Managers have commonly had experience with difficult employees. Bad employees can cause major headaches for their bosses, especially if they are not dealt with quickly and decisively. They can also negatively affect the entire workplace, contributing to lowered morale, reduced productivity, and higher turnover.
employees have commonly had an experience with a difficult employee. Bad employees can cause major headaches for their bosses, especially if they are not dealt with quickly and decisively. They can also negatively affect the entire workplace, contributing to lowered morale, reduced productivity, and higher turnover.
How can you deal with a difficult employee in such an atmosphere? Are you able to fire that employee if other measures to correct the problem don’t succeed? Whatever the problem, there are many things you can do to maintain control—from carefully interviewing and checking out the employee before you hire, to meeting with the employee at the first sign of trouble, to keeping a detailed paper trail when an employee looks like trouble. What makes a difficult employee? They come in all varieties and combinations.
That means you need to figure out what is causing an employee to be difficult and what actions are most likely to lead to improvements if possible while keeping in mind that not every difficult employee will respond to even the best of strategies. In those cases, the optimum solution is to diplomatically let the employee go. You will help the employee save face and reduce the potential for workplace disruptions.
Whatever the situation, it’s important to recognize that no one approach or solution fits all, just as in dealing with any type of workplace problem. You have to adapt your options not only to the situation but to your style and personality, as well as that of the employee. You also have to consider if this is an isolated case of one difficult employee—one bad apple in the barrel—or whether the problem involves others, such as when two or more employees are creating a problem because of what happens when they work together. This can make a difference in whether to seek a group or an individual solution or even make some systematic or structural changes in the workplace.
One Tough Babe
An especially difficult employee is the one who is extremely obnoxious with everyone—always acting tough and coming on like gangbusters. They simply don’t know how to talk courteously, offending co-workers with their wrong choices of words.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔Sometimes the law of karma may come to your aid and take care of a very difficult problem for you, though you can only hope and pray!
Prima Donna
Sometimes a promotion can unleash the inner prima donna. He or she relishes the opportunity to now be the one pulling the strings and gaining admiration and love from others for what he or she can do.
That’s the situation Shiela faced while working at a small enterprise as an administrative assistant. The office administrator having no one else to be promoted in that position other than her, being the one that’s in the company for too long, acts like a prima donna, unfortunately in a very subtle way that the management did not even take notice off. The company owner, being an emotional person has inadvertently encouraged this type of behavior through the many years Shiela has stayed with the company. Her supervisor Vicky, came late at work, not considering that the small enterprise she is working with had a few staff, she also never misses to leave the office at exactly five o’clock, sometimes even before the clock strikes four-thirty, she’s done getting off to work, while Shiela and the other staff does all the overtime. Shiela has started from scratch and has grown with the company, even when those times that they barely have one desktop computer and one printer. She used to go to work early and clean the entire office, while the office administrator arrives late, worst, leaving her keys in her home so Shiela should be the one to open the gate for her. Vicky is five years older than Shiela, but the former has a crybaby attitude and cannot handle criticisms so most of the heavy workload is being done by Shiela. Had the management took the proper approach to what is happening, Vicky should not have been promoted to her position in the first place. Since Vicky being a prima donna and believed that seniority made her invincible, she rarely does her job, from making Sales Quotation to creating Purchase Orders, Business correspondence, and canvassing items, to teaching new staff, Shiela is the one in charge. The kid barely in her 20’s that time did not have the wisdom that she has now, continues living day by day in that kind of nauseating set-up. Worst is that, when Shiela reports to the management of Vicky’s behavior, she would be lectured upon instead of the manager considering her feelings and how hard the situation must have been for her. Vicky looked pitiable each time, earning the Business Owner’s sympathy, asking Shiela “Why would you say hurtful things to Vicky? Why would you talk back at her?”, not even listening to the whole story, picking best actress awardee Vicky’s side all the time. She has this kind of White Lotus Attitude where she acts prim and proper but harbors ulterior motives against her co-workers, regularly going to church and posting Bible verses in her social media accounts, but does half-hearted tasks that someone has to revise for it to be presentable. She even updates herself in all her co-workers’ personal lives and exploits them when the situation calls for it, like when she made a mistake in a certain task and she doesn’t want to be the focus of the sermon, she swiftly changed subjects by pointing out other people’s issue, which is not her business in the first place, and everyone deserves privacy and management should and must not control it anyway.
