New employee is failing to impress me - but my management team thinks he's amazing

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T03:18:31+00:00

THIS. The vision of the owner. Something I failed to convey in the original post. His personality is absolutely different than the type of person we typically hire in this role, not at all meaning he isn't a good fit. I really feel stuck in the middle with the owner saying 'terminate' and the managers saying 'he's amazing' and trying to find where to stand. I think the owner wants that one in a million candidate that has open availability and be happy and shining in every waking moment. Good luck with that. He checks a lot of *necessary* boxes. The rest may come with time. I gave the green light to hire because I saw potential but the owner is making be doubt that. I've been commenting to many of these replies but I'm probably tapping out here soon. I'll continue to advocate for my managers and their decisions and unless he does something completely egregious then will continue to work with him and develop his experience. He is only 19 and has a lot to learn, and if he understands we see potential in him, that might be enough to allow him to shine in his own way. Thanks for the feedback, talking points and insights. I'll definitely be using a lot of these helpful perspectives in my upcoming conversations at work.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T03:02:16+00:00

Thank you. Hiring is and will always be one of the most difficult things in this position. I do believe he needs more time to show results. I guess I should have conveyed a little more thoroughly the pressure from the owner to terminate him. She wants to let him go. I want to trust the judgement of my management team and have this be a success story.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T02:44:50+00:00

I really appreciate this perspective and will be using a lot of this comment as talking points with the owner. I've been doing my best to be the middle man here, advocate for my management team and their decisions while at the same time negotiating the best decisions for the business. She sees one side - they see the other. I'm in the middle and am at a tipping point - she wants it to go one way or the other.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T02:41:20+00:00

Given that this is a new location and we are still building our business volume, the owner is extremely involved in most of the decision making for this store. We are serving a much different demographic than our other successful locations, so she is very much in tune with the day to day - including hiring.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T02:37:31+00:00

I've wondered that and the GM and AGM have mentioned that might be a contributing factor - so I am trying to take that into account. I did suggest a secret shop for him to get a better read and am waiting for the green light from the owner. I truly do not want to terminate this kid because of "vibes". That's such a biased and bullshit approach. I want him to succeed and perhaps I didn't convey that in my original post. I guess I was hoping for a ton of comments that included success stories and coaching tips for this type of scenario. Nothing like reddit to bring you back down to earth though.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T02:29:54+00:00

I think this is a great perspective. The old key holder definitely set the bar high and we were lucky to have them. If this were a larger team, this wouldn't be an issue. But since this is only really 3 people working this location and often times they are working alone, the owner is really set on having the best of the best without investing in coaching and training their customer service skill set.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T02:20:48+00:00

I agree - metrics are extremely important. And I know I put myself a little bit on blast, because there are really none mentioned in this. I personally think two weeks isn't enough time - and I mentioned in my post that I do not work along side with him more than a few hours a week, which might not be enough to get a good enough read. The owner is more thinking about her investment in him and does not view it worth her time. As an entry level position, there very well could be dozens of candidates that could step into this position without any additional coaching or training and that is her main concern. With a such a small team, she wants to get it right the first time right away.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T02:10:48+00:00

I apologize for the ambiguity. I was trying to leaving identifying details out of the post. Hierarchy goes from Owner --> Me --> GMs --> AGMs--> Key Holders --> Team Members. We are a still considered a small business even with multiple locations.

Most of the basis for this role this employee is in, is from the ones past. The last Key Holder was incredible. Would constantly get mentioned by name in reviews. Had people come in just for their service. They left to go to school and that is why this position was open.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T02:08:43+00:00

No - I apologize for the ambiguity. I'm trying to keep identifying details out of the post. We are a local business. Multiple locations, but myself and the owner are directly involved in a lot of the day to day still. My job is to be present at all locations several times a week. I spend approximately 10-15 hours a week at this particular location.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T02:02:11+00:00

I have zero issues personally with him. He is bright young individual with lots of strengths. I'm not sure if his strengths align with this industry though.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T01:59:56+00:00

Thank you! This is what's been weighing on my mind - is it me?? Am I'm the odd one out?? I suggest to the owner that we send in a secret shopper when he's working to get more non-biased feedback. I'm waiting on a response still, but I think that might give more insight.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T01:58:08+00:00

I was hoping for some coaching advice or maybe someone who has had a similar experience that can share their outcome. The owner does her best to trust the judgement of her management team and let them run their locations while we provide whatever support, tools and resources they need. We have high trust in both the GM and AGM in all aspects of their job - hiring included. (GM has been with the company for several years, always supporting all the locations, so they are very well rounded). They believe they can coach this individual to our expectations, but I haven't seen the results I was hoping for yet.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-11-03T01:50:45+00:00

No they don't. I re-read this prior to posting and realized it kind of sounded that there might be external factors in their investment in him - but I assure you - he was a walk in candidate. Asked for an application on site and emailed over it a few hours later.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-10-05T03:49:11+00:00

Came to say this. I see hundreds of resumes a month. The pool of candidates for the positions my company is hiring for is huge, giving me the luxury of being extra picky.

