Once in a lifetime, every entrepreneur or leader comes across a difficult employee with whom they do not get along well.
Not only are the difficult employees problematic for the boss but also for other team members. For instance, an employee with a discordant demeanor can create a rift between the team, sap the energy of the team as well hamper their morale.
As opposed to a team rowing in the same boat, the team members can go in different directions to avoid a clash. This is one of the prime reasons why the boss or leader should know how to tackle such employees.
However, before moving on to the dealing part, let’s first know what makes an employee difficult to deal with in the first place.
Who Can be Tagged as a Difficult Employee?
They Do Not Fulfill Their Responsibilities
Poor performance at work or not fulfilling the roles assigned can be due to lack of ability or motivation, or a combination of both. Sometimes, it can also be due to lack of communication between the employee and manager, misalignment of thoughts, lack of resources, or some other reasons.
If you happen to have such employees in your team, do not write them off as lazy immediately. Instead, try knowing the reason behind their failure to meet your expectations and lack of motivation.
The Employee Has a Bad Attitude
As we mentioned earlier, a single employee with bad behavior is enough to ruin the energy of others working with him.
An employee with problematic behavior holds a negative attitude which creates a toxic environment. Often, this bad attitude at work is passive rather than confrontational.
A bad attitude can be anything from an eye roll, a not-so-subtle smirk or arriving late at meetings, and so forth. Sometimes it can also be an otherwise hardworking employee who is just cynical about the entire work situation. Initially, a bad attitude can come out as funny but it turns toxic in the long run.
The Employee Undermines You
An employee undermining your word or authority as a lead causes a disruption in morale and productivity. Furthermore, it can also give an opposite picture to your other employees. They might start questioning your leadership abilities.
However, not every employee undermining you has bad intentions. Sometimes they might show you the perspective that you cannot see. More often, they might not even know how to communicate. On the other hand, undermining your authority may also be a deliberate attempt of an employee. Being a leader, you should be able to know the difference between the two.
Now that you know what makes a difficult employee, let’s see how you can deal with one.
Tips to Deal With Difficult Employees
Criticize Their Behavior – Not Them
The first thing you need to understand while tackling a difficult employee is to never criticize them as a person. Being a good leader, you are not supposed to question personal factors or judge them. If you do so, this will cause more trouble and will never come to a resolution.
Your focus should rather be on finding a way to stop your employee from continuing unacceptable behavior at work. You need to know their reasons, support them (YES!), and look for solutions. Sometimes people are not aware of how their behavior is affecting the work and environment. Hence, it is your responsibility to show them the light in a non-confrontational way.
Do Root Cause Analysis
Every person behaves in a different way- even the ones with bad behavior. The reason behind their behavior is unique to every person. Therefore, it is important to identify the root of the problem before addressing it.
Sometimes it might reveal their problems dealing with the work, other colleagues, or some personal issues preventing them from performing the job effectively.
Must Read: Workplace Conflicts are Real. Here’s How to Deal With Them.
Be Open to Feedback
An employee showing bad behavior at the work-front might be the result of his destructed perception of the work environment. Hence, managers are required to have an open mind while receiving feedback from the employees. For this, you need to create a safe space where your colleagues feel comfortable expressing their opinions.
To deal with difficult employees, make sure that you do active listening and understand what they are saying. Listen to their side of the story without prejudice.
Most of the time, people just need to vent out in front of someone who can understand them without being biased. Expunging the frustration out helps them in changing their attitude and behavior.
Let Them Know Your Expectations and Consequences
Let your employees know what you expect from them. To deal with difficult employees, develop a plan establishing their objectives, a time frame, and regular progress evaluations. This way, you both will be on the same page. In addition, document the consequences in case they fail to make the necessary behavioral changes.
Evaluate Their Progress
Once you have given them an action plan, your next step is to evaluate their progress. This will prove to be a monument in gauging their role. You can
- Get to know about them from other teammates
- Evaluate their quality of work
- Have regular one-to-one meetings with them
Take Action
If all of your efforts go into vain, it’s time to take action. Of course, giving negative feedback or firing someone is hard. It leads to an overwhelming situation for both the leader and employee.
Nevertheless, as a manager, it is your duty to stay calm and avoid making judgments or criticisms. Also, make sure that your body language is correct with a neutral tone. Show them the facts in a completely professional and respectful way.
Conclusion
Any aspiring manager or leader needs to know the way to deal with difficult employees effectively.
What you need to understand is that difficult employees are not from another world, there might be high chances of them having trouble with the work or work environment Your focus should always be on handling the situation by getting to the nitty-gritty, keeping a calm and rational approach, listen to them intently, analyze all the influencing factors before taking any major action.
We hope this article helped you. Also, let us know how you deal with your employees? Meanwhile, stay tuned with us for more insightful reads.
Feature Image Credits – Pixabay
