How to Handle a Problem Employee

Employee behavior can be toxic to your team…

Managing sometimes means having to make the difficult decisions. It is great to work with a team that acts as a well-oiled machine and rarely needs supervision, but sometimes a problem arises and you have to step in. How do you deal with an employee causing a problem in the office? Here are some tips to start with.

Listen to all sides.

Not all situations are unsolvable. The most important thing you can do in many cases is simply listen to each person affected. You may find that there are easy solutions.

Provide clear feedback.

When someone is causing trouble in the office, you need to address it. Don’t address the concept in a general meeting. Have a face-to-face conversation with only the person in question.

Document everything.

Throughout this process, you should document everything. Any complaint made by another member of your team, every conversation you have with the problem employee and any improvements or continued behavior. Ensure everything is in writing and included in each personnel file.

Recognize the effect on others.

A problem employee isn’t the only person affected by the employee’s actions. Negative behavior spreads quickly, so if you see others picking up the bad habits, take action. This negative behavior can be toxic to your team. Address the issue swiftly to minimize the effect on the rest of your staff.

Take final action.

The last resort for dealing with a problem employee should be termination. You should give people an opportunity to improve their performance, but if after several tries nothing improves, they must be let go. This should not come as a surprise if you’ve provided feedback along the way. While termination can be tough, it is often the best thing to be done for the success of the business and perhaps even the ultimately happiness of the employee.

You cannot terminate an employee for the following reasons:

1. If the employee is performing a public obligation such as voting, serving on jury duty or serving in a military reserve unit.
2. Refusing to commit an illegal act such as participating in a price-fixing scheme, committing perjury or refusing to report an employer’s wrongdoing.
3. Discrimination.
4. Filing a complaint against the company.

You can terminate an employee for the following reasons:

1. Poor performance.
2. Consistent absences or showing up late for work.
3. Performing illegal acts.
4. Falsified information on a job application.
5. Violation of company policies.

Be careful in the termination process. Emotions can be high and there is little reason to inflame the emotions by acting unprofessional. The terminated employee may become bitter and say bad things to your customers. Try to get the process completed with a minimum of anger, emotion or bad will.

Do you have a problem employee in your office? Learn more about managing HR Processes for your employees.

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