Dealing with difficult employees is often a challenge. In your work, you can do one. As rural and hybrid projects expand, you may face unique challenges when dealing with difficult people.
These problematic employees can affect your energy, motivation, and concentration, as well as the rest of your team. That is why it is important to solve any problem immediately without delay.
Whether you run a small business or a Fortune 500 company, knowing how to quickly deal with difficult team members will save you time, increase productivity, and improve your work environment.
How to manage difficult employees?
Now you know what hard workers are and what kind of personality they have. But this is only the first step.
Most importantly, you need to understand how to face employees and solve problems. So, let’s talk about the main solutions for managing problem users and any users:
1. Identify the cause of the problem
Make sure to find the root cause of the problem. Are there problems in the employee’s personal life? Or they may have a problem with a co-worker and feel that HR isn’t listening to them.
For example, you can talk to a team member and make sure they don’t pay. They are another problem, but now that you have clearly identified the cause, you can start looking for a solution.
But the root cause of the problem may be simpler. Maybe their shift is in the morning, but they prefer to work in the evening.
If this is the case, you can use shift swap software for your team – allowing employees to swap time with each other and enjoy a schedule that suits their needs.
2. Criticism
Employees need to hear feedback about their misbehavior. Only then should you agree and create a solution, such as starting an employee assistance program or promotion program.
However, be sure to frame your criticism in a way that focuses on bad behavior rather than personal characteristics.
For example, don’t say “Charlie, you’re slow.” Instead, separate the behavior from the people: “Charlie, speed is critical because that’s what our customers pay us for. How can we help you work faster?”
3. Give clear instructions
Don’t doubt it. Eliminate any excuses that may lead to poor employee performance due to unclear instructions. This may involve difficult discussions, but you need to prevent negative effects going forward by clearly defining the job description step by step. You can also learn the work policies created by different companies like Tradekey.com.
For example, look at the difference between these two instructions for a barista to open a coffee shop in the morning:
Type A:
- Unlock the door
- Set up an espresso machine
- Clean table
Type B:
- Use only the 4-key keypad to unlock the front door
- Take a clean, dry yellow towel (not blue, for the bathroom) and wipe down the espresso machine starting at the spout.
- Use a cleaning compound labeled “ESP” and spray it on the machine.
Notice the difference in detail between the two recipes? What seems “common sense” to you may be foreign to an inexperienced user. Therefore, always err on the side of giving complete instructions, not the other way around.
4. Time Management
As we all know it is very important to track daily activities of your employees if you run a company or an organization. For that purpose, Gigstimer plays an immense role in tracking the employees’ worked hours. It makes it easier to increase the productivity
5. Set clear expectations
In addition to clear instructions, you need to create clear expectations. These expectations are the result of the employees’ efforts that must be met.
For example, you can train your customer service team on how to respond to email inquiries in detail. However, you must be clear about your expectations for performance metrics.
These clear expectations can help your team perform better while drawing attention to employees who are not up to the challenge.
6. Give clear results
Most importantly, you must have clear results for active users. Some employers will take advantage of you if there is no disciplinary action related to bad behavior or performance. Let your HR department help you create a plan of attack.
Often, strong teams continue to perform because they feel almost invincible. Perhaps no one in your company or others is accountable for the results now.
Therefore, be sure to explain what will happen if the employee continues to cause difficulties. For example, if “John” is late for work, he will take unpaid leave. If he does it twice, he will be fired.
Only you can determine the appropriate outcome. But the most important thing is to write down the warning system. This is usually enough to correct the behavior.
