[paulcole]

Of course they should be fired if it’s been made clear that behavior is unacceptable (which it should be). Culture is what you let people get away with.

But seems like the company (and you) thought that was acceptable so who knows.

[7402]

You play the hand you're dealt, or you get out of the game. Getting out of the game is always an option, of course. But you don't always have the ability to choose or change your cards.

[paulcole]

You’re the one who dealt the cards! You’re the alleged (self-described) manager here. No wonder you got pushed around by somebody who was able to do their work. You seem to see yourself as the victim of circumstance rather than in control of anything.

[7402]

Why the hostility? I didn't hire them. I didn't have the authority to fire them.

[paulcole]

Hostility? What did I say that wasn't true?

They should probably have promoted the guy who was reading the book. 0% chance he'd let one of his reports make him do work that the report should've been doing themselves.

[stronglikedan]

Of course you can't know that without knowing how valuable the employee's contributions are. If they're good, a good manager will walk by their cubicle a few times a day instead of firing them.

[paulcole]

The kind of person who gets pushed around by their reports like this will end up walking by everyone’s cubicle a few times a day because they’re afraid to tell the bad employees why the good employee gets special treatment.

Read the guys story again. He wasn’t a manager. He was at best a babysitter.

If the guy reading novels is that valuable, fire the pushover manager and pay somebody $10/hr to walk by his cubicle.