Have you ever had to lead or work with an employee who was never happy and created a lot of chaos? This employee is likely very hard to manage, doesn't get along with others, is impossible to trust (or all of the above). Usually, the most difficult part is not to identify those “employees from he!!” but to figure out what to do about them.
It is amazing to me how much damage one employee can do to your team and ultimately your business results. I have been helping several clients through difficult employee situations lately and thought I'd share some tips.
Tips for Managing Employees from He$$
#1 Try to avoid bad hires
This would need to be another post or series but evaluate your hiring and try to maximize your process it to minimize bad hires.
#2 Address issues early
If you hire someone and quickly recognize that there are likely to be performance and/or behavior issues, use the first 90 days (probationary period) to manage them out.
#3 Document
Document situations/issues/behavior as they occur. You will need this information to provide feedback, coaching, counseling and corrective action if it comes to that.
#4 Develop and Implement Team Guidelines
I mentioned team guidelines in the post last week about drama at work. This can be a really good strategy for having the team agree on behavioral standards and hold each other accountable for the guidelines they develop.
#5 Use Your Values
In my experience, leaders often struggle with how to deal with behavioral problems as they aren't as cut and dry as performance issues. But you CAN do it! Document negative behaviors as mentioned above and use lack of adherence to your organization's Core Values as the standard. For example, teamwork or something similar is often a core value. If they aren't demonstrating behaviors to that end, use the values to hold them accountable.
#6 Don't put off addressing their performance or behavior
The more you wait, the more things will escalate-look, I made a rhyme:)
#7 Use the 5 C's of Accountability
I like to use the 5 C's to drive accountability.
C - Clarity of expectations
C - Courage to have conversations
C - Collaborate with the other person where possible on goals/outcomes
C - Consistency in terms of regular feedback - and ensuring that you are being fair and consistent
C - Corrective action if the above C's don't work!
In Conclusion
It has often been stated that 80% of managerial time is taken up by 20% of the workforce. The idea that such a small number of individuals can garner so much time and attention is truly alarming.
If you are a manager or an HR person dealing with this type of employee, use the tips above to deal with them swiftly and effectively. Of course, our goal is always to help employees become successful but, if this isn't happening, manage them out before they create a toxic work environment.
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