Running head: HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT WORKERS

How to Deal With Difficult Workers

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HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT WORKERS

How to Deal With Difficult Workers

Nearly all managers have encountered a difficult employee in their organizations.
Difficult workers fall in two categories. The first category is those workers who have skill-based
performance problems. This category of difficult employees can be dealt with by providing
coaching and training. For instance, a front office employee may become a difficult worker
simply because he/she lacks customer service skills. Such employees can be helped by training
them on the necessary skills relevant to their role. In turn, they will give back to the organization
by being productive and motivated to stay with the company because they know how to succeed
in their job (Brinkman & Kirschner, 2006).
The second category of difficult workers is those who face performance issues that
cannot be remedied through training. Such employees may be rude, always late in reporting to
work, have attitude problems or lack the ability to get along well with other employees. These
are behavioral problems that cannot be dealt with through training. These type of workers are the
most difficult to manage (Brinkman & Kirschner, 2006). In dealing with these employees, Osif
(2005) suggests that the most important thing for managers is to confront the action and not the
individual.
Regardless of the type of difficult employees, managers and supervisors should take
control of such situations whenever they arise. Liff (2007) argues that one of the major reasons
why managers and supervisors are always hesitant to deal with difficult workers is because the
actions taken can easily spin out of control. Sooner than later, a difficult employee may take
legal action against the company under regulatory, contractual, or statutory protections. This may
place the manager or the supervisor in a defensive position. As a result, the manager or
supervisor may spend more of his time addressing a workers complaints, and he may regret why
he acted in the first place.
In dealing with difficult workers, it is recommended that supervisors or managers should
tackle the problem immediately it occurs. The longer the problem remains unaddressed, the more
complex it becomes, leading to more issues, additional complaints, more supervisors time spent
on the problem and more employees are drawn into the situation. With nearly all difficult
workers, the best strategy is to tackle the problem head-on as soon as possible. In some
instances, a counseling session with the problem employee is sufficient in determining the main
cause of the problem and come up with a mutually agreeable solution. However, some problems
are much deeper and call for much strong action. Under these circumstances, an employee must
understand that the organization`s management is serious and committed toward changing
his/her behavior. The difficult employee or employees should be equally informed and sign a
warning letter indicating that in the event that he/she fails to change the unacceptable behavior,
the company will terminate his/her employment relationship.
Finally, dealing with difficult workers requires managers or supervisors to be effective in
communication. Good communication techniques can improve on the manager-employee
relationship and enhance employee productivity. A manager or a supervisor who does not know
how to interact with the different employees under his control, can easily destroy team spirit and
worsen the problems associated with difficult workers. Effective communication is central to
addressing behavioral problems (Lilley, 2010). For example, one-on-one interaction between a
manager and a difficult worker can help an employee attain a permanent change in behavior.

HOW TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT WORKERS

References
Brinkman, R. & Kirschner, R. (2006). Dealing with difficult people. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Liff, S. (2007). Managing government employees (1st ed.). New York: American Management
Association.
Lilley, R. (2010). Dealing with difficult people. London: Kogan Page.
Osif, B. (2005). Managers bookshelf: Personality and the workplace: Difficult employees.
Library Leadership and Management, 19(4), 212-217.