How to Navigate a Difficult Employee

If you haven’t had one yet, don’t worry, you will.

One of the most feared aspects of management roles is being required to deal with difficult employees.

This can involve any number of unprofessional or downright inappropriate situations arising in the workplace.

Coming in to work dressed in sloppy attire, missing deadlines, sexual innuendo or even stepping out of meetings to take calls with their DUI lawyer.

The list is long and often unpredictable, but there are ways to minimize the damage and attempt to resolve these issues with your employees. This post will examine a few key strategies you can use to navigate the waters with a problematic employee.

1. Recognition and Reward

The effectiveness of this strategy hinges on acknowledgement.

Whether you are noticing negative or positive behavior, it is critical to demonstrate that you recognize it and then follow up with reinforcement. If you fail to make it clear that certain behaviors are unacceptable then you shouldn’t be surprised when the employee in question continues to engage in it. And positive behavior that is not acknowledged and appreciated will likely fizzle out with time.

2. Direct and Timely Feedback

When you are dealing with difficult employees, responding to undesirable behavior in a straightforward and prompt manner is a must.

Keep in mind, that failing to respond to a situation is still a form of feedback and creates the impression that the behavior and actions that took place were acceptable. This can promote poor behavior and project an apathetic atmosphere. When you engage with your employees to provide feedback, do it soon after the event you wish to discuss and take a direct approach to make sure that there is no miscommunication.

3. Listening and Documentation

As you offer your observations and feedback to problem employees, take the time to inquire about the situation and listen to their responses. You can also ask other employees for insight into the situation. This step alone can sometimes provide you with the knowledge you need to resolve the entire situation.

Finally, at a certain point, you will want to formally document the actions of the employee. There are many reasons to do this, but the main ideas are to let the employee know that their behavior is being taken seriously and to keep an official record of the process in case of future escalation. This helps to protect you from legal retaliation and can be used to justify consequences such as suspension or termination.

It is never easy to handle situations with troublesome employees but it’s a part of the management process that needs to be addressed properly. In addition to the strategies above, you can protect your company and employees by starting with a smart hiring and onboarding processes.

In the end, no matter how things turn out with your difficult employee, it’s important to know that you’ve done the best you could to fix the situation. Following best practices and communicating effectively are some of the top tools you can use to achieve this.