Weekly Wellness Tips For Employees.
How to manage a difficult employee is a question I'm often asked.
Here are some tips for dealing with difficult people
o See for yourself. Try to actually observe an example of the behavior yourself so you know
exactly what you're trying to improve. If you can't, you'll have to rely on someone else's
description and also tell the "difficult" person that someone has complained about them.
This will cause you a problem because the difficult person could Weekly Wellness Tips For Employees. deny the behaviour or say
the complainer was mistaken and then, not only have you no basis for discussion, but the
difficult person now knows who has complained.
o Talk face to face. It's tempting to try to do this by e-mail or on the phone but don't be
tempted. E-mail and phone risk misunderstandings and may come over as sharp. Sensitive
issues have to be handled face to face. You can only judge how the conversation is going or
the person's understanding and reaction if you are face to face.
o Allow at least 30 minutes for the discussion. Again, it's tempting to hurry but the person
deserves time to consider. Plan the meeting for the end of the day to allow the person to go
straight home after the meeting and time for thinking overnight. It will make it hard for
the person and can cause further problems if they have to go straight out to face colleagues
who are aware that they have just been told off.
However, be as brief as possible. Discussion of problems is best kept short and direct. It
minimizes a stressful situation for both parties
o Write down your main points and stick to them. If the person gets angry or off the
subject, always come back to your main points. Avoid getting into an argument.
o Firstly, speak about what aspect of their job the person does well. Too often, we focus on
what people are doing wrong.
o Let the person know the result of their actions. Make it personal to them.
e.g. "when deadlines are missed, dispatch won't have time to check before shipping to your
client". Ensure the impact is in relation to them, not the company.
o Be sure the person completely understands the issue then move on to the solution. The only
reason to bring up negative issues is to resolve them. Deal in solutions not problems.
o Stay objective. Talk about what is being undermined by the person's behaviour rather than
the person. Instead of saying, 'You need to get it to me,' you can say "The reports must be
completed by ..." Phrased this way, people are less likely to feel accused.
o Create measurable goals. State the changes in behaviour you want to see over a pre-
determined period. These goals should be measurable and specific, rather than vague. For
example, instead of saying, "I expect you to improve your attitude", say, "Don't raise your
voice to other employees".
o Finally, speak again about an aspect of their job the person does well. Too often, we
focus on what people are doing wrong. Over the coming weeks, try to see the person doing
something right and comment on it.
o Set a time for a further meeting to assess how the goals are being met. Two weeks from now
is a reasonable time. If the behaviour has improved, thank the person and set a further
meeting for a month or so ahead. If the behaviour has improved over the total 6 weeks, thank
the person again and say you hope the issue is resolved.
