How to Deal with Unacceptable Behavior in the Workplace
You expect every worker to give 100%. But, unacceptable behavior can crop up across your workforce. If it does, nip it in the bud quickly. Otherwise, poor behaviors can hurt your entire team. In one of the worst-case scenarios, they will cause your top performers to look elsewhere to further their careers.
If you’re experiencing productivity, attitude, or culture problems right now, help is available. Here are three things you can do to fix these issues, prevent them from recurring, and keep your employees happy moving forward.
1. Get to the Root of the Problem
Consider why unacceptable behavior is happening in the first place. To figure out where the problem is coming from, look at the following factors:
Company Culture
Ultimately, your company culture matters. If workers aren’t happy with your culture, their performance will suffer. On top of these, unhappy employees are less likely to behave. These workers can make their peers question their willingness to give 100%. In the long run, this can lead to a toxic culture that’s incredibly tough to fix.
Physical Environment
A hot or cramped workspace can be extremely uncomfortable. Along with this, workers may struggle to give their all. Additionally, your physical environment may be filled with hazards. If left unaddressed, these issues can lead to workplace accidents and injuries. You may be held responsible for these accidents and injuries at work, too.
Employee Personalities
You believe your workers mesh well together, but this may simply not be the case. If there are major differences in temperament and work style among certain employees, these workers may clash with one another. Worst of all, a dispute among employees can escalate. If this happens, it may lead one or more workers to leave your company altogether.
Workload
Just because you believe you are giving each employee a fair share of work does not mean this is the case. If an employee feels overworked, they may struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Over time, the worker’s behaviors may show that they are indifferent about their job. Furthermore, these behaviors may force other workers to take on more responsibility to pick up the slack.
To determine if these or other issues are contributing to unacceptable behavior at work, meet with your employees. This allows you to discuss your workplace productivity concerns with them. From here, you can get insights into how employees feel about your company. Next, you can make changes to address any problems in the workplace.
Conduct ongoing employee assessments. These will help you identify work issues in their early stages. Plus, you will be able to find ways to fulfill your employees’ expectations. You could also boost your employee satisfaction and retention levels.
2. Perform a Self-Evaluation
Unfortunately, there are times when you are responsible for your workers’ bad behavior. At these times, stay calm, cool, and collected. Consider what you have been doing to date that could be promoting unacceptable behavior at work. Then, find ways to resolve the issue.
As part of your self-evaluation, consider the following areas for improvement:
Communication
How you share information about work tasks and responsibilities has far-flung effects on your workers’ performance. If employees constantly make mistakes, it may be due to poor communication. Address this problem by checking with workers to make sure they understand what you expect from them. Also, remain accessible and be ready to address your employees’ concerns and questions.
Management Style
Your employees may feel like you are micromanaging them to death. Instead of micromanaging your workers, empower them. Give workers as many opportunities as you can to let them show what they can do. As employees perform tasks, provide them with feedback along the way. If an employee meets or exceeds your expectations, give them additional responsibilities. This will take work off of your plate. At the same time, it encourages a worker to do everything they can to help your company thrive.
Employee Feedback
Treat employee feedback seriously. You can learn a lot from your workers. Host team meetings and brainstorming sessions at the first sign of any poor behaviors in the workplace. Be honest and transparent with your workers, and they’ll likely do the same with you. At this point, you can get employee feedback on things you can do better. And, you can apply this feedback to become the manager your workers deserve.
You can use anonymous surveys and questionnaires to get the unfiltered truth about your company’s culture and other aspects of your business. These assessments encourage workers to share their concerns and feedback freely. They can give you a glimpse into the pulse of your workforce. Most importantly, they can help you identify the best ways to prevent bad behaviors in the workplace.
If it’s possible, enroll in management classes and leadership training as well. Your employer may allow you to sign up for courses or workshops that help you take your management and leadership skills to the next level. With these skills, you’ll be well-equipped to handle any employee or work challenges that come your way.
3. Deal with an Employee Directly
It is understandable if a worker is going through a challenging time. Regardless, bad behavior has long-lasting effects. If you do not address the problem right away, it is unlikely to disappear on its own. In one of the worst-case scenarios, poor behaviors can permeate throughout your business, damaging your company’s bottom line.
In a situation where an employee is consistently behaving outside the norm, address the issue with the worker. Schedule a date and time to meet with the worker one-on-one. Here are things you can do to put yourself in the best position to get your desired meeting results:
- Be direct. Don’t sugar-coat the issue — be clear about what you expect from an employee and let them know how you want them to behave at work.
- Stay on track. Make a list of discussion topics before your meeting, stick to this list, and do your best to avoid veering off course.
- Brainstorm solutions. Listen to what your employee has to say and work with them to find solutions.
- Follow up with the employee. Track your employee’s results and meet with them regularly to ensure that they are getting the support they need at work.
Ideally, your employee will take what you say to heart. This could be a wake-up call to the worker that drives them to accomplish amazing things in the future. Alternatively, a worker may struggle to respond to your request. In this scenario, you may want to explore your options to fill this worker’s role.
When to Replace an Employee Due to Unacceptable Behavior
You go the extra mile to manage difficult employees and disruptive behaviors. In spite of your best efforts, there is only so much you can do to help a worker. If an employee is unwilling to change, it may be time to consider replacing them. Doing so can be challenging, but help is available to get you through this period.
Before you replace an employee due to bad behavior, give the worker every opportunity you can to improve. Remember, it is in your company’s best interests to show compassion and empathy to your workers. By supporting a worker, you may help this individual get better at their job. The employee may be increasingly ready to give everything they can to help your company. This will benefit your employee and your business.
If an employee does not want to improve their behaviors, this is their decision. Track the worker’s performance and collect documentation that verifies you are giving the employee opportunities to improve. You should also notify the worker about the consequences of their actions. If the worker chooses not to comply with your requests, you can let them go and kick off your search for someone to replace them.
To avoid a poor hire, work with a staffing agency that has a unique and proven approach. Initially, this agency will learn about your company and the role you want to fill. It will then connect you with talent that lines up with your expectations. If there’s a candidate who could be a great fit, you’ll be able to meet with them. Finally, if you hire this individual, you could reap the benefits of your decision long into the future.
Get Help with Unacceptable Behaviors in the Workplace
Poor behaviors at work hurt your company, its employees, and its customers. No matter what you do, an employee may still decide not to follow through on what you ask of them. If this happens, you can assist the worker. Yet, the employee may choose to continue with their poor behaviors, and you may have to replace them.
At PrideStaff, we make it easy to add top talent to your team. If you want to hire job candidates who perform at peak levels day after day, we’ll assist you. Our professional recruiters will put you in touch with candidates to fill temporary and permanent roles. We’ll also communicate and collaborate with you, making sure your staffing needs are met year-round.
Let us help you identify quality job candidates for your business. We will give you access to a large talent pool, helping you add employees who will serve you well for as long as you have them on your team. Contact us today to get started.
