13 Reasons Why Managers Should Confront Difficult Employees

1. Difficult employees affect your entire workforce

Handling difficult employees is an essential part of any manager's job. Difficult employees can cause serious issues and disruption in the workplace, impacting other staff members, disrupting productivity and morale, and even damaging a company’s reputation. It is important to address difficult employees quickly and effectively before they become a bigger problem.

2. Watch out for negative effects on teamwork and productivity

Difficult employees can have a major impact on team dynamics and productivity. Poor communication, unwillingness to cooperate, lack of respect for authority, and poor attitude can all contribute to an environment where teamwork suffers. This can lead to a decrease in overall productivity levels as tasks are not completed quickly or efficiently.

3. Difficult employees are bad for business

Difficult employees may cause stress in the workplace that can result in low employee engagement and retention. You know that toxic employee on your team? If you put up with their behaviour they'll hang around like a bad smell. Then, your best people will leave instead.

4. Learning to deal with difficult employees is an essential skill

In my coaching sessions with leaders around the world, one topic comes up more than anything else: a difficult person. Sometimes it's differences like personalities. Other times it's a very toxic team member. Either way, learn how. todeal with a difficult employee and you'll have one of the most valuable skills in leadership and management.

5. Difficult employees erode trust

I start every team offsite by going over Patrick Lencioni's framework for organizational health from his book The Advantage. The first discipline is to build a healthy leadership team. And the foundation of a healthy leadership team from his book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is vulnerability trust. When you don't deal with difficult employees, you erode trust which essentially robs your team and organization of its full potential.

6. Difficult employees hurt your employee brand

Difficult employees can have a serious and long-lasting impact on an organization's employee brand. When employees are not respected or treated fairly, it can lead to decreased morale, engagement, and productivity. This in turn can damage the company's reputation with both current and potential employees.

7. Increased turnover almost always takes place when difficult employees aren't held accountable

Difficult employees can have a major impact on turnover within an organization. Poor communication, unwillingness to cooperate, lack of respect for authority, and poor attitude can all lead to a decrease in job satisfaction and employee engagement. As employees become increasingly frustrated with their work environment, they will be more likely to look for other opportunities elsewhere.

8. Difficult employees reduce innovation

Innovation isn't a luxury today. In most industries, it's innovate or die. Nothing kills innovation like politics. Difficult employees thrive on politics and will strangle your innovation. When you can't have robust discussions to improve, discussions where people don't take things personally, you won't innovate.

9. Difficult employees reduce output

When difficult employees are present in the workplace, it can dramatically reduce output. Difficult employees may be more focused on their own individual tasks or projects instead of looking for ways to collaborate with others effectively.

10. The Dangers of a Disgruntled Employee

Difficult employees can be a significant source of stress in the workplace, making it difficult for team members to work effectively together. A disgruntled employee can have far-reaching effects on productivity and morale, as well as on a company's overall reputation.

11. Undermining Employee Conduct

Creating an environment of mutual respect and trust is essential for preventing difficult behaviors from taking root. Respecting each employee's boundaries, listening to their concerns, and providing consistent feedback can help build relationships. Difficult employees who aren't held accountable will undermine employee conduct instead of raising the bar for you.

12. Damaging the team’s reputation

Having difficult employees in the workplace can have an incredibly damaging effect on a team’s reputation. The presence of such individuals can make it difficult to maintain a positive image among both internal and external stakeholders. This is especially true when a difficult employee engages in behavior that leads to criticism, blame of others, or any other form of negative behaviour.

13. Disrupting decision-making

One of the most serious effects of having difficult employees in the workplace is their ability to undermine decision-making. Difficult employees often try to disrupt normal processes, making it difficult for teams to reach a consensus and make progress on projects.

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