CokerConnection

Dealing with Difficult Employees

The challenge of managing difficult employees (whatever their level or position) can be rather daunting, frustrating, and time consuming. It could be that difficult managers are hard to deal with because they are angry and frustrated about something or somebody--maybe even with themselves! Perhaps they are not well suited for the job, i.e., a square peg in a round hole!

Here are some suggestions for working through issues with difficult employees:

1. Build relationships. First, strive to build great relationships with the people you manage. Provide protected one-to-one time to give employees a sense of value. Get to know the people you work with and manage. Encourage them to talk about anything and everything that is important to them. This deflects the stress and creates a common place for you to communicate. It also builds trust and a sense of value.
2. Set standards. Provide clear standards for all of your employees and involve them in the process. Outliers or trouble-makers usually fall in line with the majority. Likewise, establish personal objectives based on their best skill set, not their worst.  It's easier to achieve success from points of strength than wasting energy by focusing on the things that are very tough for them to do. Frankly, they may be in the wrong job!
3. Be flexible. Ensure that everyone consistently complies with the standards set; be flexible if they don't work. It's OK to be a bit tolerant in how things are delivered as long as the intended outcomes are achieved.
4. Engage help. If these measures don't work, it's time to get emotional (no, not tears!) and use the phrase, "I need your help," or "I wanted to tell you how I felt after . . . ."Both statements are aimed at finding out what is wrong and how you can help. If the push back is to "stop hassling me," then the groundwork you laid by setting the standards will prove to be worthwhile in your subsequent actions.
5. Escalate action. After the discussion above occurs it’s time for the escalation period. Most people want to feel that they are doing a good job, but if they can't, it's time to move on. This tough discussion will be a lot easier if you've followed the previous steps, and it will also mean that you are more protected against criticism (or other claims). So now is the time to stand firm on implementing the disciplinary procedures of your organization. Usually, when folks realize you are serious, they decide to move on.

If they are resistant, follow your formal disciplinary procedures carefully, but do it! At some point in time, moment, you will be able to say to the difficult employee, "This isn't going to get any easier, so how can I help you resolve this . . . ?" Be firm; clear, fair, resilient, and tenacious, and ultimately realizing that their behavior is what is wrong. Truthfully, you are doing them a big favor -- one which others may well have not been prepared to take on -- and that may have been a disservice. It is impossible to know what some folks have experienced in their lives before they came your way. Some employees are redeemable as workers, while some will not ever fit in to the workplace. Managers must be responsible for all their workers, and difficult people can cause a great deal of stress in the work environment.

Managing difficult people with positive efforts is doable and you will benefit from the experience, even though some days are more difficult than others. You deserve the peace of being able to work constructively with all of your employees, whoever they are, so manage astutely and know when to have the outliers move on.

For more information or discussion, contact Coker’s senior vice president of its practice management division, Jim Faircloth, at 404.242.2270 or via email at jfaircloth@cokergroup.com.