A team member isn't contributing. You confront them. They still don't contribute. What next?
Situations like this can be sensitive and affect the attitude and performance of a team. The interviewer wants to know how you handled such situations and your reasoning for bringing attention to them. The aim is to work in the interest of all involved parties. Mention the welfare of your coworker, the needs of the team, and your course of action. Distinguish yourself from employees whose motives for bringing a mistake to the attention of management might be self-gain (making someone look worse to make themselves look better).
"I had a co-worker who seemed to be struggling. They seemed sleep-deprived, and their attention to detail wasn't what it once was. They weren't forthcoming about what was going on when I tried to talk to them. I reviewed their work to help them out and fixed many of their mistakes. I let them know, and they didn't lash out but displayed no appreciation either. Eventually, it got so bad that I decided it was time to bring it to the attention of my supervisor. They pulled us both outside and gave me a chance to speak first. It turns out they had some pretty serious health issues. They didn't want to miss work because they needed to maintain their hours to continue getting their health benefits. That's when our supervisor told us they had a program for situations like this and that they wouldn't lose their benefits for missing work."
"One summer in college, I took a non-profit construction job helping with low-income housing. I was interested in the project management side of things. I worked with a person who wanted to learn how to refurbish old windows. The problem was that they kept breaking the glass panes. After a while, they were on a 100% shattering rate, and it was costing the project money. I suggested trading tasks with them, but they refused. They refused help and refused to take on any other task. They said they wanted to keep at it until they got it right. I decided it wasn't my choice or theirs to determine if they were the best fit for that task. I brought it to the attention of the project leader. They put that person on installing doors instead, and they did a great job. In the end, they had a more rewarding experience and took pride in their contribution, and doors are harder to break."
On their website, they post a quote from John Weinberg, a former partner of Goldman Sachs. It says, "The point of this team thing, the cooperation, teamwork, and our culture was developed not because someone was a great genius and woke up in the middle of the night when the little electric light popped. It really came from the needs of the moment. It's good, solid business. You want to have people working together to achieve an objective."
Under Goldman Sachs' Code of Conduct, as part of Goldman Sachs' Business Integrity Program, they also offer several options where "the firm provides its people with various channels through which integrity concerns can be raised without reprisal." Be sure to thoroughly read through their code of conduct and familiarize yourself with what they expect from their employees before your interview. Cover all your bases, from trying to exhibit a team mentality to protecting the company's assets.
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