Interview Question: "Tell Me About a Time You Worked With Difficult Finally, explain the outcome. example, an employee has a quota for how many customers they need to support Interviewers want to see a positive outcome, buttheyare also interested in understanding your approach. After the first two weeks that followed, I saw no improvement, so I talked to him again and told him that I would include this in his employee record and report it to the HR department. How do you manage difficult employees of often asked in interview when: 1. Once you've thought of an example, describe the situation briefly and then explain how you . Below are three examples of what a difficult employee can look like at work. At my previous job, I had an employee who was consistently late when competing tasks, which slowed down the entire department. havent already. For example: "I work well with others," "My strong organizational skills end up making me the leader in most projects I'm on," or "I approach anything I do with gusto and put in 150 percent." Or if you're a great communicator, say so and state how that attribute has . defining the company culture, it should reflect the best aspects of your company and one or two ask if the employee has any ideas on projects or new ventures that may help After the conversation, retraining, and personal feedback, his customer evaluation scores improved greatly. Sharing the steps you took will help make your management style clear. Why The Interviewer Asks How You Manage A Difficult Employee 2. Enacting discipline after several warnings shows that youre willing to follow through, that you take this issue seriously, and that the employee must reform or suffer the consequences. Build resilience, well-being and agility to drive performance across your entire enterprise. This is what one of our teammates describes as an "introspective question," and there are similar ones that come up as well, such as: Tell me about an error in judgment that you made in the last year. Generally, you want to tie your answer into a professional attribute or two. Does the employee have insights into the procedures that Im managing that I dont have? In most cases, the person will take the matter more seriously if they have a clear plan and are aware of the consequences of not taking action. ", The main reason for this was that clients pointed out his inability to address their concerns empathetically. Managing truly difficult employees is an interpersonal issue. Did you investigate the issue thoroughly before making a decision? The interviewer is interested in you, and only in you and your actions in particular situations. How do you handle difficult employees at work? Helping difficult employees understand the stakes can lay the foundation for the conversation about changes. Get to the Root of the Behavior. If the negative attitude continues, If you're interested in learning specifically which companies we receive compensation from, you can check out our Affiliates Page. your company. ideas, undermines managers, steals from the company, and lies. What was its impact? Or they may feel uncomfortable giving you the feedback in a one-on-one situation. You should do this with specific examples of how they should interact with: Once youve defined these behaviors, you should embody them yourself and lead by example. You dont need to know every detail of your employees Am I fully aware of all the projects and work that this employee is doing? Not only does badmouthing others make you look bad and harm your professional reputation, but you're also sending a red flag to the interviewer that you may someday say bad things about her or . Employers ask tough interview questions for several different reasons. He is very soft on rules and he allows what few other managers would never allow. Its unlikely that you will impress the interviewer by stating that you never worked with a problem employee. know that there is no room for unprofessional behavior. Employers ask this question to get to know your strengths and weaknesses and ensure you're a good fit for the role. Did you listen to the story of the employee in question? discuss their actions. discuss the employees attitude. Brought to you by The Hartford. If you cant fix the problem, or the problem Its a challenge many leaders dread, yet youll inevitably have to deal with a difficult employee at some point. 28+ Common Interview Questions and How To Answer Them This technique will help you provide the interviewer with a concise and to the point answer. Do everything you can to find ways to help the individual work better with your teamand your business. A good leader will lead an employee to success. Here is how to reply to meeting questions regarding the way you managed problem employees, with strategies for responding, and examples of the greatest solutions. It's important to avoid discussing a previous coworker's negative personality traits or lack of professionalism. The solution is to find a training program that can help the employee develop That can lead to drops in productivity and motivation, a breakdown in communication, disunity within the team, frustration, and even possible job abandonmentby the high-performing employeesyou want to keep most. Dealing with difficult employees is always challenging and never an easy task. They leave their posts and then we have those who want stricter rules and undermine the softness of the manager by forcing his hand onto allowing them to set more strict rules. Before you attempt to correct any problematic behavior, you must understand what's causing it. It is the actual act of constantly expressing displeasure There are two main types of incentive programs you can "@type": "Question", This should include In this blog, we discuss why the interviewer is asking you about what areas need improvement. 