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CONFLICT RESOLUTION
MANAGING PERSONALITY CONFLICTS AND
NEGATIVE ATTITUDES IN THE WORKPLACE
“I’ve got great people on
my team. They just don’t always get along. Sometimes I feel
more like a referee than a manager.”
They’re here, there, everywhere. They upset
managers and fellow employees--even themselves. Who are “they?”
If you haven’t already guessed, “they” are the negative
employees most people encounter in the workforce at some point.
If not carefully managed, they can suck the energy out of your
business and your personal life.
What is a negative employee? They are people with poisonous
attitudes and behavior patterns who negatively influence the
people around them. Negative workers come is various shapes and
sizes. Sometimes they spread rumors, gossip about coworkers, or
bad mouth their superiors to their faces and behind their backs.
Basically, they are unhappy people who resist the positive
efforts of others.
Managers often hesitate to terminate them if they are productive
or have special skills/experience. Sometimes managers do not
understand the amount of stress a negative employee creates. It
may be hard to accept a negative employee who did a good job did
so at the expense of the productivity of others. Yet, ignoring
or tolerating the problems and atmosphere they create can easily
and quickly result in dissatisfaction among other employees.
What can a supervisor/manager do when faced with this unpleasant
dilemma?
First, analyze the situation. How much does the person
contribute to the overall success of the
office/department/business? How much do they contribute to
creating personality conflicts with other employees? How does
that unhappiness translate into reduced productivity and
enthusiasm? How much of your time as a manager are you using to
control the situation? What are the legal ramifications (if any)
of discharging the employee?
Second, plan a course of action. If you decide to try to
salvage the employee, consider these tips:
Discuss the situation with the employee. They will
probably profess ignorance of any problems, acknowledge the
situation but blame the problems on others, or become defiant
and try to play mind games with you. The employee may also voice
his or her own complaints.
Evaluate the employee’s position. Even a person with a
negative attitude can have a legitimate complaint. Evaluate not
only the employee’s response to your remarks but whether the
employee has legitimate concerns you need to consider. If the
complaint is the basis of the person’s negative
attitude/behavior, resolving it should result in a more positive
situation. Often, however, the complaint is either a smoke
screen for the employee’s behavior or has resulted from the
person’s own negativity.
Focus on a behavior you want changed, not an attitude.
Accept the reality you may not be able to remake the person into
an ideal employee, even if you are a great manager. However, you
can specify an action or goal for the employee, and then follow
through on the employee’s progress. Once you see improvement,
focus on another area. Always, of course, acknowledge the
employee’s efforts.
Conduct a team building
workshop. Many times, personality conflicts are
the result of misunderstandings that build up over time. Each
individual has a different personality style and frequently,
different personality styles clash with others. A team building
session can help co-workers understand and appreciate each other
in a new way. Packaged along with a personality profile or an
individual behavior assessment, it can be a powerful tool in
reducing conflict and improving communication between workers.
Use personality profiles and
assessments.
Consider assignments that will isolate the person from other
employees and limit contact. Most work situations require
cooperation and teamwork that make this technique unworkable,
but it may be feasible in some cases. You may even encounter an
employee who prefers isolation and is less negative when working
alone. Unfortunately, negative employees often seek out fellow
workers--either to complain about their job/boss/life in
general, or to blame other employees as the source of their
unhappiness.
Set a limit and stick with it. Managers have adopted the
“three strikes and you’re out” rule. Make the employee aware of
the limits, tell them when they “strike” and remind them when
they have only one “strike” left.
Third, terminate the employee. If all else fails and the
negative employee ignores your warnings and refuses to
cooperate, it is time to consider termination. Once you decide
this is the proper course, take action. Otherwise, you risk
losing the respect and confidence from your employees. Before
termination, discuss the situation with a human resource
professional and seek legal counsel accordingly.
OTHER RESOURCES:
Greg Smith helps create high performance
organizations that attract, keep, and motivate their workforce.
He speaks at conferences and conducts training programs
worldwide. He has helped business owners reduce employee
turnover, increase sales, and deliver better customer service.
He is also the author of eight books including 401 Proven Ways
to Retain Your Best Employees. For more information, visit
http://www.chartcourse.com or call (800) 821-2487 or (770)
860-9464.
© 2007, Chart Your Course International, All
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