How to Manage Challenging Employees Supervising other people is never easy, but some employees make it particularly difficult. These challenging employees can try your patience and drain a lot of your time and energy. To turn things around takes skillful management and patience. Today, we’re going to talk about the types of problems you might face with challenging employees and provide you with effective supervisory strategies for handling these difficult workers.

Session Objectives Identify challenges associated with supervising difficult employees Manage your own feelings effectively Create a positive work environment for all Focus on problems, not personalities Respond positively to challenging employees and treat them fairly The main objective of this session is to help you manage challenging employees more effectively. By the time the session is over, you should be able to: Identify challenges associated with supervising difficult employees; Understand how to manage your own feelings effectively; Help to create a positive work environment for all; Focus on problems, not personalities; and Respond positively to challenging employees and treat them fairly.

How Much Do You Know? True or False? Firing is usually the best way to deal with a challenging employee. One of the biggest problems with challenging employees is that they can be uncooperative. Employees may be difficult at work because they are dealing with a health or personal issue at home. You should always respond positively to challenging workers. Let’s begin with a short prequiz to determine how much you already know about dealing with challenging employees. See if you can answer these true or false questions: Firing is usually the best way to deal with a challenging employee—this is false. One of the biggest problems with challenging employees is that they can be uncooperative—this is true. Employees may be difficult at work because they are dealing with a health or personal issue at home—this is also true, and finally, You should always respond positively to challenging workers—again, this is true. If you didn’t get all of these questions right, don’t worry. All of this information and more will be covered during this presentation. If you did get them right, congratulations! You’re well on your way to learning how to manage challenging employees.

The Challenge You Face People who: Complain Goof off Refuse to cooperate Break the rules Have a bad attitude Think they know best Spread rumors Display anger Let’s start by looking honestly at the challenges you could face when you have to supervise difficult employees. You might, for instance, need to be prepared to deal with people who: Complain Goof off or are frequently absent or late Refuse to cooperate with you and their co-workers Break the rules Have a bad attitude Think they know more than everybody else, including you Spread rumors Display anger And there are other factors to consider, as you’ll see in the next slide.

The Challenge You Face (cont.) Difficult employees may: See things negatively Expect failure Undermine your authority Create hostile work relationships Make others look bad These employees may not be productive and can impact the productivity of others. They’re too busy doing other things, such as: Putting a negative spin on everything management does, including important changes, decisions, actions, or plans Eroding other employees’ support and creating a climate that expects failure Undermining your authority Creating hostile work relationships and wasting everyone’s time on senseless arguments and conflicts Making others look bad to make themselves look good This kind of behavior can be counterproductive and sometimes destructive. It can damage morale and make it tough for you to lead your work group to ensure continued productivity. Think about other ways difficult employees under your supervision have created challenges for you and their co-workers. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Discipline and the Law EEO laws Consistency and fairness Retaliation Wrongful discharge Let’s begin our discussion of progressive discipline with a look at some relevant legal issues. State and federal equal opportunity employment EEO laws prohibit discrimination in any aspect of employment, including disciplinary action. This means that you cannot discipline on the basis of an employee’s race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, or disability. The laws also require consistency and fairness in discipline. All similar offenses should be treated in the same way with the same discipline imposed. Discipline should be imposed only in response to genuine violations of policy or work rules, or in response to genuinely poor performance. And discipline should be appropriate to the offense. Using discipline to retaliate against employees for filing claims or complaints, or for union activity, whistleblowing, and other similar protected activities, is illegal. Finally, employees who believe that they have been unfairly disciplined and lose their jobs as a result can sue for wrongful discharge. And if their lawsuit is successful, they may be awarded back pay, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees, all of which can add up to a lot of money.