3. Designed in Iceland. Does the employee undermine me by doing tasks differently than how we agreed without voicing an issue? If the employees bad attitude persists, then you need to spend time coaching them on their behavior before making the decision to let them go. Don't get personal or complain about the problem employee (or behavior). How To Handle Difficult Employees Interview Question Learn more about adaptability interview questions and how to answer them. Its tempting to let a negative employee get their way, so you dont have to deal with them. Or who argues with their significant other on the phone loud enough for the entire floor to heardaily. The objective is to find a way to stop your colleagues unacceptable behavior and help correct behaviors that make working with them unnecessarily difficult. When figuring out how to deal with a difficult employee who has a bad attitude, you must first define the behaviors you want employees to embrace in your business. Interview Question: 'Give Me an Example of Dealing With a Difficult Choose a relevant decision to talk about. discuss their actions and give specific examples. Build leaders that accelerate team performance and engagement. As a leader, its essential to deliver your instructions clearly in order to be effective. A brief overview of what the employee lifecycle is, its stages, and why its important. Does the employee feel that theyre not being "acceptedAnswer": { If the employee doesnt improve after all of that, discipline is the next necessary step. Once you have established your employees action plan, the next step is to monitor their progress. In other words, did your actions focus on the specific behavior of the employee? Required fields are marked * Please do not include personal policy information; if you have questions or concerns regarding your policy with The Hartford, please log into your account or you can speak directly to a Customer Service Representative. Or who is a chatterbox. I also gave her another deadline for improvement. How Would You Deal With A Difficult Co-Worker? - How 2 Become Undermine your authority. with the employee and discuss their lack of motivation or productivity, you It can also make other employees doubt your leadership abilities. both the capacity and the quality of their work. Below we discuss a couple of example answers to questions about managing difficult employees. Tell the employee that you're interested in their feedback and you'd like to know if they have any insights on the strategy. Is the employee bored and in need of a new challenge? environment where young professionals can grow under the guidance of I required him to attend a customer service re-training workshop, and I provided one-on-one feedback on his customer service calls for a week. ", How To Answer Interview Questions About Teamwork, Interview Question: "Are You Willing to Fail? Be detailed when explaining how you dealt with a problem employee. Be careful how you answer this question. Does the employee make a good point when he undermines me? This answer shows that you, as a manager, are able to turn around a situation in which an employee with potential is underperforming. a task orwontdo a task. Assume good intentions if at all possible. employee is only concerned about getting themselves ahead. Does the employee undermine me by doing their work differently than agreed? It shows that a bad attitude can be rewarded. difficult employees constant bad attitude, leading by example, and documenting When that happens, follow the step-by-step plan in the next section to mitigate the damage. Does the employee have a perspective that I cant see? Tell me about a time you had a conflict with an employee. It is easy to associate a difficult person with just being difficult - which is why it is important to provide context to the hiring manager. When you analyze the question How did you manage a difficult employee? You might think the question is about the difficult person in the situation. For example, employers might ask you to tell them about yourself. Focus on being honest about the situation. This provides actionable steps the employee can take, and it doesnt come "mainEntity": [ Use active listening to make sure you understand what theyre saying. Take a moment to think. Interviewers ask " How would you deal with a difficult customer? The Sling app can help. We're on a mission to help everyone live with clarity, purpose, and passion. In learning how to deal with difficult employees, your primary objective should be to create a happy . A disgruntled employee does more than just underperform. Use this guide to coach your team as a manager or peer coach yourself. The best approach is to take a challenging difficult experience and use it to show your emotional intelligence and your work experience. Calling them out on their attitude or behavior can make STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. Second, they are professionals who specialize in managing people. Its okay to mention an unmanageable employee. Use these four solutions to find the best possible outcome for both the difficult employee and the organization. She received top marks from her students and co-teachers. At this point, it would be best for your business to let them go because it would not be beneficial to discipline a toxic employee. The STAR technique can help you formulate your response. When dealing with a problematic employee, its essential to focus on specific behavior, not personal factors. Why It Works:Some managers would have gone straight to a warning, but this candidate shows a willingness to engage with employees and really understand their motivations. is outside the employees control, consider reducing the responsibilities or go. So long as this isnt They may be so passionate about their perspective that they miss seeing how their communication style is undermining others. Managers must be open to receiving feedback. They can create a toxic work environment and lead to higher staff turnover, lower performance, and poor customer relations. Learn more about communication interview questions and how to answer them. ", How to Answer Interview Questions About When Your Boss Is Wrong, Interview Questions About Co-Workers and Supervisors, How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions, Behavioral Interview Questions and Sample Answers, How to Answer Situational Interview Questions. Explain to them that, when they disagree with you and go against your instructions, they crush productivity. Any company we affiliate with has been fully reviewed and selected for their quality of service or product. We have a manager who does not like confrontation and who wants to be liked by everyone. } For Lets take a look at what a challenging employee looks like, as well as proven strategies and solutions for dealing with them. Disengaged employees often exhibit difficult behavior as a result of their frustration. Review examples of the best answers for interview questions about dealing with challenging employees. When answering this kind of question, aim to provide a specific example that emphasizes how your management style helped improve an employee's performance. If your company has an HR department, keep them How to Deal with Difficult Employees: 10 Tips to Improve Workplace ", Below, the STAR technique is described in more detail. 2) The ability to separate personal feelings from the behaviors. Is to say you would then sit down in private with your co-worker to find a . This doesnt mean that you must act on every piece of feedback that comes from this employee. role, or if they say that they cant or wont perform the duties as outlined, Interview Question: "What Are the Most Difficult Decisions to Make?