Whether you are new to business or just starting out, you are likely to come across a difficult employee or contractor at some point in your career; it is unlikely that you won’t. There are some people that you will work with that you just won’t understand, get along with, or be able to understand why they aren’t performing well, or why they just have a bad attitude towards working. And as a manager and business owner, you will want to make sure that all is running right, as it is your business after all. But as a result, you could end up wasting a lot of time of then, as well as emotional energy and thought.
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So, with all of that in mind, being able to handle these kinds of employee is what all business managers are going to need to know. Here are some of the things that employees need to know, so that you’re not stuck in a place of frustration or lack of productivity.
Listen
When someone isn’t doing well, then it can be time to take a look what is going on with them. It can be easy to write them off and switch off, when chances are, there is an explanation. So take time to talk to them and really listen to what their answers might mean. They may act differently when they feel like they are being heard.
Document
This is a really important point that for HR purposes needs to be noted; keep a record of everything that goes on. If there are concerns that you have or incidents that occur, write it all down. Include the date and time and what happened. It isn’t a negative thing to do as it can help you later down the line. As manager it is a pretty prudent thing to do.
Be Secure
When you have a business there will all different kinds of information and data that you need to keep safe and secure. And if you have a disgruntled employee, then the risk of that can increase. So, having a secure data loss prevention plan in place can help your business in a massive way. Information may be lost when others send a confidential file to the wrong email, or something confidential is dropped into the public folder in a shared drive, for instance. But what you’d be most at risk of is confidential information being taken by staff when they leave the organization.
Set Consequences
When we all think we can get away with something, then we will try to do just that. So, your employees need to know that there are consequences to their actions. Set the consequences with dates, for instance, something will happen like being put on a warning, if there is no change by the end of the month. Make sure you follow through with what you have stated, and they will quickly learn that you mean business and will take things more seriously if you need to.