my new employee refuses to learn technology

A reader writes:

I have a new remote employee who is resistant to learning our basic technology systems: Microsoft, Sharepoint, calendars, Doodle polls, just about everything. She is familiar with Apple products but that’s not what we use (and can’t change just for her). I’m not sure whether she’s unwilling or unable to learn. Our whole team has offered training support, whether from us or from online tutorials, classes, etc., but she has largely ignored the offers. Instead, she asks someone else to do basic tasks (like scheduling meetings and filing email attachments in Sharepoint), which others can do in five minutes but shouldn’t have to — this is part of her job.

I’m at a loss for what to do next. I’ve questioned for weeks whether she can do the job at all. I have reason to believe she might badmouth the company if we were to let her go and she is very well-connected in the community we serve, but I know fear of retribution is not an excuse for keeping her.

I answer this question — and two others — over at Inc. today, where I’m revisiting letters that have been buried in the archives here from years ago (and sometimes updating/expanding my answers to them). You can read it here.

Other questions I’m answering there today include:

• Do I have to wear makeup to look professional?
• Should I let job candidates know I’m going to be leaving soon after they start?

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