In my previous post I discussed the factors surrounding a toxic manager and suggested some ways of mitigating that difficult situation. Today I want to flip the script a bit and tackle the ever-present question of what to do with problem employees. Poor behavior can range from attendance issues, to negative attitude, all the way to illegal activities such as harassment or theft. The first thing I tell myself when I encounter this type of behavior is that there is some catalyst that is causing this employee to behave in this manor. Common sense tells us that people don’t act up or cause problems because it’s fun or they think it will make things better. There is a root cause to this behavior that the leadership needs to identify. Ignoring a problem and hoping it gets better on its own is rarely a good strategy. When you notice problems starting to arise with a particular employee (or group of employees), it’s really important to pay attention to it right away. Bad behavior stems from things like insecurity and lack of trust – like when a new boss comes in or there’s another change in the organization or process. A blowup at a meeting probably has less to do with that one thing they’re yelling about, and more to do with how that one thing exemplifies the underlying problem they have with you (or the organization).
I have been a big proponent of open communication. You always hear management talking about their open door policy but I think real communication goes far beyond making ones self available. Leaders must be proactive and engaging when it comes to open communication with their employee. The more you talk with your staff the more you get to know them and the more you get to know them the better prepared and informed you will be if/when problem behavior arises.
On more than one occasion an employee has exhibited difficult behavior as a result of simply being unfulfilled with their position and workload. By breaking the monotony and tasking them with some new and challenging work I saw immediate results. Not only did the behavior improve but the employee was happier and more productive.
I feel it’s important to cultivate a positive and trusting relationship with your employees so that when these difficult situations come up you can effectively address the root of the problem in a positive way.
A surefire formula to deal with difficult employees. (n.d.). katemats. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://katemats.com/difficult-employees/