Dealing with difficult employees

Information Outlook, Feb, 2005 by Debbie Schachter

One of the most difficult aspects of supervision and management is managing staffing problems. Such problems may include poor work habits, lack of motivation or interest in the work, conflicts between staff members, bullying, and other interpersonal problems. As a supervisor of one or more employees, your job is to identify problems and attempt to resolve them as swiftly and appropriately as possible. It is often easy to ignore problems or avoid addressing them, in the hope that they'll just disappear; it takes effort and motivation to recognize a problem and try to solve it. Especially when a problem employee is involved, it is tempting to avoid confronting the person directly.

When a library manager chooses not to address ongoing problems, the impact of that decision on the work environment is significant. Failure to address problems leads other employees to lose motivation and feel undervalued, especially if they have sought assistance from their manager. "One of the most common workplace complaints is that bosses don't deal with poor performers" (Nicholson 2003, p. 65). This is not surprising news to most working people. Employees don't necessarily want a co-worker to be dismissed, but they want that person's work and behavior to improve, making their own workplace experience more positive.

Here is a typical workplace scenario: In a large special library, a library technician, Frank, used to be a stellar employee; recently, however, he has often been tardy for his shift and has been getting into conflicts with his co-workers. Sheila, his supervisor, has privately told Frank that he will have to pull his socks up or face disciplinary measures, and Frank has promised to improve. For the third time in two months, however, several of Frank's co-workers have complained to Sheila that his work has become sloppy, negatively affecting their work and the high level of customer service that the library provides. Frank becomes defensive and abrupt when his co-workers bring this problem to his attention. Sheila is uncomfortable with conflict and has delayed meeting with Frank to discuss the problem again. She would rather wait and see whether Frank will return to his old self.

Identify the Problem

As the manager or supervisor, it is your responsibility to be aware of problems in your workplace. Is workplace bullying occurring? Are conflicts between staff members a concern? Is an employee unable to work at the expected level? By continuous coaching and communication with each staff member, you should be able to identify problems. If you ignore them, they will only get worse.

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In the example above, the supervisor, Sheila, needs to meet with Frank in a neutral location to discuss ongoing concerns about his work performance and his behavior toward other staff members. Sheila must listen to Frank's version of the situation and find out whether he is aware of the problem, whether he cares about the problem, and whether external personal problems are affecting his performance. Sheila and Frank must work together to form a common understanding of work expectations and the impact of his behavior on the work environment and on his colleagues. If there is a problem with the way the work is organized, perhaps Frank has suggestions for improving the organization, which will motivate him to be more interested in quality and process. If he has personal problems, perhaps the firm has an employee assistance program that can help him. Sheila and Frank need to agree to a time frame for resolving the problem, and Sheila must monitor the situation closely to be sure Frank adheres to that time frame.

As library managers, we also must recognize that conflicts between individuals are natural. Different working styles and different personalities may cause some conflicts over time. "[M]anagement needs to adopt a philosophy that employee conflict is a relatively normal, healthy aspect of productive workplace development ..." (Cottringer 2003, p. 3). This isn't to say that conflict should be encouraged but that it should be expected and anticipated. Some conflicts can be resolved by the individuals involved; others may require the assistance or intervention of a supervisor or manager. Ensure that employees feel empowered to try to solve problems between themselves, and be open to the fact that you may be called upon to facilitate communication or a problem resolution meeting: "[S]uccessful conflict resolution is good for building confidence to help in more difficult situations that may surface later on" (Cottringer 2003, p. 3). Realize that the parties in a conflict may not always be aware that there is a conflict. When the manager or supervisor discusses the perceived conflict, all parties become aware of the situation or of the behavior that is causing problems with other staff members.

Are You the Difficult One?

When you, the library manager, feel that you're in conflict with others or that they are being difficult, chances are they aren't feeling so happy with you either. This is hard to accept, as we naturally see ourselves as being in the right. Take a moment to reflect on what areas cause conflict and where you may have initiated some of the problems in the relationship. Make changes to your own attitude or communication style if that will improve the relationship. In addition, give your co-workers feedback on their behavior, how it affects you or others, and what specifically needs to be changed.