Q: I work in a medium-sized company and supervise a staff of about 10. Most of my “employee issues” are generated by two of those employees. They’re challenging for diametrically opposed reasons and I’d love some management advice.

One employee is popular and gets along with peers but is simply not good at his job. People know it, but he’s well-liked and they cover for him.

The other employee couldn’t care less about “making nice”, doesn’t suffer fools, but she’s a dynamo and knows what she’s doing. Needless to say, people respect her but don’t like her. They avoid her.

See the problem?

A: You know the truism that “20% of difficult employees take up 80% of your staff management time”? Sounds like you’re living proof.

EMPLOYEE ONE

Of the two employees, I’d say the more difficult to address is the first one because fundamentally this is a poor performer who needs to improve to a level of at least “meet expectations”. The question you need to figure out is whether he is able to. There are some employees who are fully capable of doing a good job, but don’t do it because they’ve learned it’s easier to let others do the hard work. They have been “rewarded” by having others work around them, and not having to do tough assignments. (We all know someone like this or are related to one).

Then there are those that even if they tried their best, are not able to improve. They might be in the wrong job or the work is outside their ability. If that’s the case you will be doing them a favor –although it may not seem that way to them or others- if they transfer or leave for another better suited job.

No matter which scenario turns out to be true, you must start the same way: addressing the performance issue. If this means a conversation, a PIP (performance Improvement Plan) or something in between is really up to you to decide. Some of his fans won’t be happy but many will appreciate you finally facing the problem.

Now, let’s talk about how to deal with the grumpy “dynamo.”

EMPLOYEE TWO

From a supervisor’s perspective, the dynamo employee who’s good and her job and gets a lot done, would be the one I would prioritize giving my time and attention to. Why? Because she makes a larger contribution to the results of my department.

So how do we get her to “play well with others”?

I’d say her problem is not performance, her problem is attitude. Now, the word “attitude” gets a bad rap because it’s vague and difficult to quantify. But I disagree. “Attitude” is nothing more than a cluster of behaviors that can be named and described. Once we pin those down, we can work with the employee to improve the attitude.

First things first. You need to let her know that her behavior has become a problem and it must improve because it’s affecting the team and people are avoiding her.

If you have tolerated some things in the past, make it clear that you now have a new/different expectation of her behavior, and that it must change.

Second, you should identify behaviors that make her appear unfriendly, unapproachable. What can she change so that coworkers stop avoiding her?

For example, you might have allowed her to stare at her computer during meetings instead of engaging with others. Or you might have excused her from attending meetings, or participating in events that she didn’t like. Let her know that she needs to show up, like everyone else, and engage.

Or, if you’ve seen her be impatient with others, or sarcastic, or sighing loudly when displeased, or purposefully delaying answering a question -all passive aggressive behaviors- let her know these must stop.

In other words, get her buy-in, identify offending behaviors, provide feedback and support and don’t relent until she improves.

©Copyright Eva Del Rio

Eva Del Rio is creator of HR Box™ – tools for small businesses and startups. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com