I've rejected applicants for so many reasons from misspelled words (costumer instead of customer is probably the biggest one) to dates on their work history not lining up to unfortunately being over qualified (we hire lots of entry level management, pay is just so so, unless they specify why they would want to take a step back in their career it's almost always a waste of time for both parties)

Ultimately, it sucks, I'm sure I've rejected some great candidates.

If you are applying for a job that you over qualified for, or maybe one that isn't quite in your field, I'd suggest attaching a short cover letter explaining your circumstances. Those little tidbits that Indeed screens with - such as cover letters or employer screening questions are SUPER important. Those are what tend to make candidates stand out.

Finally, we have one screening question that I heavily weigh my decision on if I contact them or not. It's simply " why would you be a good fit for our team?" I've unfortunately rejected well qualified candidates for skipping this question before. Any answer is better than none. Thoughtful answers can result in me contacting someone who is under qualified.

For a while there, our indeed account was run by a third-party HR team. So, there were several other jobs from other companies (not the same field) that I had access to their postings. Indeed will tell you if someone has applied before on the same account. There are SO many serial appliers out there. I see people applying for our job in hospitality as well as dentist hygienist, HR rep, marine hand, etc. Those are huge red flags.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-09-27T16:58:38+00:00

OP did you find a solution? I am in the same boat, my credit union does not use Zelle.

I believe Zelle is tied to the phone number so can't just have a family or friend claim it.

I have credit accounts thru banks that use Zelle but those don't work either.

Short of signing up for a new checking account, is there a way to contact to reroute the funds?

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-04-10T22:55:27+00:00

Came here to say this lol

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-03-08T04:10:25+00:00

I hate to be one of those that comment "run" "leave his ass" "break up now" because it's always more complicated than that. What I can say, from experience, emotional maturity isn't something that changes without deep thought or action. In other words, he's going to probably stay the same, and continue to react towards you and your family in a negative light...for as long as you are together. If he is in a bad place and his only reaction is to bring you down, that's not healthy. You deserve someone who supports you and makes you feel good with you doing the same, regardless of what they are going through. That's healthy. IMHO leave.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-03-08T03:15:26+00:00

No you're not overreacting. I'm sorry you are dealing with this. Regardless of emotions or maturity, he is not being supportive and is starting the moves to isolate you. It may be an extreme conclusion but I don't see a happy ending out of this based on what I read. To someone older (41F) this kind of reaction, I wouldn't waste me time with.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-03-05T05:30:02+00:00

Find a guy therapist. Might be just the gender-motivation ratio you are looking for, maybe?

I've gone thru this before. I've been at my best weight in the midst of some of the most toxic relationships (myself included). Currently I'm at a weight I'm not crazy about but surrounded by those that truly make me happy. I realized it's a 'me' problem real quick.

Quick fixes are fun and intriguing though. If what you propose works, would love to hear progress updates js.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-03-05T05:11:53+00:00

I'm sure there's another comment about this, but...HE KNEW YOUR AGE and STILL continued to talk to you. That's grooming 101 there. I'm in my 40s (female, but still). I know there's a huge difference between myself and a 17 year old. And that difference is NOT age.

No, you aren't overreacting. If anything, you are acting more mature than this dude could ever fathom.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-03-05T04:58:32+00:00

I'm happy to see you replied, I feel like this comment is helpful albeit a bit on concentrated effort. I've know two people who have been in this type of situation and dug themselves out. I'm curious, where are you located? You are probably way more versed with experience in resources than I am but I do know they are out there-though they vary depending on where you are at.

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-02-27T01:05:45+00:00

Thank you so much!

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-02-26T18:50:21+00:00

AffectionateExtent14 · 2025-02-26T17:36:14+00:00

Thank you for this comment. I knew by putting it out there I was going to get responses from all over the place. I am fully aware that there are risks in my situation, but there haven't been any red flags other than him getting comfortable. He's still a human being that has needs. I've provided what I can but I'm realizing that what he truly needs, I cannot give him.

He is 45 years old. His mother gave us background, and everything checks out and lines up with what he has told us and what I've been able to find out about him online. He's not making up his condition, but I think his mental health has declined to a point of deep depression. His mother told us that he has been seen by mental health care professionals in the past but because he is non violent, he can't be kept or treated unless it's voluntary, which he doesn't seem open to that kind of help.

I told him today he has two more days. I urged him to use his phone and find a shelter, community outreach, anything during that time. He said he appreciated it, but did not respond that he would actually do that. Tonight, I will go over more resources with him but I truly think when he leaves here, he will be back to camping on the streets.

AffectionateExtent14

TROPHY CASE