Delivering Bad News Tactfully and Effectively

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As a department supervisor working in a technical support office, I would enjoy dealing with hard-working and good-natured employees that enjoy their work, provide an excellent customer service and encourage one another with a positive attitude. Such a working environment, however, is not always what happens… Sometimes, there could be one bad employee that undermines not only his or her own job, but also customer service and work ethics.

Approaching the Difficult Employee

Once a destructive and unproductive behavior of an employee is brought to my attention, I would act immediately. According to Master Class Management.com (2011), “ . . . when you have an employee who is disruptive, has a bad attitude, or is quite frankly a “bad apple,” you need to deal with [the situation] as soon as possible”  (para. 5). For example, if I received concerns from employees and customers regarding a particular employee whose work performance was substandard and whose aggressive behavior created a hostile environment for other employees, I would put this problem my first priority.
Approaching a difficult employee may not be easy. However, this has to be done in order to address the employee’s poor work performance and aggressive behavior. Abigail and Cahn (2011) recommend to simply tell the “bad” employee, “We need to talk” (p. 36). After this statement, I would invite the worker to meet me at my office after lunch. If the employee asks me why I need to see him or her, I would briefly explain the issue, so that he or she can be prepared to have a conversation.

Anticipate the Response

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Before making an official confrontation   regarding the conflict issue, I would try to anticipate a response that the employee might provide regarding the issue. Given the prior history of exhibiting confrontational behavior at work, one would not be able to predict how this employee might behave during the confrontation and what kind of response he or she may give. Will the employee be aggressive, or will he or she recognize that this confrontation is the call for a behavioral change? After having been with the company for two years, is he or she going to take this conversation seriously? I would expect either a positive or a negative response. To eliminate any risk of abusive behavior that the employee might exhibit, I would ask the human resources manager to accompany me during the confrontation.

In order to eliminate any fear of confronting this employee, I would use a technique that Abigail and Cahn (2011) refer to as “imagined interaction” (p. 35) to predict the employee’s response. “Imagined interaction,” according to Abigail and Cahn (2011), “is a form of intrapersonal communication in which you think about what you might say and another might say in response to you in a particular conversation” (p. 35). I will use my one-hour lunch to reflect on the upcoming conflict. This technique might provide me not only with the mental strength to confront the difficult employee, but also with an idea of what I should say and how I should say it.

The Resolution Strategies

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To resolve the conflict involving a difficult employee, I would use six steps to successful interpersonal conflict resolution, that, according to Abigail and Cahn (2011) include “Preparation,” “Tell the person “We need to talk,”” “Interpersonal confrontation,” “Consider your partner’s point of view,” “Resolve the problem,” and “Follow up on the solution” (p. 35) As the reader can notice, I have already described the first two steps of the conflict resolution process.

During the next two stages, I would describe the problem to the employee and let him or her to tell me his or her side of the story. During the conversation I would use the following strategies:
• Active Listening. I would let the employee speak without interrupting him or her. Then, I will paraphrase what he or she has said to make sure I had understood the message correctly.
• I-Statements. For example, “I am concerned with your current job performance. Is there anything I can do to help you improve?”
• Focus on the Issue. I would discuss how a destructive behavior affects the department team and the company.

To resolve the problem, I would give the employee an ultimatum: To improve his or her work habits and attitude, or to face the possible dismissal. Finally, I would advise the employee that I would be monitoring his or her job performance closely for the next three weeks. In three weeks, I will summon the employee for a follow-up meeting to discuss his or her progress.

References:

Abigail, R.A, & Cahn, D.D. (2011). Managing conflict through communication. (4th
     ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Master Class Management.com. (2011). Dealing with difficult employees. Retrieved
     September 24, 2012, from http://www.masterclassmanagement.com/ManagementCourse-  
     DealingWithDifficultEmployees.html