Do you know an employee who seems to see only the worst in every situation, whines about their work responsibilities, resists engaging in a conversation, or chronically exhibits behaviors that others find difficult?

Employees who are difficult to manange exist in every work setting. They may be difficult to manage because they are hostile, silent, negative, or chronic complainers. Their behavior and manner of relating to co-workers and supervisors causes stress in work relationships, interferes with productivity, and undermines the morale of co-workers. Encounters with the difficult employee may leave co-workers feeling angry, helpless, hopeless, or de-energized. These difficult to manage employees are often assets to the organization because of their skills and knowledge, yet as they attempt to fulfill their work responsibilities, their behavior becomes increasingly more difficult for co-workers and supervisors to manage.

What do you do to manage these difficult employees in a manner that allows the organization to benefit from their skills and knowledge?

While it is not possible to change the difficult employee, it is possible to change the reaction of those who are at the receiving end of the behaviors. Implementing new responses to the behaviors of the difficult employee allows the opportunity to create a dialogue that contributes to cooperative working relationships and the completion of work responsibilities.

Changing the response to a difficult employee begins with identifying the specific difficult behaviors of the employee. While each difficult employee has their own individual personality and behaviors, there are indicators that allow them to be grouped into six types.

Understanding what motivates each of the six types of difficult employees is the next step in successfully managing the behavior. The motivation provides clues for the next step in successfully managing the difficult employee, learning the appropriate verbal and non-verbal responses.

There are specific phrases, questions, and non-verbal cues that increase the likelihood of a productive interaction with a difficult employee. When co-workers and supervisors learn and implement these responses, they are in a position to build a cooperative working relationship with “their” difficult employee.

To learn more about managing difficult people, contact Total Training Solutions at 630.585.1168.