Dealing with difficult people

We’ve all encountered one in the workplace.  The “difficult” personality who disrupts and undermines.

It might be the passive-aggressive co-worker or the employee who is constantly late.  The staff member who regularly calls in sick on Monday and Friday.  It could be the bully no one is keen to work with or the argumentative, constantly complaining customer.
Whatever the issue, at some point as an employer, a colleague or a customer service representative you  will need to address the issue of someone’s unacceptable behaviour.

As an employer you will be good at your business. But it’s likely you haven’t learned to deal with problematic staff.  As a colleague you may hope someone else will deal with the issue, and as an employee it is likely you haven’t been given training on how to deal with a hostile customer.

First you need to clearly identify the problem.  If it’s an employee then this article How to Recognize a Toxic Employee and the 3-Step Process for Addressing Them could help.  If it’s a difficult customer then this article might help.

Then you need to begin a productive conversation with the person which may not always be easy. 

This article offers some pointers on how to go about that.

The WCL collection has a number of books to help you through this process :

How to manage difficult people / Fairweather, Alan
“Dealing with difficult customers, colleagues, uncooperative staff, a manipulative boss – or an irritating neighbour – is a challenge many people face daily. This book shows how to identify and understand challenging behaviours, how to manage them and how to reduce stress.” (Catalogue)

 



Difficult people made easy : your guide to solving people problems at work / Shakiba, Eleanor
“You’re a competent professional. You excel at the technical side of your work. But so far no-one has taught you how to handle difficult people or toxic team dynamics. That’s where this book comes in. Difficult People Made Easy explains how you need to think and speak when faced with a difficult colleague. Then it reveals specific words and actions you can use.” (Catalogue)

 

Surviving dreaded conversations : how to talk through any difficult situation at work / Flagg, Donna
“The essential guide for managers and professionals dealing with difficult workplace conversations” (Catalogue)

 

 

Difficult conversations : how to discuss what matters most / Stone, Douglas
“The 10th-anniversary edition of the New York Times business bestseller-now updated with Answers to Ten Questions People Ask We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success. you’ll learn how to: – Decipher the underlying structure of every difficult conversation – Start a conversation without defensiveness – Listen for the meaning of what is not said – Stay balanced in the face of attacks and accusations- Move from emotion to productive problem solving” (Catalogue)   Also available as an e-book


Linkedin Learning
offers a range of courses and videos
Use search terms like difficult or toxic and staff, employees, people or personalities.  These can be narrowed further with the use of words like conversations, dealing, managing.

If you require more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library. We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources. All enquiries are treated in confidence.

10 ways New Zealand employers can turn the ‘great resignation’ into a ‘great recruitment’

For various reasons staff resign – it’s part of a workplace cycle. 

Internationally there appears to be a trend towards more people leaving jobs than in previous years.  While some may leave the workplace completely or begin their own businesses, others are in the market for new employment. If they are being employed elsewhere why not by you?

In this article, published in The Conversation, Professors Candice Harris and Jarrod Haar offer up ten top tips for NZ employers to maximise the employment potential offered by the “great resignation”.

In the Wellington City Libraries business section the following books may also offer ideas and assistance to recruiting, and keeping,  exceptional employees.

Above the line : how to create a company culture that engages employees, delights customers and delivers results / Henderson, Michael
“Position your organisation’s culture to attain new heights.  Above the Line: How to Create a Company Culture that Engages Employees, Delights Customers and Delivers Results offers all leaders a handbook for leveraging an organisation’s culture to engage staff, increase customer satisfaction and streamline business performance. A ground breaking work, this book reveals what it takes to achieve optimum results from your organisational culture without employing the use of external consultants. This organic, in-house approach to company culture transformation saves both time and money. Step-by-step, author Michael Henderson illustrates how to create a culture in which employees and leaders delight those outside the company-customers, shareholder, employees’ families, suppliers and the board of directors-and anyone else who may benefit from an association with the organisation. The book’s proven models and ideas have been tried and tested with a broad range of of high-profile international companies. Expert author, Michael Henderson, a.k.a. The Corporate Anthropologist, has more than 30 years’ experience, and a proven track record of working and consulting with organisations to enhance their workplace cultures. Reveals how to create an organisational culture that achieves desired results. Puts the cultural transformation process in the hands of the people directly effected. Smashes some of the established and costly myths about culture and how to work with culture. This important resource is written for leaders, managers and supervisors at all levels and across industries. The EPUB format of this title may not be compatible for use on all handheld devices.” (Catalogue)

Designing exceptional organizational cultures : how to develop companies where employees thrive / Jacobs, Jamie Latiano
“Designing Exceptional Organizational Cultures is a practical guide for HR and OD professionals which explains how to proactively design, build and foster a culture that creates employee and business success. For a company to outperform the competition and achieve sustainable business growth, it needs a high performing, engaged and committed workforce with the skills the business needs both now and in the future. Attracting, motivating and retaining top talent can’t be done simply by attaching individual benefits to specific job roles. To be effective, companies need to build an exceptional company culture where people want to work and that allows them to develop and perform to their full potential. Designing Exceptional Organizational Cultures provides guidance on all elements of building a top performing culture including how to identify and define core company values and embed them throughout policies, processes and behaviours as well as how to create an organizational structure that leverages employees’ strengths for optimum performance. It also covers how to assess what roles the business needs, how to recruit for future success and make the most of non-traditional hires as well as covering employee engagement, motivation, reward, diversity and Learning and Development (L&D). With practical examples, tips and advice throughout , this is crucial reading for anyone needing to build a culture that attracts the very best talent and achieve sustainable business growth”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)

If you need more information please contact the Prosearch team at the library.  We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources.  All enquiries are treated in confidence.