Discipline Policy Provides legal protection Reassures “good” employees Puts potential offenders on notice Protects employees from inappropriate actions of co-workers Gives violators the opportunity to improve Now let’s talk about your organization’s progressive discipline policy. The policy provides the organization with legal protection. It gives you the formula to document successive disciplinary actions and proves that those actions were appropriate and without bias. In addition, the policy reassures the vast majority of employees who have no disciplinary problems that those who break the rules will be confronted. The policy tries to anticipate and eliminate disciplinary problems by letting employees know that offenses will be punished and that steps will be taken. It also protects employees from the unsafe, inappropriate, or unethical actions of their co-workers. And, it gives employees who violate the rules an opportunity to improve by letting them know what behavioral and performance standards are required. Make sure you understand your organization’s progressive discipline policy. Ask your supervisor if you have any questions. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Why Not Just Fire Difficult Employees? Even difficult workers may be turned around Replacement costs are high Other costs may occur Reassignment may work Firing may affect morale So why not just fire these difficult employees? It seems like the logical answer. And sometimes it may be your only option. But more often, it’s a shortsighted approach. Why? For several important reasons: Even the most difficult workers can often be turned around with some patience and the right approach. By firing, you could deprive yourself and the organization of someone with a lot of potential. And often, these difficult people are bright, talented, and capable. You also have to consider the time and cost of recruiting, hiring, and training a replacement. In the long run, it’s usually more cost-effective to spend the time trying to turn a problem employee around. There’s also the cost of unemployment compensation benefits to take into account—or worse, the cost of fighting a discrimination or wrongful termination lawsuit. You must also consider that employees who appear to be difficult may simply have a personality conflict with their supervisor or with someone in their working environment. A simple reassignment may solve the problem. And ultimately, firing can upset other employees and affect morale, no matter who gets fired. If you had to discipline or fire a difficult employee, would you know the proper disciplinary and termination procedures?

Start with Yourself Has employee been getting away with bad behavior? Would you like to get back at the employee? Are you feeling angry? Are you discouraged? Have you ignored problems? Have you been butting heads? That first step is putting your own feelings and actions under the microscope. Begin by honestly examining your feelings about a difficult employee. Are you feeling angry at the employee? Are you discouraged by the situation? Would you like to get back at the employee for all the trouble he or she has caused you? It’s OK to be completely honest with yourself. Nobody else has to know. But you do need to understand your real feelings toward this employee so that you can control them. Otherwise, they may sneak out in ways you could regret. You also have to assess the situation honestly. Decide if you might have played a role in creating the difficulty. Have you been butting heads with this employee? Or perhaps you’ve let the worker get away with unacceptable behavior just because it was the easy way out? Have you ignored performance or other problems?

Start with Yourself (cont.) Are you being objective or subjective? Could your judgment be clouded? Keep emotions in check! When dealing with a challenging employee, you also need to make sure that your judgments about this person are objective. Are you evaluating this employee’s performance and behavior by truly objective standards or is there an element of subjectivity involved? Could it be that your judgments about the worker have been clouded by the fact that you really don’t like the person or that he or she rubs you the wrong way? And finally, you need to try to keep your emotions in check when dealing with difficult employees. No matter how frustrated you may feel—remember your position and your professional responsibilities. Before interacting with them, you may need to take a few deep breaths or remind yourself that you are responsible for managing all your employees—the easy ones and the hard ones. The bottom line is that if you are able to manage your own behavior in a positive and professional way, you will have a much easier time managing a difficult employee’s behavior. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Create a Positive Work Environment Encourage mutual respect Be a role model of professional behavior Provide positive feedback Give employees adequate support Let’s now consider the work environment and the effect that it can have on managing difficult employees. You may be able to prevent some of the problems associated with challenging employees simply by creating a positive work environment in which all employees can feel comfortable, valued, and productive. How do you do this? Encourage mutual respect—between co-workers and between your employees and you. With some difficult employees you may need to take that a step further and refuse to allow disrespectful behavior. Be a role model for professional behavior. Show your employees by the way you treat them how you want them to treat one another. Provide positive feedback and praise at every opportunity. People need to know they’re valued and appreciated. Some difficult employees may just be acting out because they don’t feel that their efforts are sufficiently appreciated by you or the organization. Give employees adequate support and provide the resources they need to meet standards and requirements. Nothing will turn an employee bitter and dissatisfied faster than having to struggle to do a good job without your support and the necessary resources.

Which Behaviors Are Problematic? Which behaviors requires you to take action? WHAT IF AN EMPLOYEE . . . Comes in late every day, but is not difficult to work with. Questions a decision you made on a large project. Refuses to cooperate with others in a group project, stating that he would rather work alone. For each of the scenarios you will see on the screen, decide if you think you would need to take action to correct this behavior. An employee comes in late every day, but is otherwise not difficult to work with. This is a behavior that would need to be addressed. Excessive tardiness is a behavior that lends itself to a poor work environment. All employees need to be treated fairly, and if some employees are expected to be on time, this rule needs to apply to everyone. Perhaps you could speak to the employee about a different schedule that may be more accommodating. An employee questions a decision you made on a large project. In this case, no harm has been done. As long as the employee does not outwardly criticize or refuse to comply with your decision, it is OK that an employee questions a decision. It is possible that the employee does not fully understand your decision, or perhaps has a different point of view that you did not consider. How about this one—an employee refuses to cooperate with others in a group, stating that he would rather work alone. This behavior needs correcting. Working successfully usually involves getting along with co-workers. You should explain that the project will not be a success unless all team members work together effectively.

