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How to Deal with Difficult Employees

Are you having problem on how to deal with your difficult and troublesome employee? Do you need guidelines on how to handle your stubborn employee? If your answer to this question is yes, then please read on.

One thing i have learned in business is that shit happens and it happens fast without forewarning. You can make a million dollars today and lose it tomorrow. You can hire an excellent employee today or better still, you can get an employee from hell. Now what do you do in a situation where you have a difficult employee but you lack the power or authority to fire such employee? Well, this article will provide you some guidelines.

How to Deal with Difficult Employees

1. Do not ignore the problem

Though the said employee provides value to the company and possesses redeeming qualities that you wouldn’t want to lose, there are many ways to handle or deal with such difficult employees. Most times, managers will simply ignore the problematic staffs hoping that the problem will just go away; that these people will somehow turn themselves around or will stop being troublesome someday. But ignoring the situation is the wrong solution to what could become a progressive problem.

2. Do not relent to intervene as soon as possible

It is very crucial to take an action as soon as the negative behavior pattern becomes evident. This is because when such attitude is left untouched or ignored, it will only increase.

Occasionally, the difficult employee may have no idea that his/her behavior is irritating and other employees are striving to tolerate or put up with the nasty attitude and putting up with such character may result to job frustration. As a manager or entrepreneur, it is your duty to speak up against such bad behaviour and take a step to address this problem.

3. Make a Research of the Problem Personally

One of the best ways to deal with difficult employees is to be a armed with accurate data and information about that particular employee. To achieve this, you may need to call this person into a conference room or office; away from other employees and calmly address the issue.

Once you are in private with the employee, you can start by asking the employee if he or she is aware of any ongoing issues with respect his attitude. This will help you determine if the difficult person is aware of the surrounding predicaments. If the employee is “not aware”, you may need to describe the effect of his/her unacceptable behavior on the co-workers. The employee might interrupt to disagree or deny the existence of any issues. Nevertheless, you must continue by giving clear instances of the unaccepted behavior.

However, fairness requires that you allow the employee to respond to the allegations. If the difficult employee fails to believe that the allegations are in existence after all the evidence, then you can either choose to get rid of the employee or live with the attitude.

4. Endeavor to draw out the reasons behind the behavior.

As you interact or discuss with the employee, carefully listen to what they say. Stay calm and positive, but remain impartial and non-judgmental. Ask direct questions that cannot be answered in one or two words. Do not interrupt.

When you respond to the difficult employee, remain calm. Conclude back to them with what they just said, so they will know that you are really listening to them. If you could discover what the difficult employee is saying regarding to his/her inappropriate altitude, you have a much better opportunity of finding a solution.

How to Deal with Difficult Employees

5. Assist the problematic Employee to get back on track

Immediately the employee starts to understand that the negative behaviors are real and that it is negatively affecting others in the organization, you can start coaching the difficult employee on how to display more good and acceptable behavior. However, you must know that the employee needs time and practice in order to adjust to better behavior. It is also your duty as an entrepreneur or manager to provide specific feedback to this employee on the success or failure of his or her effort in minimizing the bad actions.

6. If all the Endeavors fail, termination may be necessary.

If the employee insisted on denying his/her inappropriate behavior and refuses to try to amend the situation, you can proceed to place the person on the fast track towards termination. Frequently record a series of well-documented verbal and written feedback about the behavior. You should also give a period for the employee to address the questionable character. If this trial period does not change the output or improve the character, then the employee needs to be terminated.

As a final note, most of the employees will recognize the negative character and will at least attempt to turn it around. This is especially true during tough economic times when unemployment is high and getting a new job is difficult. In any case, you are required to follow company guidelines in recognizing the unwanted altitude, providing direct feedback, providing input to try to change it and ultimately taking action in a targeted manner.

In conclusion, i believe the above information can go a long way in assisting you deal with difficult employees in your organization. Remember, difficult employees may drive away good employees and customers as well; and ultimately tamper with success of your organization.

