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In business and in management there are 90% of your employees who function at least at the minimum level while there are 10% that give you 90% of the headaches. These difficult and disgruntled employees can soak up your time dealing with their “drama” that can detract from the productivity of your business. When other employees become affected by their behavior it is time to act. There are a number of caveats when attempting to handle difficult employees. These caveats include potential lawsuits, further commotion in the work place and the image or impression you give other workers. Failure to recognize these caveats and deal with them appropriately can cause additional damage to your operations and in turn affect your bottom line. Lawsuits: The best way to avoid lawsuits is to be fair in all decisions and base these decisions on documentation. Making a fair and just decision requires that you have all of the information necessary to come to a reasonable conclusion. For example, if you simply assume the employee is guilty because he/she is not liked in the organization it will leave you exposed for legal damages. Gather the facts, put them into a file and justify your decisions. The second method of avoiding lawsuits is to document any discussions, performance reviews or discipline that you have given the employee. Build a “case” to be used incase you are dragged into court. These documents allow the employee to be informed about the problems they are causing and gives them a reasonable opportunity to improve. Hearsay and testimony is important but what sweetens the cake is the paperwork. Arbitrators, lawyers and Judges love to make decisions based upon the documented facts. Commotion in the Workplace: Employees who are unhappy and disgruntled often do not get along with their coworkers. They are difficult to talk to, are slow in providing information and love to spread rumors. Such people would be much happier working somewhere else if they could find another job. Handling these commotions is difficult to manage but is possible if you tighten up your processes. Once an issue becomes apparent the employee(s) causing the “drama” can sign a counseling report stating “any further problems should be brought to (Your Name) attention. Failure to bring these problems to (your name) attention or failure to maintain confidentiality can lead to further discipline up to and including termination.” By placing these employees on “notice” you are letting them know your expectations and covering yourself incase they continue to spread the rumors. Employees should know that you are serious about squelching rumors and commotion before it gets out of hand. This can only happen if you are willing to take action. Impression of Other Workers: The perception you give other employees about how you handle issues is important. It is not uncommon that owners/managers unwittingly give impressions of being arbitrary, unfair and unjust. They do this through giving preferential treatment and surrounding themselves with close associates that appear to have different terms of employment than everyone else. Before making assumptions about a disgruntled employee, be sure to investigate and know whether or not they have a justified cause. If they have been treated unfairly then make amends and protect your image. Failure to manage your image will leave employees with an impression that the company doesn’t care about them. Murad Ali, a two-time published author, writes articles and offers advertisement space for businesses. Visit http://www.thenewbusinessworld.blogspot.com
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