I would first identify the behavior as specifically as possible, using however many words you need. Then, I’d ask the employee why they exhibit said behavior. I, for example, have been telling management about a number of related problems with self-evident solutions for quite a while with no fixes or reasons why they can’t be fixed. If my bosses want me to stop complaining they’ll fix the damn things, or at least tell me why they can’t do it. I’m trying to maintain a positive mental attitude, I really am, but management can make it harder than it should be.
Demoralizing
Divisive
Defiant
Obstructionist
The first two would describe her effect on co-workers, but with an employee like that, you’d better be ready to document specific instances. The second two would cover questioning or complaining about rules, procedures, etc.
Of course, the general term for Eeyore-ism is “pessimistic,” but that’s weak sauce for an employee review.
Literally all those words are terrible choices on a performance review.
It’s a PERFORMANCE review, not a character review. Once you call someone “obstructionist,” you are challenging their character and completely missing the point of the exercise, which is to review performance, and either encourage good performance and/or try to diminish bad performance.
This really can’t be stressed enough; if you attack people’s personalities in a performance review it’s going to be a fiasco and you’ll wonder why it never seems to help. If an employee is late, you don’t call them lazy, you tell them they show up to work late. If they make too many mistakes, don’t call them stupid, say “you make too many mistakes.” Then you can look at ways of fixing it if that’s possible, but getting into issues of character just will not work.
Is this a trick question? You decide whether you will accept the mistreatment or you get a new job ASAP because your employer doesn’t care about you and won’t stop fucking you just because you cry. The treatment of employees is only going to degrade, and a business run that poorly can’t last anyway so I’d suggest jumping. Preferably you jump to a company that offers bonuses for employee referrals.
Last July I jumped away from my employer of 20+ years. After a few months of seeing me come home with a smile on my face my wife decided she wanted to work at the new place, too (she had been in the same business as me, different company–the whole industry is going to shit for the workers). I got about a month’s pay for the referral. She is more social and ambitious than I am and put the word out to her former coworkers. She drained what was left of an already cruelly understaffed department and brought them over to the new place. 12 of the 20 people she worked with at her previous employer are now working with us on the dark side making better money and getting far better treatment. The other 8 quit en masse last month. The fallout has been nothing short of hysterical–they done brought that shit on themselves.
You understand that this isn’t a realistic option for a lot of people?
Well I did offer as an option: You decide whether you will accept the mistreatment … And it is more realistic than a lot of people think. Motivated people can find work after they get surprise fired or laid off. Quitting a shit job is just like getting fired in that respect, except you get to inconvenience the employer, if only for a moment.
Which doesn’t sound very useful. But really, if you need the job because you’ve got no options and the boss knows it, there’s no reason for them to dial back the abusive conditions. When you die at your station they wheel you out, send your family the bill, and get another desperate butt to take your place.