Volume 2 Issue 1

Problem Employees?
Quality Employees

How can we turn "problem employees" into "quality employees"? It's not that difficult, we just have to know how!

The first step is to understand the reasons why some people don't do what they are supposed to do. With few exceptions, I believe that employees who develop attitudinal/behavioral problems do so because of ineffective management. Managers first need to focus their attention on identifying the reasons for such behaviors. Secondly, managers need to work with the employee to eradicate those reasons. When the root of any problem is identified then eliminated, the symptoms go away.

I believe most people at work do most of what they are supposed to do most of the time. They are cooperative, hard working, and dependable. They take pride in their work, arrive on time, and are conscious of quality. Some will even go beyond the call of duty and often perform outside their realm of responsibilities.

There are also those whom we label "problem employees". Although a minority, they are known to cause significant ongoing problems because of their negative attitudes. They are quick to make commitments but rarely abide by them offering countless reason why they were not able to get the job done. When asked to do something, they become argumentative, even defiant. They tend to complain a lot, resist change and point the finger at others when mistakes are made. They also spent a lot of time "badmouthing" the company and "bashing" management. This type of employee is the most difficult one to deal with and largely contributes to a manager's frustration and stress levels.

Several years ago, I worked in manufacturing. People in my department were doing a great job. I felt fortunate to have such a good team. I also recognized that two individuals in particular were "problem employees". I sat down with both of them and communicated my observations. I told them they had a bad attitude and demanded the need for them to change. When they left my office, I thought that things were going to be different. Guess what? Nothing changed. I got more and more frustrated and angry to the point where I resented their presence. I separated them and assigned the types of job where my dealings with them were kept to a minimum. I told them if they continued to have a "bad attitude", they would be out the door. It wasn't until some time later that I realized I had made a huge mistake. I had managed to motivate these two employees to continue being "problem employees". I wasn't managing the problem, I had become part of it. I was guilty of management malpractice.

The first mistake I made was refusing to take any responsibility for the problem. I proceeded to blame the individuals without trying to understand the reasons why they behaved the way they did. My approach was critical and one-sided. It didn't take long for the rest of the crew to notice that I had isolated both employees. That was my second mistake. I had inadvertently sent a message to everyone that inappropriate behavior was tolerated. In their eyes, I had rewarded two employees for not doing what they were supposed to do.

I then sat down with each employee, separately. This time, my objective was to understand the root cause of the problem and the only way I could do that was to encourage open communication. Being critical and accusatory is not the way to motivate people to open up and tell you what's on their mind. The only way to achieve open communication is to remain calm, communicate positively and above all, be respectful. To my surprise, both employees were quite open. I focused on listening to what they were saying. Their issues were valid. The reason for their negative attitudes turned out to be that both of them had communicated the same concerns over a period of time to my boss and his boss. They responded by saying they would look after it. Three months had passed without feedback or resolution. Both employees felt that the company didn't care about them. They felt ignored and unimportant so why should they care about the company. I committed to look after their concerns as soon as possible, and did. As a result of our discussions, both "problem employees", in a very short time, managed to get themselves back on track and became "quality employees".

As managers, we have the right to expect quality performance and appropriate behavior from our employees. We are empowered to not only communicate those expectations but also to correct unacceptable performance and behavior in our departments. The key to being successful at it is knowing how to do it!

Robert Cotes is president of The Management Development Group and a regular contributor to InCharge.