Which Behaviors Are Problematic? (cont.) Displays anger at employees from other departments when asked for information. Has an extremely bad attitude one day, but is generally a pleasant person. For each of the scenarios you will see on the screen, decide if you think you would need to take action to correct this behavior. What if an employee displays anger at employees from other departments when asked for information? This behavior needs to be corrected. This employee is making it difficult for others to get their jobs done effectively, thus leading to decreased productivity and poor morale. In addition, the anger should be carefully monitored—if it escalates, immediate action should be taken to ensure safety. Finally, what about an employee who is generally pleasant to deal with, but who has a very bad attitude one particular day? In this case, you should ask the employee if there is any problem that you can help with. This employee may be dealing with a health or personal issue and may benefit from being referred to the employee assistance program. If the employee is not dealing with major personal issues, keep a close eye on the behavior and address it if it happens again.

Rising to the Challenge Do you understand: The problems challenging employees can create? How to examine your own feelings? How to create a positive work environment? Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information that has been presented so far. Do you understand the problems challenging employees can create in your department? Do you understand what we’ve discussed about examining your own feelings? Do you understand how to create a positive work environment? Now let’s continue by looking at how to handle specific problems often associated with challenging employees.

Focus on Problems, Not Personalities Take a step back Focus on specific behavior or attitudes Identify why it’s a problem Think solely in terms of the job Be objective Write yourself a report When dealing with challenging employees, you need to focus on the work-related problems they create, not on their personalities. This is often hard to do because some people can be difficult. But it’s essential if you’re going to succeed in managing them effectively. Here are some suggestions to put you on the right track: Take a step back and put on your professional hat. Don’t think as you, the person; think as you, the supervisor. Focus on specific behavior or attitudes that are causing problems. Identify specific reasons why this behavior or attitude is a problem—for example, productivity or morale issues. Think solely in terms of the job and the work. Be objective and avoid subjective judgments about the person. Try not to get hung up on personality traits. Write yourself a brief report about the situation. Only include documented facts, no opinions, theories, or personal issues. Seeing the situation on paper can help you identify and objectify the key problems. And then you can start dealing with them one by one. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Lack of Cooperation Expect cooperation Evaluate cooperative behavior Counsel uncooperative employees Ask for an explanation Remind employees that they’re part of a team Monitor One of the biggest problems with challenging employees is that they can be uncooperative and unwilling or unable to work productively with others. To encourage cooperation, you can: Explain that you expect your employees to cooperate with you, with one another, and with people in other parts of the organization. Tell employees that cooperation is one of the points on which their performance will be evaluated and that raises and promotions will depend in part on a cooperative attitude and behavior. Whenever an employee fails to cooperate, take the person aside and point out that he or she is not cooperating. Then identify the specific problems created by this lack of cooperation. Ask the employee to explain the reason for this lack of cooperation. This may give you some valuable insight into what makes this employee so difficult to work with. If an underlying problem is uncovered that explains the lack of cooperation, deal with this problem. Remind the employee that he or she is part of a work team and that cooperation is essential to effective teamwork. Monitor to see if the situation improves. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Attendance Review attendance policy Discuss the problem Explain the consequences Document problems Apply progressive discipline Another possible problem associated with challenging employees is their disregard for attendance and punctuality. The best approach here is a direct one: Review company policy on attendance and punctuality with the employee. In fact, give the employee a copy of the policy and ask him or her to read it in your presence. Sit down with the employee and ask why he or she is often absent or coming in late. Perhaps there is a family problem or some other problem you can help the employee solve. Give the employee the opportunity to explain why lateness or absences are occurring—see if together you can find something on the company policy that can help. Ask if the employee has any questions about the policy. Explain the consequences of future attendance problems. Document the discussion of all attendance problems. Apply progressive discipline if necessary. Often showing difficult people that you’re serious and that you have no intention of letting them get away with their unacceptable behavior can make a big difference. Setting limits and imposing consequences could help turn the problem around. Think about the requirements of the organization’s attendance policy and how they affect how you counsel employees with attendance problems.