How to Retain Employees: 2 Smart Employee Retention Strategies, Plan

Do you have some talented employees and you are afraid to lose them? Do you want to learn how to recruit the best and equally retain the best? Then below are two smart employee retention strategies and plan.

Finding good employees is not an easy task and even when you succeed; retaining these good employees becomes your next headache. Retaining good employees is difficult nowadays because employees are people with needs, priorities and lives that may change every once in a while. Today, an employee might not care much about money but tomorrow, it may suddenly become his priority. At present, an employee may be staying in this city. But the next day, he might need to move to another city, thus his need to transfer to a different company in closer location may be needed.

“The competition to hire the best will increase in the years ahead. Companies that give extra flexibility to their employees will have the edge in this area.” – Bill Gates

Secondly, giant companies are constantly in need of skilled, talented and good employees; and since this is quite a herculean task, most of these companies with billions of dollars in revenue have resorted to poaching employees from other companies with promises of better benefits. Now considering all these, you will come to agree with me that small businesses with limited budget are almost at the risk of losing their good employees without forewarning. Now how do you prevent this? How do you make your employees want to stay with you forever? Well, you are going to find out.

How to Retain Employees: 2 Smart Employee Retention Strategies, Plan

  • You can’t force good employees to stay

There are many variables in an employee’s life and it might hurt your company if one or a couple of employees leave every so often. Some companies make their employees sign a contract saying they could not leave the company for the next few years, otherwise they will have to forfeit some part of their benefits, or they will be made to pay a bond.

But this is not the best way to retain employees. If a company wishes to encourage its employees to stay, forcing them to is not the best idea. Aside from this, it may not be a good idea to retain someone who does not want to be retained. This arrangement could negatively affect that employee’s performance.

  • Retaining employees is not all about the money

Most companies think it is about the money but it’s really not. It may be a great motivating factor but it will not make a person stay if he already feels the need to leave. Money is something that is very important but it is an attractive factor. However, you must bear it in mind that if a person is not happy working in your company anymore, no amount of reasonable salary can make him stay.

How to retain employees without breaking the bank – The insider secret

  • Make your employees part of a family

Retaining good employees is about making an employee feel that he belongs to a community; and is part a family. In one of the biggest companies in the United States, the management takes pride in having most of their employees stay in the company for more than a decade. People who get accepted in that company do not resign until they reach the age of retirement. In fact, those who already left found themselves going back after a year or so. The main reason why the employees in that company end up staying for so many years is because they found a family among their colleagues. Being part of something that is meaningful, true and sincere is priceless.

  • Pay them well and compensate them

It is true that money matters. If you were given an option to choose between an employment that pays $5000 a month and another that pays double, I bet you will go to the latter. But the truth is that there will always be a better offer out there than your company. And when that happens, these employees will surely jump ship. But an employee who has found a home and a family in his place of work will not leave the same for whatever petty reasons. Take for instance Google, a top management of Google recently revealed that the company has an after death compensation plan for employees that work for Google till death. This alone should make you realize how important it is to retain your employees.

Want to still learn how to retain employees? Career growth is another way. Happiness in the corporate world means being able to see yourself growing and climbing the corporate ladder. No matter how big your employees salary are, if they are not growing or moving up, they will eventually lose motivation and desire to continue working for your company.

In conclusion, these are two smart strategies you can use to retain employees you cherish. Implement them today and I will see you at the top.

The Mafia Manager’s Guide to Hiring Good Employees

How do you hire good employees? How do I find competent employees for my young company? I have never run an employee recruitment exercise before; how do I go about the process successfully? Well, I will advice you read on as I share with you; the mafia manager’s strategy to hiring good employees for your small business.

Entrepreneurs are usually faced with fear when hiring their first employee. In fact, one of the business processes entrepreneurs dread most is the process of recruiting employees. A survey carried out recently revealed that finding good employees was one of the major business challenges entrepreneurs face when starting a business from scratch. So how do you overcome this challenge?

In this article, I will be sharing with you some vital tips to recruiting or finding good employees; which I learned from the book “The Mafia Manager.” There are many business lessons I have learned from the Mafia Manager but I will specifically be extracting the lessons on hiring good employees. If you have not read the book “The Mafia Manager”; then you are definitely missing some uncommon business lessons.