Unfortunately, Shiela who’s been getting tired of the same scenario being replayed for the nth time has just gotten tired of reporting Vicky’s behavior and just concentrated on her professional growth, while Vicky does her drama each time people took notice of her negative behavior. As of this writing, Vicky is already thirty-eight years old, acting twenty. She’s still unaccountable and uses other people’s brains and skills for her benefit, a first-class credit grabber. There will always be co-workers who will be under her supervision of whom she can manipulate and exploit to her heart’s content since not all people have the ability to see other people’s true colors at the early stage of the professional relationship, or any relationship for that matter. Also, employees who have not to reach a certain growth period won’t be able to associate that this kind of behavior is detrimental to the company’s failure or success. The situation will just unfold repeatedly and they won’t be able to keep lasting employees, not unless they change the office administrator. She is in a designation where she could not function effectively, being surrounded by tasks she does not understand and technology that cannot be utilized and does not welcome due to the management and her having a fixed mindset. See this article to know what Fixed Mindset is.
The management is liable for what Vicky had become, being tolerant and lenient towards employees’ productivity, this does not do employees favor, instead, they are being clouded by the belief that they are doing fine even when they are not. This type of employee won’t go anywhere had she resigned since she does not possess the right attitude and her professional growth has been stagnant. Instead of being apologetic for her behavior, she always has the guts to report other people’s mistakes to hide her own, Shiela finds everything amusing like watching a movie shoot unfold, but as the years went by, even after waiting for the change in the leadership behavior, nothing has changed. They don’t even welcome the use of a SYSTEM of which is the core of any organization, they are always afraid of the unknown instead of trying new things for the company’s growth and development.
Shiela has resigned and now working as a freelancer, she has found her true passion which is writing, she also works as a part-time virtual assistant while maintaining her online business and nursing her broken heart at the same time, having fallen in love with the owner’s son as her Boss does not want her to be a part of her son’s life. All the more that she was forced to resign and leave the job she cherished all her life and the unbiological mother she always wanted to help.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔Once an employee creates an ‘‘us versus them’’ situation between the company and the staff, you need to subtract that employee from the ‘‘us’’ as part of winning back everyone else’s support.
✔ If an employee lets the new power of a promotion to management go to his or her head, you may have to cut off that head.
Cultural Chasm
Sometimes the basic problem is that an employee just can’t fit into the culture with the rest of the employees, thus creating tension in the office. The person may do a good job otherwise, but they’re just isn’t a fit and the person isn’t about to change. This is a problem that has been growing as the workplace gets more diverse. While the trend has been towards appreciation of diversity and making adjustments to get along, sometimes the chasm may seem unbridgeable.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔Sometimes the cultural differences are so great that an otherwise good employee just can’t make it across the chasm.
Negative Nelly or Ned
Some people are so negative, it’s like a black cloud is always following them and they keep poking it to make rain. They are always looking for what’s wrong, or what could go wrong in a situation, rather than appreciating what’s going right. Such a person can be a real downer in the workplace, sowing the seeds of discouragement and undermining motivation. Certainly, it’s important to recognize flaws and consider the downside in assessing whether to take a risk.
Whether or not the person does good work, he or she is difficult to be around, creating an unpleasant atmosphere for other employees that makes it hard for them to be motivated or productive.
They are also the people who continually griping about what was wrong and pointing up problems in the way things were done—yet never suggesting any solutions, showing little to no interest in considering what to do about any of the problems. They claim to have no problem, barely talking in a meeting, rarely saying anything upfront but say a lot of negative things behind people’s back. They don’t understand how their negative attitude could be a problem and considered themselves blameless.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔Just like you can turn lemons into lemonade when you have a positive attitude, so may you be able to counter an employee bringing everyone down with techniques that bring everyone up. À
✔If an employee is getting attention when they complain, that may be providing them with the positive reinforcement they need to keep on being negative. Take away that reinforcement and maybe your negative reinforcement will stop their negative behavior.
