Difficult high performers
High Performing But Difficult Employee
Their results are good. But the way they operate is causing problems. They upset colleagues, cut corners, push back on everything, or behave in ways that nobody else would be allowed to get away with. And because they perform, you have let it go until now.
This is a particular kind of stuck
The performance gives you a reason not to act. The behaviour gives you a reason that you should. And the longer it continues, the more the rest of the team notices that this person seems to operate by different rules.
This dynamic is more common than most business owners want to admit. It is also one of the most commercially rational-feeling traps in management. The logic seems sound: they bring results, so you manage around the behaviour. But the cost of doing that builds steadily.
Other employees' morale drops. Standards blur across the team. Your authority to manage behaviour weakens. And one day, a colleague raises a grievance about how this person treats them, and you are now managing a formal process that could have been avoided.
High performance does not exempt anyone from reasonable behaviour standards. And addressing that early is almost always easier than addressing it once it has become entrenched.
What happens when this goes unaddressed
- Colleagues raise grievances about the difficult employee's behaviour, often citing that management has ignored it
- Team members leave, citing the environment as the reason, sometimes claiming constructive dismissal
- The difficult employee becomes emboldened and the behaviour escalates
- Other employees reduce their own standards, pointing to the precedent
- When you eventually do try to address it, the lack of prior action weakens your position
- The employee turns difficult when challenged, raising their own grievance or threatening legal action
How to approach this carefully but clearly
- 1
Separate performance from conduct in your own thinking first
These are two different things. Good performance does not justify poor behaviour and should not be used to offset it. Being clear in your own mind that you are addressing a conduct issue, not questioning their value, makes the conversation easier to frame and harder to deflect.
- 2
Document what you have already observed
Before any conversation happens, write down what you have seen, heard or been told. Specific incidents, dates, who was involved. This is not about building a case. It is about making sure the conversation is grounded in facts rather than feelings, which matters both for the discussion and for any formal steps that may follow.
- 3
Have the conversation clearly and professionally
A well-prepared conversation that names the specific behaviour, explains the impact, and sets clear expectations is usually the most effective first step. Most high performers respond to clarity. What they do not respond well to is vague, apologetic management that leaves them unsure what is actually expected of them.
- 4
Get advice on how to handle it if it escalates
Some difficult high performers respond to a clear conversation. Others do not, and a formal process becomes necessary. Knowing in advance what that process looks like, and what your legal position is, means you are not making it up as you go if things do escalate.
Common questions
Questions business owners ask about this
Can I manage a high performer differently because of their results?+
No, not when it comes to their behaviour or conduct. Performance results do not give an employee the right to behave in ways that harm the team, create legal risk, or undermine management. Applying different standards to high performers is a common mistake that creates fairness problems across the team and weakens your position if you ever need to take formal action.
What if addressing the behaviour means losing someone valuable?+
This is a real commercial tension, but it is worth testing the assumption. Many business owners overestimate how irreplaceable a difficult high performer is, particularly when the full cost of the disruption they cause is factored in. Addressing the behaviour clearly and professionally often changes it. And if it does not, the long-term cost of not addressing it is usually higher.
My top performer is bullying colleagues. What do I do?+
Bullying, regardless of who the perpetrator is, creates serious legal exposure for the employer. Colleagues who are subject to bullying can raise grievances, make discrimination claims, or resign and claim constructive dismissal. Their performance results do not reduce your obligation to address the behaviour. This needs to be handled as a conduct issue through the appropriate process.
How do I raise this without the employee playing the 'I bring in the most revenue' card?+
You acknowledge their value to the business, and then separate that from the conduct concern. The two things are not in competition. Most employees, even difficult ones, respond better to a conversation that is specific, factual and professional rather than one that feels like an attack. Preparation matters: knowing exactly what you are raising and how makes the conversation much more manageable.
Can a difficult high performer raise a grievance if I challenge their behaviour?+
Yes, and some do, particularly if they sense a change in how they are being managed. This is not a reason to avoid the conversation. A genuine grievance needs to be handled properly. But if you have managed the conduct issue correctly, with a fair process and good documentation, the grievance is far easier to respond to. The risk of managing it properly is much lower than the risk of continuing to avoid it.
What if my high performer threatens to leave if I challenge their behaviour?+
This is a management dynamic, not an HR or legal one. If an employee conditions their continued employment on not being held to reasonable standards, the business needs to decide what kind of precedent it is prepared to set. Most of the time, a clear, professional conversation about conduct does not result in resignation. And if it does, that may be worth understanding before it happens.
You might also be dealing with
These situations often come up alongside each other.
Ready when you are
Not sure what to do next?
If this sounds like what you're dealing with, the fastest way to get clarity is the Employee Situation Check.
You deal directly with Samantha. FCIPD Chartered Fellow. 25 years handling situations like this. Reply within one working day.