In any company of any industry and size, individual employees will be individuals of their own accord. Some staff will react differently to others depending on how they are treated or the leadership style that's been implemented. Therefore, when it comes to managing difficult staff, there is not fundamentally an universal resolution, nor is there the possibility - even in an ideal business - that difficult staff won't be around at all. Nonetheless, there are still issues to contemplate when affected by such a situation.

There will always be difficult staff members even in the most profitable and ambitious of careers. And as always, the buck rests with the managers. The worst possible thing that can be done is to brush the problem of difficult staff under the carpet and pray that it vanishes. It won't. The issue needs to be dealt with professionally and quickly as it'll only magnify if left unchecked.

Sometimes, the management may see that specific employees are difficult to manage, as staff will all have their own unique characteristics. Even particularly good employees might be bogged down by a bad day every so often. However, a situation where a member of staff is a consistent problem might have to be handled sooner than later. As everyone is unique, each instance has to be handled individually too.

How to manage difficult staff members - deal with the facts

The successful and effective management of your employees involves sorting out the facts on their own, disregarding hearsay and office gossip. Employees who are happy to disperse said hearsay are a concern in their own right, and this has to be diagnosed and sorted out. Managers should conduct a full investigation into the issues in question. Prior to confronting difficult staff members, a private, quiet room should be chosen, one where there'll be no interruptions. There also needs to be a suitable company representative present, usually a person from the HR department.

How to manage difficult staff members - take a pragmatic approach

Your aim isn't to cause an argument; if tempers clash then the problem is simply going to be increasingly compounded. Managers must take a reasoned approach, first emphasising the positive actions they'd wish to see the member of staff take rather than focussing on the poor behaviour which has been so established. If the issue is something fairly clear like consistent lateness, then rather than criticising the member of staff for their timekeeping, just emphasise the importance of each and every worker arriving at work on time so that they can meet their goals.

It may also be unjust to guess the poor behaviour in question is intentional and done purposefully to disturb everyone. It might be the case that the person has issues in his or her home life that sadly affect their behaviour in the workplace. If this is indeed the case, it can be a major advantage to realise and discover, as at the very least the manager will be able to appreciate the origin of the problem. Asking non-judgemental, impartial, open questions is important here - they're more likely to generate explanations instead of just simple yes and no answers.

If you are able to show the staff member you are listening and seriously concerned then this will help to win their affections. A way to do this is to outline everything they have said back to them afterwards.

How to manage difficult staff members - results take time

When handling difficult members of staff it's essential that they're involved in coming up with the solution to the problem. Employees are much more likely to stand by and work towards a decision they they have had involvement in. The watch word for this stage of the process is continuous improvement. If they show willingness to change their behaviour then half of the battle has already been won.

However, if it turns out the staff member in question is unwilling to amend their behaviour then you might have no option but to think about commencing termination procedures within the business' guidelines and policies.