Spilling the Beans
Another problem employee is the one who can’t keep a secret and stirs up other employees with the information he or she shares. This lack of confidence can even become a legal or criminal matter when an employee breaches the confidence of customer records, such as when employees talk to outsiders about what’s in the files. Even if they are talking to other staff members and not to outsiders, this can lead to serious problems when the information gets passed on, and even more, leaks develop—like a boat where the initial leak gets bigger and bigger until the boat goes down.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔You decide to choose what you want to be transparent and open in your business, not your employees’. So decide this yourself; don’t let your employees do it for you.
✔While it is good to listen to employee input, you should still rule the roost. Don’t let your employees turn you into a cluck.
The Impossible Intern
Sometimes when you hire someone new to the world of work, he or she can seem like a grab bag of everything that could be wrong about an employee. An employee who is just getting their feet wet often doesn’t know how to control his or her everyday behavior to conform to the rigors and restrictions of the workplace. He or she may think that work is supposed to be fun, fun, fun, and while work certainly can be, the employee puts the fun part of the equation first and work becomes something of an afterthought.
Today’s Take Aways
✔If you want an employee to follow your rules, clarify what those rules are in the first place.
✔While it’s nice to be nice, being too nice can let your employee think you are too easy. À If you find an employee starting to take advantage of you, show them that you won’t take it.
Damaged Goods
What can you do about the kind of employee who is a problem for everyone, who gets passed on from manager to manager? This sometimes happens because no one wants to be the bad guy who lets the employee go, particularly if there is a fear of legal repercussions due to employee protection legislation. So the employee can go on continually disrupting office activities, and frustrating managers for quite some time until pressures build even more to take some action.
That’s the situation that Vivian, a purchasing assistant, faced when she worked for a small enterprise. She met Jason, who is a Liaison officer, and had been in the company since time immemorial, they always had these issues about anything and everything that concerns the job, from submitting expenses to purchasing supplies, to delivering goods. Jason has all the negative attitudes a co-worker possessed. Sadly, the management keeps on holding to this type of employee while everyone suffers from his untamed behavior. The company also does not implement effective policies so employees could just go on badmouthing co-workers anytime they get bored. Not recognizing that it is their attitude being the problem, the worst is that all meetings would be about him and his repeated rash behavior towards his co-worker, wasting the time of managers who value their time and brain neurons. Dealing with these types of people, it would be better to implement policies and give punishments accordingly, wasting other employees time and intelligence would be a waste, it could be used for the company’s development instead. Also, better-performing employees do not deserve complacent, half-hearted, rude, and underperforming co-workers, if this situation goes on, all will be left in the company are people who fall from that same category, since the management only put band-aid and not give the proper medicine. No one would want to be around people who do not share the same drive, if and when they were able to realize that fact, and definitely, no one would want to be around selfish and arrogant officemates.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔If you are aware you have a problem employee on your hands, act proactively to deal with the problem before it gets any worse.
✔Do what you can to help an employee with a problem, explaining what the employee needs to change and showing that you want to help support the employee in making those changes. But if the employee can’t or won’t change, it’s time to change your strategy and say goodbye.
Getting It Wrong
Employees can be well-meaning and eager to please, but if they don’t have the right skills and claim they do, they can repeatedly make mistakes that can prove very costly. Sometimes, even with training, they don’t have the right skill set or aptitude to do the job right—and they may be clueless to the fact that they don’t have what it takes.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔Don’t let a good-natured, personable employee turn you into a pushover; instead, push back when it’s time to say goodbye.
✔If you have an employee who just doesn’t get it, it’s time for that employee to get a move on—and that means over and out.
✔If you want to be sure an employee has the skill set you need for a job, you have to first determine what those needed skill sets are.
✔Make sure you and a prospective employee are talking about the same thing when the employee tells you what he or she can do; using tests or role-plays is one way to find out.
Friends Forever
What do you do if a relationship with a friend or family member leads to bringing them into your business, and then the person turns out to be either incompetent, poor at social relationships, or both? You feel a certain loyalty because of a longtime personal relationship, but the person turns out to be poison when it comes to the business. Usually, you would either get a toxic employee to change for the better or terminate the employment relationship. But it may not be so easy to just put on your business hat with a person who has been your friend for so long. On the other hand, you don’t want to undermine the business either by having the employee make costly mistakes or turn customers away through outlandish behavior.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔Sometimes it is personal, and it’s not only about the business.
✔If you feel you can’t terminate a difficult employee due to personal commitments, find a way to work around his or her flaws and failings.
