Thought 05MAR2008

DIFFICULT EMPLOYEE?
Got a difficult employee on board? It may seem that there is nothing you can do to successfully assimilate this individual into the office mainstream. So perhaps, you're thinking that the best thing to do would be to avoid this person. However, that is no answer. Dealing with problem employees is often an inescapable part of being a manager. There are constructive ways to handle them.

Stop and think. While your first instinct is to react emotionally rather than rationally, it is far better to slow down and reflect on the employee's behaviour. Dictate your response by what you want to have happen, rather than how you feel about the situation.

Honour the employee. As impossible as it may sound, it is essential to validate the other person. Before discussing your point of view, make it clear that you emphatize and that you are listening.

Ask a crucial question : "What would you like me to do?" The response may enable you to improve the situation and it will force the difficult person to stop reacting and start thinking.

Whatever you do, don't take employee clashes personally. If you do, managing your problem employee may become more difficult that it already is. Instead, focus your efforts on finding out what the employee really wants from you. If you do, a solution will present itself.
Extracted from Bits & Pieces, The Economics Press, Inc., Fairfield, New Jersey, USA - From the Library of Puan Hajah Zaihani Abdul Hamid
The light heart lives long - Irish Proverb