Nearly all of us are bound to suffer from a difficult employee at one point or another. While they don’t do enough to justify an outright termination, their presence in the workplace brings down the morale of everyone around them. If this describes one or more of your employees, there is a step-by-step process of dealing with them in a professional and courteous manner. Automation Personnel Services, one of the largest staffing firms in the U.S., shares some tips for managers who deal with difficult employees.
1. Document Everything
Make sure to document every negative act they commit. This holds true for their actions as well as any disciplinary actions taken on your behalf. Not only is recordkeeping an important backup to your memory, but it could be called upon if you need to escalate the situation to HR.
2. Don’t Make It Personal
Whatever you do, don’t make this a personal issue. Although some difficult employees will try to make it personal, you have more power than they do in the workplace. If an employee continues to make personal attacks against you or your employees, especially after repeated warnings, it might be time to fill their role with someone else.
If you are unable to come to a solution that works for both sides, you’ll have no other choice than to involve HR. This should be your last effort to try and repair the relationship between you and the difficult employee in question; the next step is outright termination.
Officials in HR are trained to deal with these situations, and their intervention is often enough to put an end to any ongoing issues. Proactive managers might even collaborate with HR to implement a resolution as soon as possible.
3. Be as Fair as Possible
Fairness is one of the core values upheld at Automation Personell Services, Inc. The ability to treat all employees fairly is a highly desirable trait in managers, but it can be tested in situations like dealing with difficult employees. Make sure to listen to their concerns and
feedback just as you would with your other employees and respond promptly. Your actions might be enough to curb any negativity and help put any difficult employees back on track. Your ultimate goal should be finding a solution that is beneficial to everyone involved.
Sometimes, difficult employees simply need some hands-on coaching and motivation. If you can’t provide this yourself, assign one of your managers or another employee to the task. Not only will they serve as a role model to the difficult employee in question, but their increased investment in the workplace could be enough to increase morale across your entire workforce.
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A two-time winner of Inavero’s Best of Staffing ® Award, Automation Personnel Services, Inc. is ready to bring your company the best employees. Contact us today to get started on working with one of the largest staffing firms in the U.S.
