HOW TO WORK WITH A DIFFICULT EMPLOYEE

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Who are difficult employees?
 
The employees who fail in conducting them in a professional manner at work is termed as difficult employees (Beach, 1985). The management of these difficult employees have become a great challenge by the managers. 
How to manage difficult employees?
When managing difficult employees at work, the first step is to identify the reason for being difficult. The identification of the reason will provide the opportunity to solve the issue more effectively. When there is a difficult employee, its his behavior that should be criticized. Not the person. The behavior of the employee should be controlled. The Hersey-Blanchard model shows how the behavior of the employees could be managed (Weitzel, 2004).




Figure 1- Hersey-Blanchard Model
Source:https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/soft-skills/hersey-blanchard-model/

The behavior of the employees could be managed effectively by supporting, coaching, delegating and directing their behavior so that they tend to behave professionally (Stewart et al .,  2014).
The feedback of the employee should be taken to identify the issue so that it can be managed effectively. The instructions should be given to the employee regarding the expected behavior of the employee and the consequences if he did not follow them. The consequences of failing to follow the expected behavior should be documented. The progress of the employee should be monitored closely so that the organisation can gain the objective in the expected time. Respect should be shown always so that the employee will be motivated to conduct his behavior professionally (Miller, 2005). 

Challenges working with Difficult Employees

Dealing with the difficult people at work is a time consuming and resource utilizing. The management has to invest time and effort on the difficult people which could have been used for the development of the organisational operations. The difficult people can impact the efficiency of the other employees as well since the unprofessional behavior of the employee can impact the job role of the other employees. Also, the unprofessional behavior can be seen as appropriate behavior by the other employees if it not controlled (Roberts et al., 2001). 

Initiatives for Difficult Employees

When there are difficult employees, organisations respond in different methods. For instance Starbucks let the employee to be calm and then dig deeper for the reason. In the Sri Lankan context, there are difficult employees who engage in different fields. In Hirdramani, when there is a difficult employee, he is directed to the human resource department and advised on his behavior. If he does not follow the advises, actions are taken (Stone, 2000).
 
Conclusion

Difficult employees are a huge challenge faced by the managers. The management of these employees are important for conducting operations of the organisation effectively. The reason for their behavior should be identified and the employees should be advised to correct their behavior. Progress should be monitored to ensure that the employees behave professionally (Singh et al., 1995).


References
Beach, D.S.  (1985), Personnel:  The Management of People At Work, 5th ed.,  New  York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

Miller, L. (2005). Command leadership under fire. Law and order.

Roberts, B.W. & Hogan, R. (Eds.) (2001). Personality psychology  in  the  workplace.  Washington DC: American Psychology Association. 

Singh,  B.  P.,  Chhabra,  T.  N.  and  Taneja,  P.  L.  (1995), Personnel  Management  &  Industrial Relations, Delhi: Dhanapat Rai & Sons. 

Stewart,  G.L.  and  Brown,  K.G.  (2014),  Human  Resource  Management:  Linking  Strategy  to Practice, 3rd ed., Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Stone, A.V.  (2000). Fitness for duty: Principles, methods and legal issues. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Weitzel, T.Q. (2004). Managing the problem employee: A road map for success. FBI  Law  Enforcement Bulletin.

Comments

  1. ARSHAD MBADecember 17, 2021 at 9:16 PM

    Handling Difficulty Employee it's an unfortunate situation for a manager, some time he get held hostage to this employee, therefore need to get a effective communication , listen and give clear behavioral feedback. Thanks for sharing above topic.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Asma NafazDecember 17, 2021 at 11:34 PM

    Managing employees itself complex task for managers. Where as managing difficult employees will be more complex for managers. But through proper evaluation and motivation, it is possible to change their behaviors in a professional manner.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sachini MahaulpathaDecember 18, 2021 at 9:02 PM

    Dealing with a difficult employee is a challenging task for a manager or a leader. However, if the leader can understand and identify the skills, traits, behaviour and concerns of the employee through emotional intelligence and empathy, the leader will then be able to easily decide on to which quadrant of Hersey- Blanchard model the employee can be included. A very fascinating topic which is very much helpful in day-to-day work. Thank you for sharing this.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ARSHAD MBADecember 18, 2021 at 11:34 PM

    I would like to endorse sachini's comment, emotional intelligence highly needed get them on board.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Manoj JudeDecember 19, 2021 at 11:04 AM

    Employees are not always gentle. Most of them are shrewd and hard characters always there to spend time idling bud demanding everything. Hence, it is very much vital to monitor them always and get the maximum out of them A Manager/leader should be well equip with knowledge, skill and know how of everyone and to adapt to difficult conditions

    ReplyDelete
  6. Benjamin ThasonDecember 19, 2021 at 11:10 AM

    I fully agree towards your concussion of this blogg which is "Difficult employees are a huge challenge faced by the managers. The management of these employees are important for conducting operations of the organization effectively. The reason for their behavior should be identified and the employees should be advised to correct their behavior.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Manoj ThudawahewaDecember 19, 2021 at 12:08 PM

    If an employee is performing poorly in their role, don’t write them off as lazy. Poor performance at work could be due to a lack of ability or motivation, or both. It could also be the result of poor communication, misalignment, lack of resources, or something else entirely. HR has a big role of managing human capital to deliver long term organizational objectives.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dilrukshi indurugollaDecember 19, 2021 at 12:16 PM

    Managing difficult employees should be a must skill. These strategies can assist you in navigating difficult circumstances and, hopefully, improving them before disciplinary action or termination is necessary.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Roshan LaksiriDecember 19, 2021 at 8:55 PM

    A good topic. We are facing many of these type of difficult employees/people in an organization. But it's human nature. understanding the real character behind the person and handle them in a different way is the key to success. some people will only support our ideas and direction when it's clearly explained and asked. But there are some some employees who will not start running until we really go after them and follow up on things. So understanding our team and their strengths and weaknesses will help us to drive them towards the goals.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Damitha WeerasingheDecember 19, 2021 at 11:23 PM

    The real challenge for leaders is working with difficult employees. And also it is a good tool to measure the leadership qualities of the leader.

    ReplyDelete

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