Employees often form the very backbone of an organisation, and the way a leader interacts with them influences the company’s culture to a large extent. Often, employee problems start with leadership decisions rather than employees. Let us examine where the friction occurs, how to handle difficult employees in such situations and dos and don’ts while managing employees.
Where does the friction occur?
Conflicts arising between members of a team in an organisation aren’t entirely uncommon and can be challenging for leaders to resolve. Typically, this occurs due to factors such as ineffective processes, unclear expectations or goals and insufficient understanding, resulting in additional workload and workplace resentment. Another common yet genuine cause of friction is micromanagement, where the senior tries to supervise every detail and task handled by individual employees. It is essential for leaders to resolve friction as soon as possible so that it doesn’t escalate further.
Before we go into the dos and don’ts while handling employees, let us see a specific case on how to deal with difficult employees. This is significant since the basic rules won’t necessarily work for outliers, i.e., the employees who cause trouble and are difficult to manage.
How to deal with difficult employees?
Managers can follow a few steps to avoid burnout while handling challenging employees.
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Listen to them: Set aside time to listen to the employee’s perspective completely. This will give clarity on the situation and help decide whether the issue can be solved or not. The employee will feel heard, as well.
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Provide behavioural feedback: Providing feedback can be difficult, but specific and constructive feedback helps employees work on improvement while also reducing defensiveness.
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Capture essential information: Note down instances of the employee’s bad behaviour, as it can serve as evidence if termination becomes necessary.
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Define consequences: Employees are unlikely to change behaviour unless clear consequences are attached. Managers should set a clear timeline for expected behavioural change, with defined consequences such as missed promotions or formal warnings if improvement isn’t shown.
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Stay courageous: Letting an employee go is never easy, but there are times when leaders have to make that call, no matter how uncomfortable it feels. Good managers handle these moments with professionalism, while also staying open to revisiting their judgment if the employee genuinely improves.
With this context in mind, let us move into the crux of the topic in the next section.
What are the dos and don’ts while dealing with employees?
Having a framework of dos and don’ts can help in dealing with employees in a better way.
Dos:
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Set clear guidelines: Clearly communicate all rules and expectations to new hires. This includes rules pertaining to dress code, punctuality, codes of conduct and policies regarding harassment.
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Make managers responsible: Senior leaders hire managers with an objective to supervise the performance and productivity of various teams. Make them accountable for performance assessments and delivering consistently from the perspective of specific metrics.
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Keep a consistent professional report: Both the environment and company culture are crucial for a healthy professional equation. Irrespective of whether it is a formal or informal environment, managers must avoid discriminating between employees on the basis of their social or economic status or their personal relationships.
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Log every misstep: Note down all necessary details like performance reviews, formal warnings, disciplinary measures and maintain them in the respective employees’ records. This will give you evidence to maintain your stance if issues arise. It can help in supporting your case instead of going to court.
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Promote regular breaks: Develop a culture that encourages time-offs - motivate your employees to take their lunch breaks and utilise their vacation leaves. When employees see the manager emphasising boundaries and rest, they will feel safe taking leave and thereby avoid burnout. In the long run, this will reduce employee retention and increase productivity.
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Provide work flexibility: Senior leaders need to understand that not all employees function their best in the specific 9-5 time band - some work more productively in the morning, while some work more productively in the late evening. There are times when they may need to stay home and work. Provide flexible work schedules based on their requirements. This will make sure productivity is maintained, and the employee is also not under pressure.
Don’ts:
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Don’t assume rules are known: A common mistake leaders commit is assuming that employees are aware of the rules, responsibilities and processes within the organisation. Share the employee handbook with every employee, ensuring they read, understand and sign it to acknowledge receipt. This will prompt them to go through policies thoroughly, which reduces the risk.
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Avoid over-reliance on individual styles: Sometimes, companies tend to emphasise certain supervising styles of specific individuals as a way to retrain and reprimand their team members. This happens while implementing employee discipline policies. It is better to have an HR-led disciplinary process in place to minimise legal risks.
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Steer clear of favouritism: This can be hard for managers who have a personal equation with employees outside work or tend to praise top performers consistently. They need to guarantee that their behaviour isn’t misinterpreted as retaliation or harassment and doesn’t get them into trouble.
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Don’t ignore ongoing issues: Leaders should never solve HR grievances through talk. Instead, they must note down everything and follow a structured process to resolve issues.
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Don’t consider wellness as a one-time effort: When leaders introduce employee wellness programs, they should not consider it as a one-time thing. These programs become fruitful only with consistent efforts and commitment. A few initiatives that support well-being include counselling for mental health, resources for stress management, fitness programs and medical service provision. Additionally, leaders should not assume employees will seek help for mental health, as it is still stigmatised - they should support conversations around the topic to make individuals feel more at ease.
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Avoid overloading employees with tasks: Leaders should make sure old tasks are closed before creating new ones. Employees end up with stress when too many tasks are expected to be wrapped up within a short frame of time, which ultimately leads to burnout. Provide employees with realistic deadlines and adequate resources to complete their work effectively.
Managing employees is not about authority and control but leading with clarity and consistency. Most issues at work often arise from friction caused by unclear expectations or leadership decisions. By addressing these challenges well, leaders can build strong relationships with their employees and create organisations where people feel valued and want to grow together.
