How to deal with a difficult employee (With tips to try)

One of the most important aspects to consider when leading a team or running a business is managing difficult employees and disruptive behaviors. There's always the potential for an employee to become difficult. It's best to put effort into creating a positive work environment for all team members and address any problematic employees immediately upon noticing their behavior. Let's take a closer look at the impact of problematic team members, how to deal with difficult employees, and tips you can apply in your workplace.

What is a difficult employee?

A difficult employee is someone who exhibits behaviors and habits that negatively affect their coworkers and productivity. There are several signs to look out for when identifying difficult employees, one of the most obvious being poor performance. Another indication that an employee is difficult is when they struggle with employee engagement. This can include being uncooperative when working on a team, being unresponsive to feedback from their manager, and being combative and unaccountable when asked about mistakes.

Similarly, an employee who's resistant to company changes is often classified as difficult, as they can make it hard to adopt new practices and regulations by giving pushback. Some key examples of these traits in employees include explicitly undermining the authority of their supervisor, having a bad attitude, and producing subpar work.

How do difficult employees impact the workplace?

Problem employees in the workplace can negatively impact everyone around them. This is because someone with a poor attitude or who constantly fights against authority often makes other employees feel stressed, which can cause them to develop bad attitudes as well. Similarly, when a difficult employee consistently underperforms, the people around them may begin slacking off or adopting subpar work habits themselves.

When thinking about how to manage a difficult employee, it's important to remember that setting a good example for everyone in the workplace should be one of the main goals. This is because employees who display poor behaviors and attitudes can cause other employees to mimic them, creating more problematic employees to manage. When you prioritize correcting problematic behaviors and rewarding employees for their growth, you'll encourage other employees to follow suit. Doing so can increase employee retention and satisfaction, which can both be affected by difficult employees.

"Problem employees in the workplace can negatively impact everyone around them. This is because someone with a poor attitude or who constantly fights against authority often makes other employees feel stressed, which can cause them to develop bad attitudes as well."

How to deal with a difficult employee

Here are a few key tips for dealing with a difficult employee:

Try to identify potentially difficult employees before hiring

One of the most effective ways to deal with a difficult employee is to identify them during the hiring process and opt for a different candidate. You can do this by asking behavioral interview questions in addition to the regular questions that evaluate skills and experience. By asking behavioral interview questions, you can gauge candidates' attitudes and culture fit, which will help you avoid hiring someone who might impact the workplace negatively.

While you can't use this tip if you're dealing with a difficult employee who already works for you, you can still try this method during your next hiring wave to reduce the potential of taking on a problem employee.

Determine the root of the issue

When you notice an employee being difficult, the first step you can take is identifying the root cause of the problem. This will guide you in determining the best course of action to correct the poor behavior. For example, if someone is underperforming, you might discover that they don't feel challenged enough at work and are rushing through their assignments. As a solution, you might add them to a more complicated project or ask them to take on more responsibility to better use their skills and expertise.

Focus on employee behavior

While it may be tempting to attribute certain difficult habits to an employee's personality, it's best to focus only on their behavior. This is because being supportive and understanding can encourage the employees to want to better themselves, and it will likely make them more inclined to take your advice for fixing the problem. For instance, instead of writing someone off as a negative person, identify specific examples of times they've come off as negative in the past so they know how they can adjust their behavior.

Ask for feedback

One of the most important parts of managing difficult employees is asking for feedback from them and other employees in your workplace. This allows the employee causing problems to share their concerns, which might help you address their behavior quickly. Similarly, asking for feedback from the difficult employee's coworkers might reveal specific problems you can address and the concrete impacts the problem employee has had on the workplace. This will make it easier to create a clear plan for improvement.

Give clear directions

To ensure any difficult employees understand the changes they need to make to be in good standing at work, be sure to give clear instructions when addressing these types of problems. For instance, instead of saying, "You're underperforming and need to do better," you might offer directions like, "These three assignments came in late, so I need your next three assignments in by the deadlines to be sure you're making progress." Providing clear directions will give people actionable steps they can take and improve their chances of fixing their problem behaviors permanently.

Set concrete expectations and consequences

As important as it is to give clear instructions, it's equally essential to set clear expectations and consequences for difficult behavior. This tells employees which behaviors are acceptable and expected of them and outlines what will happen if they don't adhere to these guidelines.

By doing this, you can prevent more employees from developing difficult behaviors, as they'll want to avoid the consequences. It can also help difficult employees improve themselves, as they'll have a deeper understanding of what you expect from them and know that you have a plan of action if they don't meet these expectations.

Keep track of progress and reward improvements

When addressing the behaviors of difficult employees, it's crucial to track their progress. This gives you the chance to adjust your mentoring strategies if your methods aren't helping the employee improve. Some ways you can do this are by assessing the quality of their work, keeping a report of your observations, and hosting regular one-on-one meetings with the employee.

As you notice the team member improving and succeeding, use employee incentives and rewards to show your appreciation. This shows them that their dedication and commitment to development isn't going unnoticed, which can encourage them to continue working hard and abandoning their difficult behaviors.

If you're wondering what's the best way to deal with a difficult employee, there's no one right answer. The best course of action for your company will depend on who you're dealing with and what they respond to. It's beneficial to try several strategies for managing difficult employees. By doing so, you'll foster a better work environment for all team members and encourage problematic employees to improve themselves.