Help! My Employee is Difficult to Manage!

Do you like managing difficult employees? I don’t. In fact, I don’t know anyone who does. Yet, if you are breathing and leading others, you will inevitably have to deal with a difficult member. It is therefore important that managers know how to lead difficult employees. The good news is that managing them is not rocket science. So, thank you to my reader who added a comment that I should write a post on the topic.

Actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. upwards of $550 billion in lost productivity per year. How? Well, it’s possible because only 34% of U.S. employees are engaged at work.  The disengaged pool includes employees who are difficult or un-corporative. 

What is a Difficult Employee?

Difficult employees display a range of undesirable behaviors. These include stubbornness, argumentative, or it can even be offensive. Three of the more toxic behaviors are:

• Insolence. Behavior that insults or disrespects the manager.
• Misconduct. Behavior that is unethical or illegal.  
• Insubordination. Disobedience to authority. More specifically, the refusal to obey a directive that is in line with their job description, is reasonable, is legal, and is ethical.

Reasons for Un-corporative Behavior.

Individuals can demonstrate challenging behaviors for many reasons. It is important to understand them.  Let’s focus on insubordination. The three key drivers are: 

1. Lack of alignment. They may not be aligned to your vision and may become rebellious or defiant. In one survey, only 25% of employees feel connected to their company’s mission.
2. Stress. They may be having a negative emotional experience driven by either personal or professional issues. 
3. Malicious intent. They may be driven to undermine your authority for self-gain.

How Do You Manage Someone Who is Being Difficult?

Our employees are our most important asset. Therefore, we need to know how to manage them. The key is to act fast to prevent negative behaviors from spreading like a virus among our team. 

Ten Actions to Manage a Difficult Employee.

1. Demonstrate emotional intelligence. To adequately address the situation, do not take it personally. I know. Sometimes that’s difficult, but difficult or not, it’s a requirement for success. 
2. Get to the root cause. The visible behavior could be a camouflage of the real issue. 
3. Understand the behavior. Your next action step will be clearer if you can define the behavior.  For example, unethical behavior will need HR’s immediate involvement. 
4. Document the situation. Maintain thorough documentation of the key facts.
5. Listen to the employee. Start by being empathetic and compassionate because the undesirable behavior might simply be a frustrated employee who needs coaching. 
6. Provide Feedback. It is important to provide clear and specific feedback on the behavior; not judging and not focusing on personal factors. 
7. Drive accountability. Together with the employee, develop a clear improvement plan. Be clear on expectations and consequences.
8. Monitor progress. Add milestone dates to the improvement plan and regularly review it for progress. 
9. Maintain the employee’s confidentiality. Handle the situation in private. 
10. Maintain your role as the manager. Know that disciplinary action may be needed. And sometimes, the right decision is to make progress by subtraction. Pre-requisites are consultation with HR and ensuring you comply with all applicable policies and legal requirements. 

Fortunately, I am sure you will agree that most employees are not difficult, but fun to manage. However, if you are confronted with a difficult one, it is imperative you address the undesirable behaviors immediately. In my experience, the action list above is a good place to start.

Empowered Leader Reflection.

How does a culture of empowerment minimize un-corporative behaviors? Leave a comment below.

Header image credit to Gustavo Fring – Pexels.com