Just like generally two minds can think alike but not the same, every employee is not the same either. Putting two employees together might generate better skills and results because they might even be like-minded. But no two employees are the same. Everybody has their own work ethic and temperament.
Studies say that 38% of employees in the UK experience interpersonal conflict at work because of bad temper. (CIPD, 2015)
A problematic employee can be someone who attracts unnecessary drama, creates tension, refuses to cooperate with coworkers, and disrupts the workflow. Any person denoting such negative behavior is not an asset to the organization but instead generating loss by decreasing the value of productivity.
So how do we deal with such bad-tempered employees? Here are some ways that will help you to change the situation before you are pushed to decide for the worst.
1. Open Door Policy
Many companies have this policy to ensure employee well-being and a friendly environment. Open door policy is one of the key factors of employee motivation, which makes the managing authority more approachable and available. Being approachable in an adverse situation is already ten times more resolving. Employees should be aware that in case they would like to talk, they have the support, and their feedback is welcomed.
Open door policy effectively helps in filling in the communication gap and putting employees at ease with their environment. The resolution process becomes fast as the issue at hand can be discussed immediately with authoritative figures, and everybody can go back to work without wasting unnecessary time.
2. Listen To the Point
One of the most crucial things one can do to avoid conflict entirely is to listen. Even in general relationships in our life, we should respect other people's opinions by listening to what they have to say.
In case of conflict, if you listen to what the other person has to say instead of objecting or intervening, chances are the other person would make the point clear and calm down. An overly stressed or tensed person means he is heading for a burnout. Continuously forcing your opinion over the other and not giving the other person a chance to speak can end badly for everybody. The heat of the argument would increase and might even escalate to inappropriate measures. In doing so, you have to check with both parties separately and this is going to take much of your time. To manage task time efficiently, it is recommended to use RoundPie to get the most out of your valuable time.
3. Don't Ignore Complaints
So supposedly, an employee has been giving everybody a tough time with distracting ways of working. You are approached by another fellow employee complaining about it, but you tend to ignore it, given the situation. Next thing you know, both the employees have an outburst that wastes way more time of everybody involved than resolving it would have cost you.
Such outbursts should not happen at all. Not only do they take a toll on the office environment, but they also cost you the overall employee productivity. However, situations like these can easily be avoided if you would listen to employee complaints. You are the authority, and with great power comes great responsibility. So after you've heard the complaint, it is your responsibility to take charge and take the necessary step to resolve it, rather than giving the command to other employees to handle conflict themselves.
4. Determine the Mistakes
It can be daunting to put the blame on others or to point fingers as to who you think is the culprit. But as an authoritative figure, you have to take the responsibility of calling out who at fault is if any negative situation occurs. Determining who's at fault and catching the mistake at its core is extremely necessary. The reason being, that if any miscommunication occurs and people become biased towards a single person who might not be at fault, then that is unfair.
Undermining a mistake directly by confronting the person at fault shouldn't be a hostile procedure. It can be calmly dealt with by addressing the problem at hand. The person being convicted shouldn't feel like a criminal in jail, but someone in a wellness class, opening up to accepting and correcting the mistake.
5. Don't Delay – Just Take Out Solution Together
The best exercise to increase calm temperament amongst employees is to exercise teamwork. Teamwork brings people closer, builds the basis for a stronger relationship among workmates, and increases tolerance for other people's opinions. Once you engage employees to know each other better, there is a lower chance of conflict for even the worst tempered one around. Use this as a way to find a solution that will work best on a collective scale than one person acting alone. Taking an example, suppose one of your employees was assigned to give a presentation but couldn't finish the task in time. You, as a manager, would find yourself conflicted in such a situation actually to take it out in anger. But the best-case scenario is you suggest the employee hire a quick service like Academist Help or Australian Master, which provides a quick fix to your problem at hand. This way, you will not only save the employee from a possibly embarrassing situation, but it is a calm, mature way out of the issue altogether.
6. Help Employee to Act Professionally
Not every employee has the instinct to adjust to a new environment, and some may require help. These measures are highly effective for hot-tempered people. They need time to adjust, and a fast-paced work environment may get on their nerves. Therefore, you should never delay in letting them know that everybody is standing with them and will be helpful if they require so. They should be given time to adjust to the office environment. Also, learn professional mannerisms that are acceptable in the workplace.
7. Treat Them Professionally, Not Personally
Employees are your work colleagues. They are not involved in whatever is going on in your personal life. They are a part of your life because you share a common goal that is your work. Therefore, you should learn where to draw a line. Treating your employees personal is against general work ethics. If you treat one employee indifferent to others, that is unfair on the whole.
These tactics can be easily applied as employee engagement ideas to improve the prestige of the company. Hence, you ought to deal with all your employees on a collectively professional level.
Don't Take Out Your Personal Frustration on Them
As it is mentioned earlier that employees are your work family. They share a common goal with you that is work and nothing more. When you don't treat them personally, there is no chance of you to take out your personal frustration over them. Your employees are just mindful of the environment they share with you. For example, your employees might not be aware if you are angry for any trivial matter like your star lord jacket hasn't arrived yet or that you have a private affair with friends going on, etc. So chances are they will be confused if you take out your anger on them and might never regain the confidence to engage.
A hard to deal with a person who is creating a different environment doesn't need to be your employee. It can be challenging to accept and confess that maybe the contributing factor to a negative situation is you. Once you pave the way by taking that you were wrong to act out, other employees would be motivated to do the same next time they find themselves in a similar situation.
The Things You'll Need
- Company policy and procedure manuals concerning with human resources
- Documentation of past workplace conflicts
- Performance review of everybody involved
- Objective reasoning and counseling
- Recommendations from authority
Warnings
- Do not ignore complains about threats of physical or sexual harm.
- Report potentially dangerous employees to security.
- Irrational or violent employees should not be reasoned with.
- Not following your company's disciplinary procedures to their words may cost you your authority.
- Employees may be entitled to a disciplinary hearing given the severity of their harm.
FINAL WORDS
In case any issue persists, even after all the precautionary measures have been taken, here is what you can do after an incident has taken place.
- Document the incident in writing along with necessary details like time, date, location, and the people involved.
- Write a detailed description as to what was the cause behind the incident.
- Talk to the aggressor, the victim(s), and the witnesses to the incident.
- Remain objective when making a decision and don't take any particular sides.
- Review the troubling employee's performance history and attribute to the appropriate disciplinary procedure that your company has.
- Understand your options based on the severity of the incident and consult with human resources.
About the author:
Amanda Jerelyn is currently working as HR Manager at Crowd Writer, providing excellent dissertation writing services UK. She has a network of an audience that shares her interest in human resources and related matters. Amanda is also working as a freelance Content Strategist at King Essay UK.
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