Every employer will have to deal with difficult employees sooner or later. Struggling to communicate and work with a problematic employee can damage your business and lower productivity.
When you struggle with dealing with difficult employees, worry not! Here is what you can do when you face that situation.
Separate Facts from Opinion
When documenting workplace behavior and performance, you should be extra careful to separate facts from opinion. [quotes]Rumors can destroy a business from within, and you don't want your workplace to turn into a hotbed for gossiping.[/quotes]
Do not rely on the word of other employees because they may be biased even when they think their comments are well-meant. Instead, focus on observing and tracking facts. If you are unsure how to tell a fact from an opinion, ask yourself if the fact can be used in the court of law in case of a serious dispute.
If it's a real fact you can prove, then keep it. If it's just a rumor or a hunch, disregard it.
Evaluate the Situation
You might think you are having trouble with an employee, but it's important to identify what exactly is wrong. Before taking any action, you should first evaluate the situation with a cool head. This process is all about sticking to the facts and not letting your emotions or the employee’s emotions cloud the issue. Problem employees can often be master psychologists, using emotions like a flame thrower because they love the chaos and it deflects the spotlight from them.
[quotes]Begin by getting clarity on exactly what the problem is in factual terms.[/quotes] Is the employee really at fault? Is it an issue with their performance, their attitude, or both? Clearly define the problem be it attitude or performance in factual terms.
Observe the employee during the course of a week and see if you can identify the main issues. Keep an eye out for behaviors that destabilize the atmosphere and create toxicity. Listen to complaints and remain objective, don’t take sides, just ask for the facts, even if they are opinions, just be sure to ask “Why do you say that exactly?” You want the answer behind the answer.
Also, observe how others interact with the troublesome employee. [quotesright]Maybe someone else is responsible for their misbehavior. [/quotesright] Perhaps the employee needs additional training to perform some tasks. The point is, before doing anything you should identify the problem clearly. Resist the urge to be spontaneous and to look for easy solutions.
Communicate
[quotes]When it comes to workplace issues, communication is the key to solving them.[/quotes] Listen to the complaints of other employees and try to talk sensibly with the one that is causing trouble.
As an employer, you should try to be persuasive and fair to your employees. Sometimes, the people who work under you will have complaints, but they won't share them with you unless you ask.
[quotesright]Communication solves most misunderstandings at work without the need to take any extra actions. [/quotesright] In many situations, just stopping to listen to what people are saying in your workplace might be enough to resolve an issue.
Dealing with difficult employees starts with hearing what they have to say. If they are so problematic they can't be talked with, there is very little you can do. If they have legitimate complaints, dealing with them sensibly is the way to go.
Ask for and Provide Feedback
Before taking any drastic measures, it is best to give concise behavioral feedback. If you have issues with an employee, you can't hope to resolve them without giving feedback.
[quotesright]Many managers complain about underperforming employees without doing anything to fix the problem. [/quotesright] If that's you, just talk to your employees and tell them you value them but their performance is missing the mark. Keep the discussion factual, for example: “You are late turning in your expense report. In the last 4 months, you have more than a week late for three of them.” Tell them that is not acceptable and that you expect them to either ask for an extension or be on time. It is important that you are crystal clear on what they should be doing better and how that will be measured.
At the other end of the spectrum, you should also ask your employees for feedback about their co-workers, as well as yourself. Studies show that feedback improves retention and workplace productivity.
Document Problems
If you have constant problems with a specific employee, you should start documenting them. Write down the key issues and try to record any problems.
Managers often can't fire a problematic employee because they lack proof about their bad behavior despite their repeated attempts to fix the issue. [quotesright]It's one thing to trust your employees but don’t neglect to document bad behavior. [/quotesright]
Documentation will save you a lot of hassles and give you the upper hand in case of disputes with employees, as well as problems between employees.
Warn Them Politely but Unambiguously
When dealing with difficult employees, you should set clear boundaries and warn them about what happens if they cross them. [quotesright]Set specific consequences if things don't improve. [/quotesright]
Good managers know when to continue trying to fix a situation, and when it's time to start writing the paperwork to fire an employee. Before firing them, however, it's important to warn them.
Most problematic employees will change their behavior if warned in advance. Be very specific with your warning. For example, you may say: "If I don't see a change in your behavior by XYZ date, I will be forced to take a specific course of action." That course of action can be anything from penalties to getting them fired.
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“If you can’t change the employee, change the employee.” – Ira Calpac
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Work Out a Solution
If the employee seems to want to change, then work a solution with them to keep moving forward. As you communicate with the difficult employee, listen to what they have to say and work with them to find some common ground.
Remain calm and never forget that you have the upper hand in this conversation. To make sure you're on the same page, summarize what they said and ask for a confirmation. For example, ask them: "If I understand this correctly, you are asking me to...?"
By asking for confirmation, you are making sure there are no more misunderstandings between you and your employee.
[sidebar]
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Follow the Procedures
If you can't salvage the situation, then it's time to take action. When it's time to penalize or fire an employee, always work through the formal process.
Resist the temptation to dish out punishment. You are not a judge. If something doesn't work out, then just follow the procedure and replace the employee.
When it's time to fire an employee, work out the specifics with your HR department and be polite and courteous about the termination. If you are not, you risk angering other employees and perpetuating the problem even after you fire the difficult one.
Avoid Drama and Toxicity in the Workplace
Finally, avoid drama in the workplace. After you've fired an employee, leave all hard feelings behind and resume work as normal. [quotesright]Success is all about a positive environment, so focus on that![/quotesright]
Now That You've Learned about Dealing with Difficult Employees...
If you are serious about growing your small business, you need to get organized. Dealing with difficult employees is one of many issues you will face on your way to achieve your personal and business goals and one of those is to hire for the right motivations and personality.
Unfortunately, that is done mostly by gut feel in companies. It is easy to be fooled because the face you see when hiring is unlikely to be the one that your team will see when hired. It’s worth remembering that the most disarming people are sometimes psychopaths. “Intelligent psychopaths make excellent white-collar criminals and ‘con artists’ due to their calm and charismatic natures,” according to Psychology Today. It’s worrying.
The good news is that there are excellent proven personality assessments that can help you weed out the people who will not work out and cost you money but have the desire, motivation and skills you need for a job. They are very inexpensive and when compared to the cost of hiring, training and firing someone who does not work out we would say that they are almost free.
