Every business will have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with a difficult member of staff. It’s an inevitable part of managing employees but the unfortunate aspect of this is that dealing with problematic staff takes a large amount of time, thought and emotional energy. If you’re trying to confront an employee who is making your work life unpleasant, here are some tips for how to manage them effectively.
Listen to Their Point of View
When a staff member is difficult, managers can stop paying attention to what’s going on to cause it, due to anger, frustration or irritation. They may even avoid the issue in the hope that it will resolve itself. But one of the best ways to handle these situations is to be attentive to their needs and listen. The best chance a manager has of improving a situation is to understand the reasons behind it, which includes listening to the employee’s point of view. It may be that the cause of the problem is easy to fix and just needs an open discussion.
Give Clear Feedback
Most managers will spend a large amount of time complaining about poor employees without actually providing any feedback to the employee themselves. Giving tough feedback is an uncomfortable task but it’s necessary if a situation is ever going to have a chance to improve. For a difficult situation to get better, you need to give specific information and clear points of action.
Document the Problems
When there are significant problems with a team member, write down the key points and keep a record of bad behaviour on their part. All too often, a lack of documentation can arise from the manager being hopeful that situations will better themselves without intervention. But keeping a record isn’t inherently negative – it’s wise.
Outline Consequences
If things still aren’t improving after the previous points, it’s time to get specific. Outlining what they need from the individual to turn the situation around, with clear action points and specific consequences, will make it clear to the employee that their behaviour has repercussions.
Speak to HR
The final step in taking action against an employee with a bad attitude is to work through the company protocol for these matters. Good managers will hold out for improvement before bringing in other members of the company, but if they’ve dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s and there still hasn’t been any change, HR needs to be contacted. HR has experience and knowledge on how best to handle an employee who isn’t working to the company processes and is making life difficult for other staff members, so they’re the ideal people to contact if you’re struggling. They will be able to outline what is required to terminate a contract with the staff member, as well as mediate beforehand to see if there are ways of avoiding losing the employee.
