How to manage challenging employees?
I can’t think of any workplace that does not have at least one challenging employee. From constantly calling in sick, to going on long lunches (and sometimes they might not even return), to not responding to any feedback given, to picking fights with others in the workplace for apparent reason.
Unfortunately, most managers get held hostage to these employees, especially with Australia’s strong labor laws. These managers spend a disproportionate amount of time, thought and emotional energy on them and sometimes this can cause. If you want to have a formal education you can study this course or check out this college.
What can you do when faced with a constantly difficult employee?
Each business has a set of policies and procedures they work with. Some businesses are quick to manage and issue out warnings. Others prefer to work with the employee and think of solutions together and set a plan in place to try to improve relations and work performance. Whilst data shows that the latter approach would yield better results, there are merits to the earlier approach.
When faced with a stubborn employee, no matter how things turn out, you need to do the following:
Listen with an open mind
Managers do more than just manage a team. Managers have to inspire their team to get them to buy into the organisation’s vision and strategies to be able to execute the tasks required for the business to achieve its goals. This is why managers have to listen to their team members earnestly and with an open mind, free of judgements and influences from upper management. Often, when an employee is being challenging, we believe that by ignoring them, the problem will go away. This is far from the truth. In fact, the more trying an employee is, the more a manager needs to open their eyes and pay attention, find out from the employee themselves why they are behaving or acting in this manner. Offer support and lend a helping hand because sometimes they might be difficult because they have just suffered a death in the family, or they are just not interested in their role, they might feel unchallenged or overlooked and hence decide to wear a ‘pay back’ hat and stir up some controversy. So, listen. No matter how irritated you are, no matter how hopeless you fee, just listen.
Give clear, frequent feedback
Most managers will complain about their team without actually giving them valuable feedback on their behaviour and their performance. No matter how uncomfortable giving tough feedback might be, a manager needs to be authoritative and be a leader. Make sure your feedback contains accurate data and statistics as well such as how their performance has been tracking for the past year, how the team’s performance has been and where they benchmark against industry / company standards. Managers need to show that they are there to help the employee in an effort to solicit a receptive response. If a manager does not learn how to give constructive feedback correctly, they jeopardise the chance of their employee ever taking them seriously or heeding their advice. The approach should come from a positive place and with a plan – of how they can work together to achieve the desired outcome.
Be consistent and measure everyone with the same stick
Employees usually look up to management for direction. This includes the way managers behave towards their employees. If they detect that a manager is playing favourites and only dolling out incentives or punishments to certain personnel, they may be less willing to do what is asked of them.
Spend time educating or send them for appropriate re-training
It is important that employees feel valued and in a recent survey by Inc. showed that 32% of employees left their companies because of lack of professional development education opportunities such as sending an Operations Manager to undertake a Diploma in Business or select one of the elective units available in the course. View here.
Never deviate from the company’s policies and processes
It is really important that you not deviate from the company’s policies and procedures. As a manager, if you find something is not working, address it through the appropriate channels in order to effect change. But do not take it upon yourself to devise and implement an unapproved strategy as that could land you in trouble yourself.
Genre: EDUCATION / Elementary
