Dilema: New Business Partner has good skills but poor work ethic

[juliushorn]

My partner and I took on a new, third business partner seven months ago. He brings to the table a slew of new services we now offer, and good skills in his profession. In short, his position filled a much needed slot in our company.

The dilema: it turns out that his work ethic is poor. He constantly blurs the line between business and personal life; he has poor organizational skills which negatively affects us and the other employees; he does not put in anywhere near the hours that my partner and I put in and have requested of him. (To quantify that statement, we try to average a respectable 48 hrs. per week; something we feel is manageable yet necessary for a relatively new company.) It seems to us as if he is just along for the ride.

The solution? We have had two conversations with him to date, spelling out the improvements needed, and he has agreed whole-heartedly with our concerns. At this point however, having seen little improvement, we are trying to weigh our options. I think this situation is a bit unique as we are talking about a partner here, not a regular employee. Does anyone have a suggestion to improve partner performance?

 

[Ashereng]

How is a partner different than an employee? The legal arrangement aside, they are pretty much the same.

If you have talked to the partner, and there is still no change, and you have tried as much as you are willing to, the only thing left is to "cut bait"?

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[BJC]

Does he get the job done? Is the company hurting because of the quality or quanity of his work? Not working long hours may not mean he has a poor work ethic.
Organizational skills can be leaarned.
It sounds like he's not like you or your partner so he should change his ways or go down the road. Sounds like the situation is past you learning anything from him.
Next time hire a psychologist when you hire someone to make sure you get a clone of yourselves.

 

[RossABQ]

I tend to agree with BJC; but also understand your side of it. This is called "workplace diversity". Not everyone operates the same way. As long as there are no ethical violatins, legal complications, etc., just accept he is different. It may even be worth hiring someone to shore him up if he is bringing in new business.

 

[jmw]

Not everyone is a perfect fit.
Some great achievers do not fit worth a damn.

You can try and fix the problem in the partner by teaching organisational skills and getting him to put in the hours but what you might get is just someone who puts in the hours but now doesn't deliver the results. Not because he will react badly but simply because he may actually work better his way.

Unless you can find a replacement who brings all the assets you need in the packaging you like, you may have to find a way to accommodate this partners deficiencies or roll the clock back to where you were before you hired him.


JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[MedicineEng]

As Deng Xiaoping once said: "It doesn't matter if the cat is black or white as long it catches rats"

 

[msquared48]

Mr. Xiaoping forgot a pertinent detail. You use white cats during the day, and black cats at night. That way, you get even more rats.

Point being to use the person's strengths in the best position for the problem at hand and for the company.

Mike McCann
McCann Engineering

 

[BJC]

"At night all cats are gray."
Bullwinkle Moose

 

[juliushorn]

Thank you all for your thoughts. This has served us well as a good jumping off point for discussion.

Here is what we have realized: We were trying to address one problem (poor job performance), by solving another (personal interruptions). But the fact is, eliminating personal interruptions does not automatically mean better job performance.

We are now focusing solely on the job performance shortcomings with him because, quite frankly, we do not care if he stands on his head while talking on the phone with his mother and only working 20 hours a week, if his job is getting done well!

I will keep you posted on the progress.

Thank you.