Anyone who has managed employees can usually recall with clarity those individuals who were their “Problem Employees”.  If you’re like me, you’ve often wondered why some employees were problems and other weren’t.  Well, truth told, many problem employees became that way simply because their negative behaviors were rewarded (ignored) instead of being punished (corrected).

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts at hiring or promoting the right person, there will always be those individuals who are difficult, problem employees.  Bottom line – it’s your job as a manager to deal with them; if you don’t, it only gets worse over time.  Here are some examples of the various types of problem employees I’ve encountered followed by tips on how you may want to handle them:

Types of Problem Employees

• The “Goof-off”.  This employee is usually obvious and easy to spot.  They spend a lot of time chatting with others (hanging around the water cooler), playing card or video games, surfing the net, making personal calls, etc.  Sometimes their behavior is more subtle; it takes the form of stretching out work they like while never getting around to the work they don’t enjoy.  They usually have a creative list of reasons why they’re late for work, why a job couldn’t be completed on time, or why the quality of their work is less than acceptable.

• The “Tattle Tale”.  This employee is one who just has to repeatedly report to you about other employees who do not appear to be doing an honest day’s work (obviously in comparison to their own).  One of the ironies of life is that this employee doesn’t realize they’re taking time away from their own productivity in order to report on the perceived lack of work on the part of others.

• The “WIIFM”.  This employee thinks that no matter what they do, there should be an additional “what’s in it for me” reward involved.  They believe any effort expended for the company should be rewarded by more than the wage they receive.  They’ll often negotiate for a special assignment or special favors (including time off).

• The “Gossip” (aka the “Drama Queen” or “Drama King)”.   This person thrives on excitement and attention, so spotting them is easy.  In general, they try to spice things up in the workplace with dramatic pronouncements, juicy gossip, ominous rumors, personal traumas, or emotional breakdowns.  When talking with others, they’re expressive and animated.

• The “Challenger”.  This type of person routinely ignores policy and procedures; they have a “this doesn’t apply to me” attitude.  They also seem oppositional; e.g., when presented with a proposal, suggestion, directive, or idea, they automatically point out flaws, obstacles, and potential problems.  They enjoy challenging management because they feel it establishes their independence.  They resent authority and seldom show respect just because the person has a title.  Challengers relish debates and don’t care if their views are unpopular.  In meetings, they often get into heated discussions with coworkers and adamantly hold to their positions.  The Challenger’s focus is on winning the argument, not resolving the problem.

• The “Sour Apple”.  This person is very negative and routinely “bad-mouths” the company and its leadership to fellow employees and, sometimes, even the organization’s customers.

• The “Thief”.  Regardless of their diligence in pre-hire screening, employers occasionally discover illegal activity by their employees.  Whether there is an increase in shrinkage, the cash drawer doesn’t add up, or an employee is stealing valuable information, any type of theft can threaten your company’s bottom line and simply can’t be tolerated – termination should be immediate.

• The “Back Stabber”.  This is an employee you can’t turn your back on.  In some cases they may be jockeying for your job or in other cases they may simply be the type of person who wants to make themself look better by tearing you (or others) down.  This type of person often times tends to get into power struggles with their boss; so, they often act like they’re managing you instead of the other way around.  Because they don’t like to be “managed’, they may resist direction or ignore your instructions.

While there certainly are other problem types of employees (and I’d be happy to learn of your list), the central question remains as to how best to handle them.

How to Deal With Problem Employees

Problem employees are not necessarily disposable ones.  Many problem employees display a strong work ethic, show a certain loyalty to the company, and might even get along with co-workers.  Others butt heads with colleagues, show little work ethic, or display a lack of pride in their work.  If the latter is the case, consider moving that employee elsewhere (better job fit) or terminating them.  But since most problem employees fall into the former group, it’s worthwhile to figure out how best to deal with them.  Whichever problem employee you are dealing with at work, here are some tips to make it easier:

1. Don’t ignore the problem.  Ignoring the situation is the wrong solution to what could likely become a progressive problem.

1. Act quickly.  It’s important to take action as soon as the problem behavior becomes evident.  Often a problem employee has no idea his behavior is a problem or that others react negatively to his actions.

1. Do your homework.  Collect all the facts you can before you act; always act on facts and not rumors or gossip.

1. Develop a plan.  Create an outline of what you want to accomplish in the discussion with the employee; e.g., descriptions and examples of the problem behavior, time set aside for the employee to respond, descriptions and examples of acceptable behavior, an offer of help to the employee, a detailed timeline for monitoring expected improvement, and the consequences for not improving.  Decide whether you need to have others, like an HR representative, present in the meeting.

1. Confront the Problem.  Meet with the problem employee in private.  It’s important to deal with the behavior and not the person; this is not an emotional battle and you shouldn’t get emotionally involved or  argue with the employee.  However, make it clear you’re approachable and you want to help the person succeed.

1. If all else fails, termination may be necessary. If the employee continues to deny his inappropriate behavior and refuses to try to improve the situation, the manager needs to place this person on the fast track towards termination.  Preparing for that will be covered in a separate article.

Remember, as a manager, it is up to you to decide if these employees are worth keeping in the company or if both they and the company are better off if they were replaced.

Photo credit: Rennett Stowe