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    Pushover boss refuses to fire toxic employee even as they acknowledge their failure: 'It seems like poor performance and bad behavior are actually being rewarded here'

    Part of being a boss is having difficult conversations. But some aren't always ready to. 

    Nobody wants to be the bad guy. Unless you're one of… those guys who enjoy it. Then you're a true freak, and I don't want you as my colleague. But most people generally have a distaste for causing other people suffering. They'd rather avoid it, and skate along trying to make everyone happy. But this isn't a solution either. If you're working hard on something and care about it, then you probably want to call things out when they go wrong. You're bound to have conflict, and you're definitely not going to see eye-to-eye with everyone. And you might even have to call someone out on bad behavior. If you want control, then that comes with responsibilities. 

    That's part of the job of the boss. Not only do you have to lead in the good moments, but you have to lead in the bad moments, too. And sometimes you have to let someone know that they're doing a bad job. And sometimes that means you have to let them go. There are ways to do this that will cushion the blow, but you still have to summon up the gumption to do it, and that can be unpleasant for everyone. But what's even more unpleasant is letting a bad situation fester. If you leave it alone, the problem won't go away. It will just ferment and percolate until it becomes an even worse situation. 

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    • A woman smiles at the camera holding a cup of coffee
      via Jotform

      A woman holds a company mug in her office building

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • That's what happened in this story, where a diligent employee started to notice that their coworker's bad behavior was going unpunished, even rewarded. They loved their job and wanted to thrive in it, but their coworker was starting to make that impossible. They weren't sure what to do, and figured the responsibility should fall on their shared boss. But the problem was, the boss wasn't willing or able to make the necessary changes. They were actively hindering the growth of everyone involved. Read on to see what happened here and decide what you would have done if you were in their shoes.

    • I love my job, but my boss's inability to fire a toxic employee is ruining it. Help!

      Hi everyone, I'm having a massive problem with a female colleague. She hates me, and I hate her. Actually, everyone at work hates her. She's bone-idle, sabotages other people's work, is completely uncooperative, and a total nuisance. We've already had a team-wide meeting about it. My boss is aware of the situation; she reacted after a complaint and tried to put her in her place, but only very timidly.
      via u/Party-Log-1084
    • I'll be blunt: my boss isn't a real leader. She has this weird 'savior complex' and doesn't act like a boss at all. She's very hesitant, gives no clear instructions, and sometimes it seems like she just doesn't have the balls to tell her employees how it is. I'm not saying she should be an a h le, but a boss needs to run the shop. This trait has some positives, but also a lot of negatives.
      via u/Party-Log-1084
    • Anyway, long story short: this colleague is trying to outmaneuver me and attack my position in the company, even though her own performance is abysmal. My boss says this constantly and has noticed it herself. Yet, surprisingly, she just paid for this colleague to attend a training course to 'improve,' which results in her encroaching
      via u/Party-Log-1084
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    • even more on my area of responsibility. It makes zero sense and none of the other employees understand it. I can name five acquaintances in my field right now who would take that job in a heartbeat and be significantly better. On top of that, she's now actively sucking up to another colleague-it's obvious what her goal is.
      via u/Party-Log-1084
    • How do I get rid of her? How do I make it clear to my boss that this is unacceptable? I honestly thought she would fire her on her own after everything that happened and the meetings we had. As an honest, hard-working employee, I feel completely screwed over. It seems like poor performance and bad behavior
      via u/Party-Log-1084
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    • are actually being rewarded here. Is the company just cr p? And no, she isn't the boss's daughter, friend, or relative. I actually like working there and I like my boss, but I want to sideline this colleague, get rid of her, or whatever it takes.
      via u/Party-Log-1084
    • My boyfriend already wanted to drive over there and settle things 'non-verbally,' but that would be incredibly stupid since it would obviously blow back on me immediately. What are my LEGAL options?
      via u/Party-Log-1084
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    • A woman holds papers and sits in a chair gathering herself
      via Zulfugar Karimov

      A boss holds papers and gathers herself before a difficult conversation.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • Commenters gave their advice on this situation.

      T-Wrox 2h ago . The basic problem here isn't the toxic employee, it's the boss that isn't doing her job and being a proper boss. That's a tough one for an employee to solve. If you have an HR
      via u/T-Wrox
    • department, bring the problem to them in terms of how it is negatively affecting the company (both the toxic employee and the incompetent boss) and see if they will do anything about it. I'd be polishing up my résumé, though.
      via u/T-Wrox
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    • succubusbabes The fact that your boss paid for her training while acknowledging her poir performance is mind- boggling. That's not a savior complex, that's actively rewarding failure at your expense
      via u/succubusbabes
    • StolenWishes The only thing that might work (and even this is far from guaranteed): line up a new job, get an offer letter, then either accept the offer if it's better or go to your boss and say "I have an offer either she goes or I do." -
      via u/StolenWishes
    • chumpandchive why is it intolerable to work with unlikable-seeming people? there are 3 sides to every story. maybe the other worker does what boss needs done. maybe the other employee doesnt do office drama, and it sounds
      via u/chumpandchive
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    • like maybe there is definitely some of that, having whole meetings about an employee. this length of post, idk if i want to work with you. too much unecessary energy expended on trying to do an office coup. collect the check and go home. leave
      via u/chumpandchive
    • that sh at the office, the same way you dont bring your home life into the office. what would you do if they fire her and hire someone you dislike even more? do you pull this same bit?
      via u/chumpandchive
    • JophieBo I have the same problem and I am very close to deciding to leave for a better place, If a boss tolerates such behavior, its not someone I want to work for or trust.
      via u/JophieBo
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    • n3mOsum Then OP would have to go. It sounds like this manager is conflict avoidant. They either have to let OP go quietly, as OP has a job lined up, they don't even have to feel too bad about it.
      via u/n3mOsum
    • Or they have to speed run the disciplinary process to get rid of the other employee. Who is liable to kick, scream and throw sh the entire time. What would a conflict avoidant manager do? Depending on the background, evidence, and what the manager has let slide, they may not even be able to dismiss the other employee.
      via u/n3mOsum

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