5 Strategies for Dealing with Difficult Employees

Regardless of the industry or sector that you’re in, you’re going to come across employees that are difficult to manage. Anyone that has ever been in a managerial position or coaching role will tell you that these are the very people who will cause you sleepless nights thinking of how best to deal with their behaviour and stop it from affecting your entire operation.

Whether it’s the receptionist who thinks she’s above answering the phone or the exceptionally talented programmer who refuses to engage in team-building exercises, every company has its share of troublesome employees. I’ve certainly encountered my fair share of difficult staff throughout my career, and although it isn’t pleasant, I’ve tried to view each situation as a learning experience.

Here are five tips that I hope will help you deal with difficult employees in your organisation.

1) Nip the Problem in the Bud 

If you’ve noticed a staff acting in a way that is disruptive or out of line with the company’s values, then you have an obligation to act. This is also true if your team members come to you on more than one occasion to report the same issue with a particular person.

If you’re aware of a person’s troubling behaviour but you decide not to act, then it’s now on you. The best way to prevent an employee from spreading negativity within the company is to nip the behaviour in the bud as soon as you learn about it.

Allowing disruptive behaviour to manifest will have severe repercussions in the long term and will negatively impact your team’s morale.

2) Avoid Being Confrontational or Accusatory

If someone is disruptive at work, the last thing you should do is to brazenly confront them or accuse them in front of their peers. I’ve seen instances where managers have meant well and tried to address a particularly challenging employee, but made the wrong move of singling them out in front of their colleagues and thereafter worsening the situation.

Consider having a one-on-one with them instead. Sit them down, explain why you are talking to them, and be careful to not accuse them of things you can’t be sure of. 

I find that if you articulate a situation that they know to be accurate, they are much more willing to listen and make the necessary changes than if you were to simply confront them in public. While they may not like what you’re saying, they will respect you for approaching them and speaking to them in private.

3) Hear Them Out 

Sometimes a particular colleague is difficult or troublesome for reasons that may not be clear at first.

I remember one specific instance where a staff was being snappy in team meetings and wasn’t willing to take on new tasks to support her team. I sat her down over a cup of coffee and asked her what was causing her behaviour, only for her to tell me that her dog had died over the weekend.

If I hadn’t made an effort to sit her down and listen to why she was behaving in the way that she was, it’s unlikely that she would have trusted me with that information. I imagine she would have continued being disruptive, and the situation could have even spiralled out of control. I was able to give her some personal time, and she came back to work the following day refreshed, and she no longer took her grief out on her colleagues.

Listening to people’s reasoning is an essential part of leading and will enable you to come to an agreeable, and often, more compassionate solution.

4) Be Prepared to Offer a Solution 

While employees can be unruly for multiple reasons, you can always come up with a solution. It’s not necessarily going to be easy or straightforward, but make sure you are prepared.

If you address the problem but don’t offer a solution, the issue will reappear. For example, I remember a time when two employees were visibly annoyed with each other. I spoke to them both individually, and they simply said that they had clashing personalities, and they couldn’t get on with each other. They both agreed to be civil for the benefit of the others, but I knew this wasn’t a long-term solution. I proposed to move one of them to another team, and this worked out well for everyone in the end.

5) Continually Check in with Your Team 

More than just dealing with challenges that arise, you should also focus your efforts on preventing difficult behaviour before it happens.

While you can’t predict every problem that an employee might face, by checking in with your team regularly and speaking to them about what’s working and what’s not, you can get an idea of the general sentiment and environment in the workplace.

While you should undoubtedly conduct structured performance reviews to hold your employees to account, also make an effort to check in with them regularly. It can be as good as a quick greeting. By showing that you care about your employees and by being present, you can look to build trust and be better equipped to manage any issues that arise. This will help boost the team’s morale in the long term, and spare you the agony of dealing with difficult employees.

To your success,

Mario

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