The Mafia Manager is a book containing the distilled wisdom of men who have managed one of the largest, most profitable and long lived cartels in the history of capitalism. The Mafia Manager gathers for the first time in one book the knowledge and percepts of the ruthless bosses whose genius at organization and management contributed far more to profitability and growth than the brute strength or conventional wisdom of the legitimate CEO.

So in this article, I am going to share with you the Mafia Manager’s guide to hiring good employees.” If you are ready to learn, then please read on.

                The Mafia Manager’s Guide to Hiring Good Employees

 

1.            It is not necessary to have a large family with many soldiers and button men. In fact, the fewer employees you have, the fewer betrayals or disappointments you will experience. Many employees, many betrayals, many disappointments and also higher overhead.

2.            Your staff must be of the highest possible quality in critical positions. One good man is, of course, better than a hundred fools.

3.            For a truly responsible job involving others in its performance; don’t hire someone just out of school, no matter how impressive his record. Hire the person who already has demonstrated an ability to work with others.

4.            For jobs less critical to the success of your organization, you will want to hire a good attitude before experience. Attitude reveals itself in a number of ways. For example, if an applicant asks about salary early on in his first interview; his is a bad attitude and moreover, he is stupid.

5.            For a truly vital job, don’t hire a high powered expert; no matter how impressive his credentials. Experts care only about their credentials and their fees; and their caring never stops.

6.            Don’t hire more than two members of a household (except possibly your own) and never hire lovers or husband and wife; no matter how necessary their individual skills may be to your organization.

7.            Before you hire, you will interview. Knowing what skills and performance you want from the person you will hire give applicants time to think about your questions on those matters.

8.            Be specific in your questioning. Generalities begat general (thus useless) responses. Require applicants to be specific in their answers. Use the questions “why” and “how” to follow up responses.

9.            As for the interview strategy itself, seat applicants beside you if possible; rather than across the desk from you, in order for you to better gauge his reactions. Pick up his/her resume, frowning every now and then as if pondering on something. When this bit of play acting is finished; and the applicant suitably is unsettled by it, begin by asking the applicant why he wants the vacant job and why he feels qualified to do it. Let him sell himself as much as he wants to; interrupting only with specific questions. Finally, if the applicant is presently working, ask him why he wants to change jobs.

10.          If the applicant should frown, squirm or stroke his cheek with apparent concern while you are outlining the job difficulties; you should begin kissing him off. In polite language, let your feelings be known to the applicant. Unless the applicant tries to sell himself back into contention, do kiss him off. Tell him you have others to interview and you will let him know, one way or the other in a day or two.

11.          Also kiss off any applicant who is full of questions about his career’s future with you.

12.          In any case, close interviews when you have found out all you need to know; whether this takes five minutes or fifty.

13.          When an applicant seems worth another look, check out his business references and employment history. Forget about personal references; he’s not going to list someone who will bum rap him. If you happen to know one or more of his personal refs, a call or two may get you some useful inside info.

14.          Bring in the most likely candidate for a second interview, preferably at lunch and at this meeting; zap him with whatever you may have turned up bogus in his business references or employment history. If those doubts; real or imagined are resolved to your satisfaction, sell the job to the applicant.

15.          Sell the job; make no promises of future raises, promotions or broadening of responsibilities. What the applicant gets is what he gets; nobody, not even you have the crystal ball that works. Let him do the job applied for and we’ll see what happens.

16.          Following your selling of the job, pose a few hypothetical problems the applicant may encounter on the job and ask him how he might go about meeting them. If the applicant passes muster; make an offer and hire him. If not, back to the office to schedule a second interview with the next most likely candidate.

And lastly, never you hire someone of the opposite sex in hopes of future erotic reward. It might be the beginning of the end for your business. As a final note, this is Mafia Manager’s guide to hiring good employees. Apply these strategies in your employee recruitment exercise and I will see your firm at the top.