Difficult employee behaviour
Every Conversation Turns Into Hard Work
Attitude, resistance, or behaviour that keeps coming up. It is affecting the team, taking up disproportionate management time, and you are running out of patience.
What this usually looks like in practice
They are not exactly breaking rules. But every interaction requires more effort than it should. Instructions get questioned. Feedback gets challenged. Team dynamics are noticeably worse when they are in the room.
You might have tried raising it informally. Maybe it improved for a while. Then it slipped back.
The hardest part of this situation is that difficult behaviour is often subtle enough that you second-guess yourself. You wonder whether you are being unfair or whether other people are as bothered as you are.
But you probably already know the answer. And the fact that it keeps coming up is itself significant.
What usually happens if this goes unaddressed
- Good employees lose confidence in the business and in you as a leader
- The behaviour becomes accepted as normal and harder to challenge later
- A sudden escalation catches you without any documented process to support it
- Other team members start to disengage or leave
- You find yourself managing around the person rather than addressing the issue
- When formal action is eventually needed, there is no record to support it
How to handle this properly
- 1
Document specific incidents, not general impressions
Note dates, what was said or done, who was present. Avoid language like 'bad attitude' and focus on observable behaviour. This is what will matter if formal action becomes necessary.
- 2
Have a direct, well-prepared informal conversation
Be clear about the specific behaviour you have observed, the standard you expect, and the impact it is having. Give them the opportunity to respond. Keep a note of what was discussed and agreed.
- 3
Set clear expectations going forward
The conversation should end with a clear shared understanding of what is expected, not just a general sense that things need to improve. Put this in writing where possible.
- 4
Follow a formal process if informal steps do not work
If the behaviour continues after informal steps, a formal disciplinary process may be necessary. This requires a proper investigation, a formal hearing, the right to be accompanied, and a right of appeal.
Common questions
Questions business owners ask about this
What counts as difficult employee behaviour?+
It includes persistent rudeness, resistance to reasonable management instructions, low-level disruption, negativity that affects team morale, failure to follow processes despite being asked, and attitude that makes normal working relationships difficult. It does not have to be dramatic to be a problem worth addressing.
What should I do before starting a disciplinary process for behaviour?+
Make sure the expectation or standard has been clearly communicated, that the employee has had an opportunity to understand what is expected of them, and that informal steps have been tried first where appropriate. Starting formal action without this in place weakens your position.
Can I discipline an employee for attitude?+
Attitude alone is difficult to discipline because it is subjective. What you can address is specific behaviour: what the employee said, how they responded, what they did or did not do. Documenting specific incidents rather than general impressions is important.
What if the difficult employee is one of my best performers?+
This is one of the most common and genuinely difficult tensions in people management. Strong performance does not give an employee a pass on how they treat others. Allowing it to continue because they are commercially valuable sends a message to the whole team.
How do I stop a difficult employee making everyone else miserable?+
By addressing it directly and early. The behaviour usually does not stop on its own. Other team members are often watching to see how you handle it. Acting proportionately and fairly, and being seen to act, is as important as the outcome for the individual involved.
You might also be dealing with
These situations often come up alongside each other.
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