How to deal with difficult employees
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Listen
- When an employee is difficult, we tend to become irritated and ignore the employees’ point of view.
- This is because we have already decided on our stand on the employees actions, and do not put in the effort to fully understand the situation. We ignore their view points and avoid any confrontation that may cause us to be in a more vulnerable position.
- Patience and empathy is key here; we want employees to feel heard. Once they feel respected in the company, they would most likely become less difficult.
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Provide clear constructive feedback
- Instead of simply complaining that employees are difficult, we can give actual feedback about what employees need to be doing differently.
- Providing specific points for improvement removes the ambiguity factor, and eliminates the need for speculation and gossip.
- We are more likely to get a effective response when our approach is positive and focused on improvement.
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Set consequences
- Set a date for the improvement, as well as stern consequences such as a warning letter if the employee fails to improve on their behavior at work.
- Some employees require a reason to behave better; if they do not believe that their current behavior will have any true negative impact on them, they will not change.