Difficult employees are an unescapable truth for HR’s. When a company has a difficult employee, it can sap productivity and energy of the work culture, and create an unpleasant atmosphere. Uncooperative employees can wreak havoc for a business and hinder the productivity of the entire team, if not kept in check. However, a catch-22 situation occurs when a difficult employee also remains a high-performer or an invaluable asset to the team.
In such a situation, team leads are faced with two difficult choices – they can either choose to keep the employee and work around the problems, or they can let the person go, with the hope that the team, as a whole, makes up for the loss of skill. If the Manger or HR can find a way to encourage the toxic employee to work around their flaws, and to behave as expected by the team, it can assist managers in improving the overall productivity and ensure smooth functioning.
What does a difficult employee look like?
Simply stated, a difficult employee, or a problematic employee, is someone who causes issues in the workplace through wrongful behavior, hinderance in working, partial treatment of members, or other such factors. Some issues are more visible than others, such as arrogance, gossip, and theft. Similarly, it can be the one who is consistently late for meetings, intentionally ignores the task assigned, or simply fails to respond to emails in a timely manner.
Hence, here are six objectives that great managers do when confronted with a troublesome employee—things that protect them from being trapped in a never-ending cycle of ineffectiveness and frustration.
CRITIQUE BEHAVIOUR
People aren’t always conscious of the effects of their actions on the workplace and surroundings. Managers can begin by bringing it to their knowledge in a non-aggressive manner or through professional one-to-one interactions. While dealing with a difficult employee, it is vital to focus on the particular behavioral aspect, rather than personal factors.
IDENTIFY THE ROOT CAUSES
Each employee’s motives for acting in a certain way are different. This is why, before resolving the problem, it is critical to identify the root causes.
Causes can be anything related to:
- Work
- Relationship with co-workers
- Personal issues
Don’t be engrossed by their negativity. Respond to their hostile attitude with rationality.
OPEN COMMUNICATION
There might be a reason for any employee’s misconduct, and perhaps working together to address it, can prove to be effective. A two-way communication with the problematic employee can help discover and address the underlying issue. In certain cases, merely listening can be enough to save the day. Remember, it’s vital to prevent becoming too personal while asking questions. The objective is to find a path forward without escalating into a conflict.
GIVING CLEAR DIRECTION
Managers may find it difficult to provide strong criticism, but it is critical to provide clear and specific examples of the negative behavior and explain why it is unacceptable and how it must change. Using specific examples can assist reduce employee hostility thus also imparting essential knowledge can help them enhance their work performance. There are two primary goals in a conflict situation:
- Encourage your co-worker to drop their boundaries.
- Provide them with the information they need to improve their behavior.
WRITING DOWN EXPECTATIONS AND SPECIFIC OUTCOMES
Together with the co-worker, document all the changes in behavior and expectations. Create a plan that includes objectives, a timetable, and frequent progress assessments. It’s also critical to keep track of any repercussions of failing to make the essential behavioral changes.
TRACK PROGRESS
After the action plan is set, the last step is to track their progress intermittently. This will assist them in meeting the objectives within the timeframe specified. Obtaining feedback from co-workers, assessing the caliber of their work, meetings one-on-one on a regular basis are just few ways to track their progress.
A single employee’s negative attitude or emotional ups and downs might have a negative impact on the entire workplace culture. Hence, while dealing with a tough employee, the best conclusion is to team up, to develop a remedy on which all sides can agree. Saransh, as an experienced partner in 360 degree staffing solutions, can help you get all of your workers on the same page and track their behavior over time.
Know how we can benefit your organization by writing to us at info@saranshinc.com.