Handling Difficult People & Employees | Employee Performance: Communicating Expectations Yields Results

As a small business owner, you wear many "different hats" from strategic planner to bookkeeper. However one area may owners aren't prepared for is managing people. Although employees allow you to get more work done, they create a whole new series of problems from hiring issues to worker's compensation. And there is no way to tell if the people you hire today are going to be a good fit for your company. At a certain point, you might find you need a crash course in handling difficult people.

Many conflicts can arise between small business owners and their workers. These problems can range from salary disagreements to performance problems. A conflict with one of your employees, for example, can cost you a valuable client because he or she is misrepresenting you and your company. On the other hand, one of your workers may have attendance issues or may refuse to perform certain necessary tasks.

Whatever the issue, difficult employees all have one thing in common. They will negatively impact your business. So as a business owner, you must accept the realities of handling difficult people. Here are a few tips that will help you deal with such individuals.

Handling difficult employees? Here's what you must do before they destroy your business.

In setting the stage for productive employees, there a number of proactive steps that managers should take to help ensure that the employee can be successful in his/her job and in the event there are performance issues, that they can be resolved as quickly as possible in an objective and nonconfrontational manner.

The first thing to think about with any employee is setting performance standards at the outset of the relationship. Once these standards are established, a manager should make sure they are communicated to the employee in a way he/she can understand. These expectations will serve as the foundation for the employee’s productivity and provide the criteria against which the employee will be measured. They should be reaffirmed with the employee periodically.
When employee productivity is not up to par, the first thing to do is to reaffirm that the employee understand what is required of him/her. Often a manager will begin to have concerns about an employee’s poor performance when what is truly the problem is one of style. For example, does the employee wait until the last minute to complete assignments, making the manager anxious? If this work style is effective for the employee and the employee still produces the desired results, it is likely not a performance issue. If the problem is truly poor performance, the manager should again reaffirm that the employee is clear regarding the job expectations. Once that has been confirmed, the employee should understand how his performance is measured. What basis is the manager using to determine that the employee is not up to snuff? Does the employee understand this? What tools or resources does the employee need to do his/her job effectively? Are there problems with obtaining these resources which cold be affecting performance.

Many problems or concerns with employee performance can be alleviated much earlier by utilizing effective communications and reaffirming performance expectations.

About the author:
Diane M. Pfadenhauer, SPHR, Esq. is a Human Resources Lawyer specializing in employment law and human resources consulting for organizations engaged in major strategic events, workplace investigations/training and as an expert witness in employment practices. Find her at

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