Problem
ALL Imagine yourself in the position of manager of building services at Community Hospital. One of the people reporting to you is Bill Douglas, supervisor of the maintenance crew. Douglas has come to you with a complaint about Ed Wayne, one of his half-dozen employees. Says Douglas: "I need some help in figuring how to handle Ed Wayne. I guess his work is okay-he's not the best producer, but he certainly isn't the worst-but he's got such a know-it-all attitude that he drives the rest of the crew crazy. "Ed's assigned to general maintenance, but he's always trying to bust out of this and do all sorts of other things. There hasn't been a job come up in months that Ed hasn't claimed to know how to do, and he's always trying to get his hands on everything new and different that comes along. The others feel that Ed is always trying to crowd in on their territory, and to make matters worse he's constantly criticizing the others and finding fault with what they do. And he's always quick with an 'I-told-you-so' when someone else does something that goes wrong. "The others in the crew have been referring to Ed as 'the expert,' but they no longer say it kiddingly. One of the others has even asked me to count him out when it comes to teaming him up with Wayne on jobs that take two people. I tell you, I've got to do something about this guy before his behavior destroys the whole crew's morale."
Task
A. Do you see any specific grounds for disciplinary action in the behavior of employee Ed Wayne? If so, what are these grounds?
B. Douglas's opening description of the problem refers to Wayne's "know-it-all attitude." Can you advise Douglas to lean on Wayne concerning attitude? Why, or why not?
C. In as many briefly stated steps as necessary, outline the advice you will give Bill Douglas for addressing the problem of Ed Wayne.