How to Handle a Difficult Employee

Working as a manager or a department head comes with a lot of responsibility, including dealing with difficult employees. The answer to a problem such as this one is not always to fire the employee right off the bat. You should take the time to figure out the issue the employee is having at the office and then make a decision by following the steps discussed in this post.

Perform Investigative Work

Any good manager knows that he or she should never act on gossip or rumors that are making their way around the office. The manager should always act on truth. Perform a little investigative work before making any rash decisions about a difficult employee. The more research or homework you do about the employee or the problem, the better position you will be in when making a decision about firing said employee.

Even if you have not seen the inappropriate actions yourself, you should still look into the issue. Do not rest on your laurels. Interview other employees who have witnessed the problem and get their sides of the story. This will help in building a file against the difficult employee. You also need to determine if you, as a manager, are part of the problem too. If you are involved, you might have difficulty approaching the employee.

Take Care of the Behavior and Not the Person

When a difficult employee arises at work, you want to handle that person’s behavior and not the person. Make an effort to change the employee’s behaviors as soon as possible so the office can return to normal operations. You will need to use statements that encompass the whole team and not just “you have been routinely late to meetings.” Instead, say things like “I need the whole team here on-time to complete these projects.”

Always give the employee a chance to address their behavior and make a change. Their negative attitude or comments could be a result of problems outside of the office that are seeping into their professional lives.

Create a Plan for Change

Once the problem has been pointed out and the employee has been informed of their behavior, it is time to put a plan in place for change. The plan should outline how the employee will change his or her attitude, how he or she will figure out how to arrive on-time, and much more. The plan should involve the difficult employee, a supervisor and someone from the human resources department so the company policies are being followed and monitored correctly.