✔While you may not be able to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, you may be able to turn it into an attractive leather purse.
✔If you feel you have to put friendship first, at least make the business a close second—or find a way to win at both.
Last to Know
Sometimes a difficult employee can remain on the job for months because the other employees don’t want to be the one to tell the boss and get that person fired. There is often a sense of bonding and camaraderie among employees, even when one employee is not pulling his or her weight. The code against being an informant or tattletale can be so strong that no one says anything for weeks or months until the situation becomes so bad that the employees finally decide to say something—or the boss realizes something is wrong and finally discovers the truth.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔If you can’t observe employees directly yourself, set up a system so you have someone designated to do this observing for you. Just because an employee needs a job doesn’t mean you have to be the one to provide it if he or she isn’t working out.
✔It’s fine to give a poorly performing employee the benefit of doubt once, or maybe even twice. But after that, the employee should either be benefiting the business or it’s time to stop giving any more benefits
The Sensitive Soul
Sometimes an employee can be very well-meaning and eager to help, yet be overly sensitive when it comes to taking any criticism. The employee just doesn’t want to be wrong about anything and reacts to any negative criticism like taking a blow to the heart. This can make it difficult for you to give that employee any real feedback. The employee is like an eager-to-please vulnerable puppy, which leads you and others to bend over backward to be protected to protect the poor puppy’s feelings. This creates problems for you as the manager. How can you get work done properly if you can’t correct mistakes? But this also can undermine productivity and morale when the employee is making mistakes, and others try to work around them rather than upset the hypersensitive co-worker. In addition, other employees will feel they are being unfairly treated if they receive criticism and the sensitive soul receives none.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔If an employee is overly sensitive to criticism and correction, be sensitive when you tell him or her to be less sensitive.
✔Sometimes an employee can become super sensitive to criticism if he or she comes to think of you as a parent and starts telling you lots of personal information. If so, become the firm parent, giving support but also telling the employee firmly what you expect.
✔Consider an employee’s sensitivity like a protective barrier put up to ward off any negative criticism. So you have to get the employee to take down that barrier or you must find a way to helpfully dismantle it, so the employee can let criticism through and change accordingly
One Problem After Another
How sympathetic should you be when an employee is going through a difficult time and has lots of problems? You may want to show compassion, but after a while, you need to put the needs of the business first. As much as you may want to help, you can jeopardize the health of the business—or your job—by taking on the role of mother, father, therapist, counselor, or whatever type of help the person is seeking. Moreover, providing too much help can continue the cycle by locking the employee into a codependent relationship. The employee must strive to change and become more independent to overcome his or her problems, as well as help the business thrive.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔Don’t be a pushover or someone with personal problems is sure to push you off.
✔Create a boundary line in the office for handling personal problems; if someone crosses the line, help them to quickly get back on track.
✔As much as you may want to help and feel sympathy, the office is not the place to provide the extended help that someone with personal problems needs.
✔If someone you would like to fire chooses to resign, accept their resignation. If they try to take it back, you can still always fire them.
Too Much, Too Soon
Sometimes on paper, an employee can seem to have all the right stuff. But then, under the stress of a job with lots of tasks and responsibilities, they can’t manage the multitasking and the stress. But rather than simply saying it’s ‘‘too much, too soon’’ early on, they bumble along, trying to conceal the fact that the job is too much for them to handle. As an employer, it may take you a while to figure out the problem if they are good at concealing their inadequacies, even if they are not good at the job.
Today’s Take-Aways
✔If someone isn’t up to a job, find out sooner rather than later.
✔If you know a job is highly complex and stressful, make this clear to any prospective employees so they know what they are getting into and can better assess if they can handle it. ✔Besides looking at resumes and references, try using scenarios and hands-on experiences to determine if someone is right for a tough job.
✔Provide training early on to help someone know what to do and prioritize in a job with lots of tasks.
✔Use a probationary period in the beginning, not at the end, to determine if someone is up to a complex, high-stress job.
✔If an employee can’t take the heat on a job that’s hard to handle, turn off the heat and pull the employee out of the fire—a simple ‘‘You’re fired’’ early on should do the trick.
Reference: 2007. Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell (Handling Idiots, Whiners, Slackers, and Other Workplace Demons). AMACOM
