Handing Employee Attitude at Workplace (Case study)

It’s just not fair

JoAnne Martin is a manager in the environmental services department at Lake Simon Healthcare System in one of the states along the Great Lakes. Lake Simon Healthcare is a large healthcare system with small inpatient and outpatient facilities in several counties in the state. She has been with the health system for 25 years, starting as a casual call housekeeper (working p.r.n. whenever they needed her) and worked her way into the manager role. She is a “hands on” manager and works as hard as or harder than her staff. Her staff adores her because she “gets her hands dirty” and is compassionate to their work and family needs.

Martha and Lydia are employees in the department of Lake Simon Healthcare at the Central Rock location in a mid size community in the region. They both have a serious health diagnosis (well, this should be confidential, but things get around) and have filed FMLA paperwork with the need for occasional work restrictions due to the health issues.

Martha has been with the health system for 30 years – since it was a small community hospital – and is viewed as a dedicated and knowledgeable employee. New employees gravitate to Martha because she will help anyone learn the intricacies of the job duties; in fact she is known as “mom” in the department. Martha has a serious disease that may require an eventual liver transplant.

Lydia has worked at the health system for 8 years has been battling breast cancer for the last 3 years. Lydia is fun loving and a jokester. She is the social planner in the department, rallying the employees for retirement parties, baby showers, 60^th birthdays, etc. Although ill for a couple of years, she is positive, encouraging and supportive of others.  Other employees seek out Lydia when they need a hug or some encouraging words and she is the first person to volunteer to help out by covering another employee’s shift if she is able to do so.

Both of these ladies rarely miss work and do as much as they can within the restrictions they have; in fact both of them usually step over the line on occasion working beyond their restrictions to help out when the staffing is short or the patient census is high and beds need to be turned over quickly.  When they need time off for surgery or other medical treatments for their illnesses, there’s no shortage of people who are willing to cover for them or donate vacation time to help them through their leave.

Betty is also an employee in the environmental services department at Central Rock and occasional relief supervisor. Betty has had a variety of treatments over the 10 years she has worked for the system, most often for her fibromyalgia and blood clotting disorders and is routinely on intermittent FMLA leave. She also has many work restrictions and cannot stand, walk, etc. without some element of pain. Although Betty is a good worker, she is not one that is sought out as frequently as Martha and Lydia. Betty has a tendency to move slowly, complain a bit about her health and family issues, and not go above and beyond in her job duties.  Last year when preparing for a re-licensing visit from the state Department of Health, JoAnne spoke at a staff meeting and reminded the staff of the upcoming visit.

JoAnne: “The Department of Health will be arriving on Monday and we need to make sure all of the hallways and stairways are clean, especially the baseboards and in the corners.”

Martha: “I am working the weekend and will make sure that the hallways and stairways in the north wings are all up to snuff. Sally and Joe are here too; they’ll help.”

JoAnne: “Great.”

Betty: “I can’t do more than I already do. It’s all I can do to get my own work done by the end of the shift and my doctor won’t let me do too much.”

At this, some of the other employees rolled their eyes and started snickering.

Lydia: “We can do this folks. We’ve done this before. Remember last time they were here, they gave us a good recommendation because they said the place was really clean.”

JoAnne: “That’s right. Let’s all pull together and make this place sparkle!”

Lydia: “And then we’ll have a party.”

Wanda is also an employee at the same location. Wanda is negative and complains a great deal about the administration, the work load and other people not pulling their share of the work. She has a lot of family issues and other employees have come to JoAnne to say that Wanda needs to spend more time working and less time “sharing”. Wanda is a member of Betty’s church and says that she “always” sees Betty helping out at the monthly church supper. Wanda never fails to mention this fact at the break table and the “department at Central Rock is always in an uproar” when Betty works the church supper or takes FMLA time off. Besides, according to Wanda, Martha and Lydia “are the ones who are really sick.” Wanda doesn’t think that Betty working the church supper while she is using FMLA time is “fair”. Wanda has been counseled in the past about her negative attitude and not completing her work in a timely manner.  Just last month, JoAnne spoke to Wanda about this.

JoAnne: “Yesterday, you were seen in the break room well past your 30 minute lunch. I was told that you were complaining about administration. I’ve told you that we are all on the same team here and that you need to have a more positive attitude.”

Wanda: “Why do you care what I say…? It’s a free country. I can say what I want as long as I do my work.”

JoAnne: “Well, that’s part of the problem. You are not getting your work done by the end of your shift and the next shift has to pick up and finish your work, or I have to do it before I leave for the day.”

Wanda: “That’s not fair. What about the others in the department who call off when they’re not really sick and we have to cover for them!”

JoAnne: “Wanda, I am not going to discuss other employees. You need to complete your own job duties by the end of the shift and I don’t want to hear any more issues about your negativity.”

Betty called in sick today asking to use FMLA time; according to the rumor mill, she worked the church supper last night. Wanda has been counseled in the past about her negative attitude, again today the other employees in the department are tense and gossiping (JoAnne can hear them whispering) because of Wanda’s comments to them. JoAnne knows that Wanda will be coming to her sometime during the shift to complain once again, that this situation with Betty is not fair…. She mumbles to herself, “What am I going to say to her this time? I just want this nonsense to stop.”

1. How should JoAnne handle Wanda? Betty?
2. What can she do under the FMLA? Is Betty violating the FMLA? HINT you may need to do some additional research on the Department of Labor website (dol.gov)

to justify your answers.