Poor Performance Unclear expectations Inadequate skills or knowledge Workplace conflict Poor attitude Challenging employees often have performance problems as well. Their performance may be below average because of negative attitudes or behavior. It’s also possible that the negative attitude or behavior might be a symptom of a performance problem. In other words, the employee might be having problems on the job, but instead of asking for help, acts like he or she doesn’t care or acts inappropriately every time he or she tries to help. Either way, you need to take action. When performance is an issue, be sure to look at these possibilities: Unclear expectations. Performance problems may occur when an employee doesn’t know or understand the standards that must be met. You need to be certain that all employees know exactly what is expected for each task they perform. Inadequate skills or knowledge. When employees lack necessary skills or knowledge to perform a job well, they’re likely to fail. Be sure to assess required knowledge, skills, and competencies for each job, and then make sure employees get appropriate training. Workplace conflict. Conflict with you or co-workers may result in performance problems. To solve this problem, determine the cause of the conflict and work with those in conflict to resolve issues. There is a possibility that the employee simply does not want to change. In order to help an employee to change a poor attitude in a positive way, the employee must first be willing to change, otherwise your efforts will be futile.

Personal Issues Health problems Personal, financial, or family issues Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave Performance problems on the job might also be the result of an employee’s personal problems. An employee who appears to be difficult at work might just be having problems in other areas of life, which could be spilling over into the workplace. Look for possibilities such as these: Health problems. Sometimes performance problems are due to a medical condition. In some cases, the employee may not be aware of how the health problem is affecting his or her work. If time off from work may help, the employee may be eligible to take leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, or regular sick leave. Personal, financial, or family problems. If an employee is moody or irritable and difficult to deal with, it could be that personal or family problems are really to blame. If that’s the case, recommend counseling and refer the employee to your employee assistance program. In addition, the employee may qualify for a family or medical leave of absence under federal or state FMLA laws. You may consider referring the employee to HR to discuss that possibility. Do you know the proper procedures for referring an employee for counseling?

Anger Find out the cause Explain why it’s a problem Recommend professional help Provide a safe workplace Last but not least, when dealing with challenging employees, you may have the problem of anger. While it’s normal for people to get angry occasionally, some employees seem to be angry all the time. What can you do? Talk to the employee and try to find out what’s causing all the anger. Explain that this behavior is upsetting co-workers and making it difficult for people to work with the employee. If the employee is unable to control his or her anger, or fails to understand the problem, recommend professional help. Refer the employee to your employee assistance program. Finally, remember that you have a responsibility to provide your employees with a safe work environment. An employee who makes threats or acts out physically needs to be disciplined appropriately under your violence prevention policy. Do you know the requirements of the organization’s violence prevention policy concerning employees who threaten or commit acts of violence in the workplace?

Exercise Choose all that apply If an employee is unable/unwilling to cooperate, you should: Explain that raises and promotions are based on the employee’s ability to cooperate. Point out each time he or she fails to cooperate. Immediately discipline the employee to set an example of zero tolerance. Ask the employee to explain the reason for the lack of cooperation. In this exercise, decide which actions are acceptable in each situation. Select all that apply in each case. What should you do if an employee is unable or unwilling to cooperate? The correct answers are, you should explain that raises and promotions are based on the employee’s ability to cooperate, point out to the employee each time he or she fails to cooperate, and ask the employee to explain the reason for the lack of cooperation. You should not immediately discipline the employee until you find out the reason for the behavior. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Exercise (cont.) Choose all that apply If an employee is performing poorly, you should: Be certain that expectations are clear. Assume there is a problem at home and hope the employee improves over time. Assess required skills and competencies for the job and be sure the employee gets appropriate training. Determine if there is a conflict with other employees and help to resolve the issues. Decide which actions are acceptable in each situation. Select all that apply in this case. What should you do if an employee is performing poorly? In this case, you should be certain that expectations are clear, assess required skills and competencies for the job and be sure the employee gets appropriate training, and determine if there is a conflict with other employees and help to resolve the issues. You should not just hope the problem goes away on its own. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Exercise (cont.) Choose all that apply If an employee is angry all the time, you should: Assume it’s the employee’s personality—some people are naturally angry Talk to the employee to figure out the problem Recommend professional help Follow your organization’s violence prevention program Again, decide which actions are acceptable in each situation. Select all that apply in this case. What if an employee is angry all the time? In this case you should talk to the employee to figure out the problem, recommend professional help, if necessary, and follow your organization’s violence prevention program to be sure everyone stays safe. Even if the person has a naturally bad attitude, this is not an appropriate way to act at work. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Questions? Do you understand how to: Focus on the problems? Avoid focusing on personalities? Do you understand what we’ve discussed about the importance of: Focusing on performance problems? Not focusing on personalities? Now let’s put the information we’ve discussed together and review with a four-step strategy for dealing with challenging employees.

