How to Manage a Difficult Employee


If your employees are consistently behaving badly, you may find it difficult to deal with them. You can help avoid such problems by following some practical tips. One important tip is to avoid being too personal or emotional in your discussions. Rather than calling out an employee's behavior or attitude, focus on providing actual feedback that explains why his or her behavior is causing you problems.

Avoid making the conversation overly personal or emotional


If you're managing a difficult employee, you need to learn how to frame the conversation so that you can avoid making it overly personal or emotional. Instead, focus on the useful tips or suggestions you can offer, alternative directions, or supportive comments. When having this type of conversation, try to avoid making judgments, and instead try to be curious about hidden reasons or unspoken needs. Once you have identified these, start looking for solutions.


When managing a difficult employee, it's important to remember that the employee may not be ready to discuss these issues with you right away. Be sure to follow up to make sure both parties are on the same page. This will help to smooth out the tensions and clarify expectations. Additionally, it can help to remind the employee that they are still part of the team.


If the employee is frequently late, have a factual conversation about it. Refer to the company's policies and time records, and reach an agreement that is reasonable. However, if the employee is blaming another employee for his or her poor performance, file a formal complaint with HR. Make sure to gather as much information as possible, and don't make the conversation personal or emotional. If it gets too personal or emotional, consider bringing in an HR representative or manager to mediate the conversation.


Having a difficult conversation with an employee is never easy, but being prepared and taking the initiative can make the process go smoothly. Make sure to pick a calm time to conduct the conversation, so that you can both keep your team running smoothly. It's also crucial to set a date for the conversation if you want to avoid further conflict.


If you want to avoid making the conversation overly personal or emotional, it's important to frame the discussion in a positive light. When an employee is upset, they'll be more apt to feel defensive and upset. Remember that the purpose of this conversation is to provide alternative solutions. Using a positive frame can make this type of conversation a much less painful experience.


A difficult conversation is inevitable. To make the experience more bearable, prepare beforehand for it by using templates for the conversation. Try a template that provides talking points and suggested questions. This template can help you stay focused and avoid getting too emotional or personal. In addition to making notes, you can also make use of the direct message box in Pumble. Just make sure that whatever you say should remain confidential.


Getting a difficult employee to take responsibility for their behavior is crucial. If this is not done, it could lead to a toxic work environment. This can result in lower performance and bad customer relations. When managing a difficult employee, you should try to keep in mind that the difficult employee may be struggling with their own personal issues. Sometimes, they may be suffering from mismanagement and need extra support.

Avoid calling out on the employee's attitude or behavior


Calling out an employee on a poor attitude can hurt morale and productivity, and can even lead to a lawsuit. However, it is not always easy to catch an employee's attitude problem early on. While some people respond well to criticism, others take it personally and aren't willing to change.


A better approach is to discuss the employee's behavior and attitude in a neutral, private environment. The setting will impact how the employee interprets your message. For example, if you're in a crowded office, the tone of the message can be accusatory. If the employee is a subordinate, make sure the setting is neutral and private.


If addressing an employee's attitude or behavior is difficult, you may need to discuss specific actions or incidents. If the employee's behavior has been consistently erratic, pointing out specific actions can help show them how they're wrong. Giving specific examples of specific actions will also help avoid the appearance of personal criticism.


Taking action to correct bad behavior is essential for the discipline of your workplace. Disrespectful employees can affect the productivity of other employees. However, ignoring such employees can make the situation worse. However, if the employee is habitually rude, it is imperative to speak up to them and ask them to stop. In addition, talking to the employee about their behavior can also help address the mental issues underlying the behavior.

Provide actual feedback that outlines the problem behaviors


When confronted with a difficult employee's problem behaviors, the best way to resolve the situation is to provide actual feedback. This feedback should be given in a manner that reduces defensiveness and provides specific information for improvement. The feedback should also include specific examples of inappropriate and appropriate behavior.


The feedback should be fresh and relevant to the individual. It should be given in a friendly manner to encourage a more positive reaction and better work in the future. However, giving the feedback too late will only make the person feel bad and won't help them change.


The most difficult part of giving constructive feedback is describing behaviors. Make sure you only describe behaviors that you've witnessed, not those that you've only read about in the media. Likewise, avoid making judgments or mentioning your own feelings, which may derail the conversation.


When dealing with a difficult employee, it is important to focus on the problem behaviors rather than the person's attitude. While calling out the employee's attitude or bad behavior might be appropriate in some cases, it will often make the situation personal and may not lead to any real change. Instead, focus on behavior-specific examples to help your employee understand the behavior you're trying to address. Use an employee handbook as a guide to provide specific feedback and action steps for the employee to improve.


When dealing with a difficult employee, be patient and understanding. It is vital for managers to communicate with the employee regularly to provide constructive feedback on improvements. It is also important to document these conversations for the employee's file. Failure to do so may lead to further alienating the employee and making it more difficult to deal with.