Quirky Employee Behaviors- The Chip Stacker

The 'Chip Stacker' is a very common employee type that seems to be everywhere in the workplace. These employees are highly skilled and capable of cranking out a TON of quality work, in an extremely short time frame. You can just keep piling on and the ‘chips’ of the world will continue to dazzle you with their ability to get it all done. Sounds great doesn’t it? What their unsuspecting manager doesn’t realize is that their rock star employee is collecting phantom ‘chips’ for each good deed they do. When things are going along smoothly, and the boss least expects it, the employee will arbitrarily begin cashing in their chips. They start using their sick time, leaving early, making excuses for assignments not getting done, turning in less than quality work, etc. Just when the manager starts to question what is happening with the employee things miraculously return to the superstar status quo, therefore, the manager does not feel the need to say anything to ‘Chip’. You see, these employees are experts at reading their managers and can pick up the most subtle clues that there may be trouble in paradise. Once this happens, they snap right back in to the state of exceeding the bosses expectations.

I have seen this cycle go on for years between some employees and their managers. Although you would think the manager would notice what is going on, the leader seems oblivious to this constant roller coaster. I believe the primary reason managers overlook this behavior is because they don’t like conflict. Also, they don’t want to have to address performance issues with an employee who has demonstrated the ability of producing such a high caliber of work. They seem thankful for the bursts of awesome performance and are willing to overlook the lulls. Unfortunately, this is no way to manage your employees or your business. Employees need to be able to live up to their potential in the workplace and demonstrate consistency in the work they are producing. I would take consistent execution from an average performer any day, over the roller coaster ride the ‘Chip Stacker’ wants to take you on. No leader should allow an employee to hold them hostage, and that is the game the ‘Chip’ wants to play.


SUGGESTION FOR THE LEADER
Each of your employees has a unique set of skills and talents, and your job is to know what makes each of your team members tick. In the case of the ‘Chip Stacker’, there isn’t necessarily anything specific that causes the employee to slack off. Often times, they have just learned they can get away with this roller coaster behavior, so why should they mess with a good thing?

The ‘Chips’ of the world seem to need a ton of praise and constant reinforcement. They need to feel as if the work they do matters to you and to the organization. You will need to schedule frequent meetings with ‘Chip’ to ensure you are constantly setting expectations and following up on the progress being made. These meetings are also a good time to provide positive feedback. Just remember, do not let a solid run of performance allow you to back off of your regularly scheduled meetings, because the moment you do, ‘Chip’ is sure to take advantage of it.