet organizational expectations. 

Falcone adds that, of course, not every employer intervention will result in performance or conduct reversal. In cases like this, escalation to progressive disciplinary measures may be needed as a next step.

OP certainly did his best to try and put Jamers on the right path, but his hands were effectively tied when HR decided to get involved, so there wasn’t much more he could do until they roped him in for the final warning.

What would you have done if you’d found yourself in OP’s shoes? Do you think his malicious compliance with HR was the best move? Let us know your opinion in the comments!

In the comments, readers agreed that most companies coddle the incompetent, while others complained that HR is the real issue 

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