Almost every leader or manager I’ve worked with has a story about an employee (or more than one) who is hard to work with for some reason (or reasons). These challenging people can totally drain the emotional energy of your entire workforce if you don’t address the issue.
Of course, as a manager you want to avoid hiring them in the first place, but if they’re on your team, you’re going to have to deal with the situation as best you can.
Luckily, you don’t have to be held hostage!
I’m going to tell you about two types of offenders and how to deal with difficult employees in the most effective ways.
Of course, if an employee’s behavior is illegal (bullying, sexual harassment) you need to take immediate legal steps rather than trying to tackle the problem yourself.
- Toxic people. I’m sure we’ve all dealt with a toxic person at work. From gossips and constant complainers to saboteurs who embarrass coworkers in email threads, they can be a huge distraction and detrimental to everyone’s productivity and happiness.
Studies have found that just one of these negative influencers can cause others to feel decreased job satisfaction, sleep problems and increased stress. Not to mention how annoying they can be! - CAVE people. I’m not talking about Neanderthals, although their beliefs and behaviors can be stuck in the Stone Age. CAVE stands for “Citizens Against Virtually Everything,” and was coined to describe workers who oppose any change in their routine or environment – whether it’s implementing new workplace safety measures or restructuring job duties.
Similar to a toxic person in the workplace, CAVE people will often rely on complaining and bashing others to get their point across and they specialize in resisting changes large or small in scope.
Now that we’ve identified these two types of employees, let’s look at how to best manage them. The good news is that bosses can do a lot to guide behavior and limit bad effects on others.
Try to Help them
Often, we don’t look at the root of what’s causing the behavior.
- Are they struggling with something in their personal life?
- Are they unhappy with the job?
- Is there a problem with a supervisor or co-worker that needs to be investigated?
Meet with them and ask how they’re doing, and if you can help, whether it’s offering counseling resources, being a mentor or by providing career development training.
Be Positive and Give Praise
If they’re complaining to you, rephrase their statements in a positive way: “I think the meeting was actually very informative and your help is really important” or “I believe this transition is going to be exciting for us even though there might be a few bumps in the road along the way,” for example.
By showing the person you hear them, and you care, you may cause them to turn complaining into a valuable problem resolution process.
Reward them and their coworkers when they act in a positive way. Use verbal cues such as smiling and agreeing with statements and directly praise their positivity. This promotes optimism and a team mentality.
Be Tactfully Direct
Many times, people aren’t aware that their behavior is so destructive. Be specific when you talk to them privately. Instead of saying “You’re hard to work with,” say “Your complaining/gossiping makes it challenging for everyone to focus on tasks.”
Instead of saying “You need to accept this change” explain how you’re going to work together to implement new procedures.
Tell the person what’s expected of them and how their performance isn’t meeting company standards, then help them create actionable goals to work towards and develop an improvement plan together.
Get Tough
Some people aren’t going to change. If someone isn’t responding to other methods, it’s time to explain the consequences, whether it’s taking away a bonus, putting them on probation or firing them.
If you’re realizing that firing the person may be the best option, you’ll need to document all their offenses and responses.
The more supporting material you have, the better – include evaluations, writeups, formal complaints from others and peer reviews. To protect yourself and your company, you need to ensure you’re doing everything by the book.
My HR Blueprint 3 Insider Secrets to Hire & Manage a Leading-Edge Team can help you avoid miscommunications, hire the right type of worker for the situation and fire someone legally. Get it now.
Once you recognize destructive behaviors in the workplace and take these steps, you’ll know how to deal with difficult employees in the most effective manner.
As a leader, it’s your job to give workers a chance to fix what’s wrong and to recognize when it just can’t be fixed.
You need to deal with difficult employees carefully and legally, or you could end up being sued. Don’t risk it – hire me to ensure you have the proper policies and documents in place. I offer a free consultation to get started.
Business Leadership, Business Management, Team Management