Win-Win Strategies for Dealing with That Challenging Employee
Chris Goodwin, SHRM-SCP
Every company has that one (or more) employee who just doesn’t seem to be working out. Maybe they have a hard time getting along with others, or their job performance is much less than is acceptable. Perhaps they try to do well but seem to fall short every time. And since every company has at least one difficult employee at some point a manager will need to deal with them.
The Impact of A Difficult Employee
Difficult employees cause damage to companies in many ways, the least of which is turning a formerly good workplace into a toxic environment in which no one wants to stay.
And difficult employees don’t just bring down morale. A recent study published in Harvard Business Review estimates difficult employees cost the company money and the most difficult, or toxic, among them, cost businesses, on average more than $12,500 in turnover costs alone.
Unfortunately, too many managers spend an inordinate amount of time, energy, and resources in an attempt to alter the situation. If your employee can’t be coached, refuses your attempts to help them gain footing, or continues to create a toxic work culture for your company you will need to sever the relationship.
Win-Win Ways to Handle the Difficult Employee
Addressing issues and misgivings with difficult employees is stressful and often awkward to handle. Before you find yourself muddled in a tug-of-war with a difficult and, ultimately, the detrimental-to-business employee we offer these ten strategies to help increase your chances of changing course to smoother sailing for everyone. In other words, a win-win.
Critique Job Behavior; Don’t Get Personal
One thing about difficult employees is that they are, well, difficult to be around. Maybe they’re grating, get on your nerves, or simply are not your cup of tea. That’s ok. You need only concern yourself with their work performance. When you provide a constructive critique do not make it personal. Reflect beforehand on some of the areas where the employee falls short and stick to that. Be specific and try to stay upbeat.
Listen to Their Feedback
For those managers who simply stop paying attention, whether out of frustration or avoidance, this is a strategy that gets results. Maybe you don’t realize you lack engagement with the difficult employee and your actions have become rote. It’s time to reverse course. Have a two-way conversation with the employee and really listen. Let them speak, repeat back what you heard in case they need to clarify a point, and ensure you both understand the problem as you see it. Often people are difficult because they don’t feel heard or understood. Once your difficult employee feels someone is paying attention there could be a dramatic shift in behavior. Another bonus? You could pick up on an issue that’s driving the challenging employee to behave the way they do or you may find they lack certain knowledge regarding their job. Whatever the case, simply listening to your employee validates them in more ways than you know.
Provide Clear Direction
One of the toughest tasks for management is giving hard-to-hear feedback. There’s a certain amount of artful finesse involved to avoid putting the employee on the defensive right out of the gate. Give clear and specific examples of unacceptable behavior and explain why and how it needs to change so that the difficult employee understands the need to improve their workplace performance.
Document the Details
When you experience problem behavior with an employee it’s important to document that experience. Date, time and specific details are not only helpful when addressing behavior at a later time but can protect your company should you need to let the employee go. All too often the difficult employee threatens legal action in the face of termination. And look at it this way, if after pointing out the unacceptable behavior the employee improves then you can file your documentation away.
Consult HR
Take a meeting with your HR professionals and let them know what’s happening. They can offer advice on how to deal with the situation, help you understand the type of documentation required, and help you chart a course of action with the difficult employee that fits in with the rules of the company. Your HR professional understands policy and procedure especially as it applies to dealing with difficult employees and the possibility of termination.
Develop a Solution Together
In order to move forward in agreement and successfully beyond the problematic behavior of the difficult employee it is necessary to work toward a solution together. Discuss the negative behavior and what the appropriate behavior looks like to the employee. Find out how you can help and what the employee needs from you. Schedule a check-in down the road to make sure you’re both on course.
Detail Expectations
Work out a detailed explanation of the inappropriate behavior, the steps you’ll both take to rectify the situation and move forward, and a timeline for improvements. A clear plan with specific actions, a timeline, and a process for evaluating success provides structure for measuring performance going forward. Make sure the employee understands and signs the document. Give them a copy and keep the original for your records in case HR requires it.
Set Specific Consequences
Once you’ve set goals and have an actionable plan in the works you must set specific consequences for your difficult employee to succeed. Be clear if the unacceptable behavior is not corrected in the agreed-upon time frame there will be ramifications. Document what the consequences will be. Consider a written warning, loss of promotion eligibility, bonus eligibility, and the most serious; termination of employment. Consequences can motivate a change in behavior and the absence of consequences can result in the employee continuing the same unacceptable behavior.
Monitor Progress
Give your employee time to work on changing behavior through the process you agreed upon. Check in frequently so they understand you are monitoring their progress. Intervene when necessary or meet with the employee should they not hold up their end of the bargain., At the end of the agreed-upon timeline schedule a meeting to evaluate the progress.
Know When to Call It
Your goal is to improve your employee's behavior before it becomes toxic to the culture and environment of your workplace. There are additional team members who are performing their job without issue and they deserve a positive work environment. If, after all, your time and attention, the difficult employee still hasn’t responded in an acceptable way it’s time to cut your losses. Termination is often necessary to prevent the rest of the team from being disgruntled.
Either Way, The Outcome is A Win-Win
Learning how to manage a difficult employee so the outcome is a positive one benefits the entire team. Sometimes that positive outcome means you retain a valued employee and sometimes the positive outcome means you cut ties for the good of the team. At Cornerstone Coaching & Consulting we offer expertise and support for the best outcome. Contact Cornerstone Coaching & Consulting today for all your workforce solutions. It’s a win-win!