Is an employee making your workplace an unpleasant environment for fellow workers? Have you received multiple complaints about their bad behavior and actions? Here’s what you need to do.
Have an Open Conversation
To get to the bottom of the problem, you need to know what’s causing it in the first place. Is their recent bad behavior or poor performance an unusual development? Have they always had this particular attitude, or is it a new change you’ve observed? If it’s the latter, it might be due to a personal issue or a recent workplace incident. If they’ve always held a similar attitude, then there must be a reason for that as well. The only way you’ll find out is by communicating directly with that employee. Invite them to your office and have a polite but firm conversation regarding their behavior. Ask them if they’ve been having trouble with their colleagues, or if they’re stressed about a non-work related issue. Be empathetic and friendly, and encourage them to be honest about what’s bothering them. In doing so, you’ll be able to understand better what their recent behavior has been stemming from. That said; do let them know that this attitude needs to be improved.
Collaborate With Other Employees
Now that you’ve discovered the cause of the problem, you need to come up with a way to resolve it. However, things get trickier if the root of the problem is a workplace feud or an argument between two or more employees. In this case, you’ll need to collaborate with all of the members involved. Has there been a conflict of opinions while devising and implementing marketing strategies? Does a team member feel bullied or disrespected because of this particular employee? Has the employee been disrupting others’ work in any way? Once you begin getting complains about an employee’s bad behavior, don’t ignore them. Instead, work together with both parties involved through an open dialogue. In some cases, the employee may be reacting against a certain company policy. Since this is directly impacting your company’s productivity and culture, this needs to be addressed at the earliest.
Make a Definitive Plan of Action
Sometimes, the problem calls for more than just dialogue. If all the amicable communicating doesn’t work, then it’s time for you to develop a more effective plan of action. This means that you need to settle the issue once and for all. If the employee continues to engage in troublesome and conflicting behavior, then they’re directly threatening your company’s productivity and reputation. You may be hesitant to take a strict course of action in fear of losing them, but trust us, it’s worse if you take no action at all. Determine exactly how far you’re willing to let this go. Will a temporary leave of absence make things better? Do you need to let them go for good? Ultimately, your company’s as good as your employees and this sure isn’t helping your cause. Avoid messy situations such as these and have an outsourcing HR service take care of it! HR Business Partners in Minneapolis provides a range of human resources services, including employee handbook designing, managing benefits and compliance packages, and setting up an HR department for your company. Get in touch with our team to learn more about our services!