Aspie manager of an Aspie employee -Dilemma

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I'm an Aspie manager and have a problem with an employee who also is an Aspie.
The fellow has worked for the company for about 14 years and became a manager after 10 of them. He screwed up really bad after 3 years of being a manager and lost his position; this is when I was hired to fill it in due to his professional incompetence.

My issue is that he has been screwing up a lot lately. He has made comments that borderline sexual harassment, he has nearly burned the establishment down, he has not been helpful with his coworkers and many other mishaps.

I have talked to him and warned him many times about my concerns, yet I have seen very little change in behaviour. He also told me recently that he doesn't have any drive in life but to make enough money to pay rent and to get the bare necessities so he may live and play videogames on his own -pretty much what he has already established for himself already. With that being said, he has made it clear that he is not willing to change his bad habits in the workplace.

I'm at the end of my rope here. I have empathy for his Aspergers, since I have it too.
But his professional attitude is very poor and I really wish he would get his act together so he puts his many skills to good use.
I really don't want to fire him as a result of him messing up and causing a significant disturbance in the workplace or company.

Any possible solutions that would increase his attitude towards work would be greatly appreciated!

Redacted

"Now that's what I call a sticky situation."

Okay, I'm going to make a speculation here, so I may be way off base, but in the slight chance that this is helpful -

You mentioned that you filled his management position after he was demoted, so he may not have the proper respect for you, or may resent you, even subconsciously.

If he has absolutely no regard for any authority and doesn't value his job at all, then the chances of saving his job are probably unlikely.

However, if he has any desire to keep his job and may be just depressed at the moment, then I would suggest seeing if there is someone at the company who might be able to help you by being a mediator in this situation.

Because you replaced him (in his management role), and he's been at the company longer than you (I assume), he might take discipline from someone else differently. I'd also suggest if possible, to let him work alone as much as possible (but you may already do this).

I would give him an ultimatum. Tell him to straighten up and fly right or he's fired. By keeping him on because you have empathy for him you are just enabling him. It's better to find out now that he needs to behave a certain way at work if he's going to keep a job, than it is to find out about it later. The older you get, the harder it is to get a new job.

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

I know this might sound paranoid, but fired employees sometimes file discrimination lawsuits. If it's possible you might have to terminate the guy, you need to start documenting the reasons asap to defend your company in case he sues. Basically, if you do fire him for unsatisfactory performance, you will want to be able to show a court that he was fired for that reason and not because of his age or medical condition.

Keep a file of examples of substandard work and the feedback you give, log communications and save emails, document in writing the content of meetings where you discussed his performance, etc. If you do give him an ultimatum, put the terms into a written memo and have him sign it to acknowledge that he had the opportunity to ask questions and understands what is expected. Follow up (and documentation) is key.

Also, be very careful about what you say to him and others. Do not mention his Aspergers EVER to anyone. Keep all communications limited to his job performance. Even the most sympathetic "I realize you have Aspergers and know how hard it is, but..." comment can and will be twisted into evidence against you.

Hopefully he'll turn it around and improve his performance, but you need to be prepared in case he doesn't.