Respond Positively to Challenging Workers Explain your concerns Give specific examples Offer suggestions Avoid criticizing Step one in dealing effectively with challenging employees is to always respond positively and fairly—even in the face of negative behavior and attitudes. Explain your concerns, using statements that will help to calmly discuss the difficult behavior. For example, “I’ve noticed that you are having conflicts with a number of your co-workers. What do you think the problem is? What do you think we can do to resolve these problems?” Give specific examples: “In today’s meeting, you brought up possible problems before I finished explaining the plan.” Offer suggestions for changing the behavior and be open to the employee’s ideas. For example, if the employee is always late finishing assignments, try to find out why. Offer suggestions to help the employee meet work deadlines. Avoid criticizing or judging. Don’t blame or criticize the employee personally. Just focus on problems and solutions. Don’t show anger or other negative emotions. © BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1408

Respond Positively to Challenging Workers (cont.) Stay focused Be firm State your willingness to help Agree on an action plan Stay focused on the subject. Don’t get sidetracked—or let the employee get sidetracked onto unimportant issues. Be firm. Use statements instead of questions. For example, “You’ve missed your last three deadlines. Please explain why this is happening.” State your willingness to help solve problems. Agree on an action plan for improvement, and tell the employee you would like to speak again in a few days or weeks to see how he or she is progressing, and to see if there is anything you might be able to do to help improve performance. Think about face-to-face sessions you’ve had with challenging employees. Did you use some of these strategies? If it didn’t turn out well, how did the situation turn out? How could you have handled the situation more effectively?

Consider the Employee’s Side of the Story Feeling unappreciated Having a legitimate concern Experiencing stress Having legitimate issues Step number two is to always consider the employee’s side of the situation. For example, an employee who is acting difficult might actually be: Feeling unappreciated or unfairly treated Having a legitimate concern or question about a job or procedure Experiencing stress or difficulties you don’t know about Having legitimate issues with you or other employees that need to be addressed Think about other possible causes for an employee’s difficult negative behavior or attitudes that you might discover by letting the employee talk while you simply listen.

Look Before You Leap Give a fair hearing Investigate Follow procedures carefully Look at all evidence objectively Step number three is to look before you leap. In other words, before taking any action against a difficult employee, consider the following: Give all employee concerns a fair hearing. Investigate the matter completely before making any judgments. Follow procedures carefully when investigating problems that might have legal implications such as complaints about safety violations, sexual harassment, or discrimination. Try to look at all the evidence objectively. Do you know the proper procedures for investigating employee complaints? Who could you consult for assistance?

Follow Up Make sure the problem has been solved Give positive feedback Point out remaining problems Continue to monitor And finally, always be sure to follow up on all interactions with challenging employees. Make sure that the situation has really been solved. Give the employee positive feedback about improved behavior or attitudes. Point out any remaining problems and agree on an action plan for solving them. Continue to monitor the situation until you’re sure that change is permanent. Follow up with your Human Resources representative to be sure everything has been documented in the employee’s records. It’s also a good idea to get HR involved from the very beginning when you think there may be a problem so you can coordinate your efforts and come up with solutions that are best for both the employee and the organization.

Quiz What are the four steps to dealing effectively with challenging employees? 1. Respond positively and fairly 2. Consider the employee’s side of the situation 3. Look before you leap—meaning, investigate before you take action against a difficult employee In this exercise, see if you can remember the four steps to dealing effectively with challenging employees. The four steps are: Respond positively and fairly. Consider the employee’s side of the situation. Look before you leap—meaning investigate before you take action against a difficult employee. Follow up on all interactions. 4. Follow up on all interactions

Key Points to Remember Never ignore a problem Manage your own feelings Create a positive work environment Focus on problems, not personalities Use positive strategies Here are the main points to remember from this session on managing challenging employees. Never ignore a problem just because an employee is difficult to deal with. Begin to solve the problem by managing your own feelings about challenging employees. Create a positive work environment in which all employees can perform well. Focus on problems, not personalities, when dealing with challenging employees. Use positive strategies to change negative behavior and attitudes. This concludes the How to Manage Challenging Employees training session.