Motivate 'entitled' employees via regular reviews

They’re protected by labor agreements that make terminating someone as difficult as walking on water.

They’re protected because they regularly seethe about the dire consequences of dragging you personally into court.

They’re protected because of civil service.

They’re protected because they know more than anyone else in your department about how to get the work done.

They’re protected because they regularly play golf with your boss.

They’re protected because they have proven their ability to talk their way out of any organizational corner.

What do you do? Here are five strategies for motivating the “impossible” entitled employee.

First, make an appointment with the biggest kingmaker in your organization and conduct a little come-to-divinity session.

Remind this decision-maker there are three liabilities of carrying entitled employees.

• They cost the organization money because their lack of commitment is translating into the bottom line.

• They are polluting the work environment with negativity that they believe is their manifest destiny to share with other employees.

• And, finally, entitled people are getting all the attention and time from already-stressed-out frontline managers.

If you do not have the public support from the top people in your organization for holding entitled employees responsible, you will be left holding the bureaucratic bag.

Second, review and rewrite the annual performance review so it is fair, specific and no longer annual. That’s right, dump the annual and make it every six – or even three – months.

Specifically, I am recommending that there be fewer key competencies that are measured with greater frequency. Success or failure should result in either a pat on the back or the beginning stages of a Performance Improvement Plan.

Third, insist that your entitled employee actively participate on a team. There are two reasons.

First, the entitled employee wants attention. Second, the entitled employee wants control. What better place to meet those needs than on a work team. But the really good news is, you do not have to ride herd on this employee – the members of the team will do that.

It is important that you do not rescue the team when they have to deal with the entitled employee. You will hear rumblings that this person is “uncooperative” and “manipulative.” The team has to handle that, not you. You can advise, consult and suggest – but do not fix.

In the book, “Danger In The Comfort Zone,” by Judith Bardwick, the author states, “Peers can exert the pressure of accountability at the same time they can support individuals.”

Fourth, immediately cease team and departmental financial bonuses.

If money is involved in the motivation of a group, the entitled employee can figure out how to go along for the ride.

In lieu of group financial bonuses, I strongly suggest individual cash awards. These awards should be directly tied to extraordinary efforts that can be quantified.

Finally, make your entitled employee an “expert.” That’s right, use that term.

You are saying to yourself, “Yeah, right, that is the last thing I want to do, pin an expert button on this person who is the cause of my night sweats and migraines.”

Well, let’s go back to what we know about entitled folks. They are highly dependent.

If this person can be an expert, then attention and accolades will fill up the empty space inside and he/she will start to get emotional jollies from achieving and not irritating.

Entitled employees can be impossible, but who is running this show? You do have options.

Cal LeMon of Executive Enrichment Inc. solves organizational problems with customized training and consulting.