Within a team, a difficult employee can be disruptive and harmful but a difficult employee who is not handled correctly can cause irreparable damage. In this article, we’re looking at four consequences of not managing difficult employees within your team.
The Many Guises Of The Difficult Employee
There are many different types of difficult employee but, in this article, we’re focusing on four very common kinds of disruptor – and the consequences of not managing them effectively.
The Deflector
Do you know anyone at work who constantly blames others – or even the company itself – for their mistakes? That’s the Deflector. This person will cause tension, waste the manager’s time and decrease productivity – all while playing the victim. Failing to properly manage The Deflector can have disastrous consequences including:
- Staff retention – A workplace which employs The Deflector will usually see a high turnover of staff as well as increased absenteeism. When The Deflector is not brought to task it can cause other team members to become disillusioned and disengaged which may ultimately result in them leaving the company.
- Lack of teamwork – In many cases, other employees will seek to distance themselves from The Deflector which will lead to a breakdown when it comes to teamwork and communication. This can mean that the team performs badly – affecting promotions, pay and bonuses and, in some instances, even lead to dismissal of management.
The Non-Team Player
The definition of a team is a group of people who work together toward a common goal. The Non-Team Player disrupts this by focusing only on his or her agenda with little interest in the team as a whole. The consequences of employing a Non-Team Player are:
- Communication breakdown – Communication is probably the single most important part of working as a team and when this is lacking it leads to misunderstood briefs, missed deadlines and reduced performance for the team as a whole.
- Decreased productivity – Working with a Non-Team Player is like using a chain with a broken link. Teamwork relies on each member’s connectivity and so your team is unlikely to be as effective as it should with this person involved.
- Resentment – When dealing with a Non-Team Player, other employees will often find themselves having to “pick up the slack” in terms of communication. This can quickly lead to resentment and frustration which, in turn, feed into high staff turnover and absenteeism.
The Troublemaker
If this one is familiar to you then you’ll know just how disruptive it can be. The Troublemaker delights in causing rifts between other employees and generally creating problems. The frustrating thing here is that he or she will usually stop short of any serious breach of the rules, making them hard to pin down. Still, pin them down you must, as the consequences of not doing so can include:
- Staffing issues – The Troublemaker will frequently test the patience of other employees who will often solve the problem themselves by handing in their notice. High levels of staff turnover within a team will usually attract the attention of the big bosses – and not in a good way.
- Time wasting – As a manager, your time is precious and when too much of your time is taken up with the antics of a Troublemaker, other areas will suffer as a result. Many managers find that they will frequently “drop the ball” on a project or assignment due to having their time monopolised by a Troublemaker.
- Bad influence – When other members of the team observe The Troublemaker getting away with their behaviour, it’s not uncommon for them to follow suit. Needless to say, this can result in a chaotic and seriously ineffective team.
The Negative Personality
This is a tricky one as the team member may not even be conscious of his or her behaviour – and how it impacts the team. The Negative Personality will not only see the glass as half empty but probably cracked as well. The Negative Personality can cause a slow corrosion within a team and the consequences of this might be:
- Negative influence – We’re quite often affected by the people that we work with and The Negative Personality can bring down others on the team. This results in a team where apathy and indifference can take over, thereby reducing productivity and effectiveness.
- Morale – A happy workplace is an effective workplace but this is rarely the case when a Negative Personality is involved. Constant negativity can be draining and can result in strained relationships and disengaged employees.
- Lack of creativity – For a lot of teams, creativity is key as is a positive exchange of ideas. The Negative Personality tends to play it safe at the cost of creativity and this can limit the team’s output.
Getting To Grips With Difficult Employees
Nobody lists “Difficult Employee” on their CV when applying for a job and so it’s often inevitable that a manager will find themselves faced with one of these people on their team at some point. The trick is to learn to identify these employees as quickly as possible and to then nip the problem in the bud before it spins out of control.
A good manager is constantly updating his or her skills and an online Team Leadership Course is a good way of doing this. By learning to manage difficult employees rather than just reacting to them, you stay in control and are in a position to ensure that your team continues to work efficiently and productively.
And staying in control is the foundation of success any any management role!
