Face it, we all have them – unreasonable and difficult people we have to work with.
They burp. They yell. They spread rumors. They take NO accountability.
And as a manager you know you’re going to have to do something about it — eventually.
You’ve probably gotten plenty of advice:
- Keep your cool.
- Be proactive.
- Pick your battles.
But somehow, like the spaceships in an old Galaga arcade game, they just keep coming at you – in droves.
Here are the nine difficult people that give me ulcers.
There are lots more, so if yours didn’t make the list, please add them to the comments section below.
1) They Smell Badly
These are the one-on-ones we put off forever, until finally you can’t avoid it any more.
Trust me, the entire office is rooting for you.
So you finally get the person behind a closed door and say, “Roger, I asked to meet with you one-on-one because I need to share something with you discreetly. This is a sensitive topic and you may not realize it …”
But as you try to let the person down easily, you find yourself in a race to spit out the message before your eyes start weeping from the odor.
2) They Complain About Pay
Moaning about salary isn’t very helpful. But it is very common. One oft-cited study says 90% of employees complain about the money.
The pay is too low. The pay isn’t fair. The pay isn’t based on merit. Kathy is paid more than me.
So you finally give this person a raise, and he says, “The raise isn’t enough.”
3) They Do The Minimum
This is one of those times where you want to just rip up the job description and throw it away. OR, better yet, print the last line of the job description in large bold letters.
… AND OTHER GENERAL DUTIES AS OUTLINED BY YOUR SUPERVISOR.
There that should do it.
But it rarely does.
4) They’re Habitually Late
You expect people to show up on time. That seems to be a reasonable expectation.
But there are always those who stretch out their mornings and show up in the nick of time at best, but often they’re late.
Of course, co-workers believe the rules will eventually catch up to this person, and he or she will be disciplined.
So when that doesn’t happen, others will start taking advantage, too.
When you do finally confront the habitually late violator, guess what? They seem genuinely surprised.
“Oh, I didn’t know you thought it was a big deal that I came in late.”
So much for reasonable expectations.
5) They’re Argumentative
People love to argue, and some people REALLY love to argue.
Being too argumentative is among the Top 10 signs that it’s time to let an employee go.
You know the drill: You’re trying to give a straightforward, simple dose of feedback on a non-critical topic, and the person is challenging every point.
They like to argue for the sake of arguing!
When you do drive home a point they agree with, they argue about “how” you said it.
They seem to actually enjoy arguing with you (and everyone else.)
6) They Don’t Play Well With Others
There is an old saying that good employees should not leave blood on the floor. And if that is not actually an old saying, it should be.
There are far too many otherwise-good performers who kick sand and make waves. You know them by the long line of other employees standing at your door, pleading for you to do something about them, to put them in their place.
Hot Shot over there thinks he is irreplaceable.
Ms. Prissy is having yet another of her hissy fits.
Mr Ain’t I Special is telling everyone, again, just why that is, in case you missed it the last time.
7) They Hate Their Work Space
This just in: Survey says employees hate their cubicles.
No wait, check that. Another study says workers actually hate open floor plans.
Here are six reasons people say they hate their work space:
- There are too many distractions.
- It’s too quiet.
- It’s always hot.
- It’s always cold.
- It’s too bright.
- It’s poorly lit.
By now you realize your own work space falls into at least half of these. It’s hard not to.
What’s hard is hearing the complaints when there is so little you can do to change the physical work space.
8) They Love To Gossip
If gossip is the art of saying nothing, then the workplace is full of Rembrandts.
It can be idle chit-chat about so-and-so around the water cooler.
Or it can be inflammatory and embarrassing outright character assassinations.
But it is entrenched in most workplaces, and managers are wise to watch for it and attack it straight on.
Like rust, it is corrosive. And like glitter, it spreads everywhere once you let it out, and you can’t get it all back fast enough.
9) They’re Always Negative
Among the greatest of ulcer-causing people are the truly negative ones.
Most managers at some point get held hostage by these folks, and spend way too much energy and emotion trying to fix things, but are never quite able to just pull the trigger and let them go.
Negative people drain the energy of those around them.
Some are absolute nightmares.
Many more are negative behind your back, picking away daily at the drive and energy you strive to bring into the workplace.
Do yourself a favor and put a stop to it.
Did I Miss Your Difficult Employee?
If my list didn’t include the difficult employee who makes your life miserable, please take a moment and tell us about that person in the comments section below. Or if you have anything else to add or a great story to tell, share that, too.
James says
Hi Rich,
Here are some more items for your list:
a. An employee who does not have a sense of independence in their work, as you have to micromanage/babysit every task they do.
b. An employee who misses deadlines and does not ask for assistance.
c. An employee who does not give updates on the progress of a project(s) assigned to them.
Elena says
What about the know-it-all? He always says “I got it” when given direction. What about the clueless-about-themselves. When we let this guy go and gave him all the reasons, (not performing, arguing loudly with the boss in front of a whole room, asking what another employee “does all day long”), he was completely in shock.
John Walston says
Good ones, Elena!
Dana Landrum says
The Passive-Aggressive employee!!!
James says
” The Shell Manager ” Glitter and glamour on the outside but hollow on the inside. If you were able to hold them up to your ear you would probably hear the ocean. These type managers are a ticking time bomb in your organization.
Rich Henson says
Hi James. Sounds like you have some “experience” with those! Thanks for commenting.
Rich Henson says
Passive-aggressives can come at you in a lot of different ways, Dana. And I think there are more of them out there than we always recognize.
Damon Astill says
My comment is a simple one. Training of leaders/managers to deal with these situations promptly and effectively has to be the answer. In addition, team talks to air views honestly would help diffuse difficult situations and help support each other as a team. There are sensitive situations that require direct action like the ‘smelly’ one. But that all comes as part of the job. If you don’t do anything about these problems then you will get stomach ulcers. Get on with it and lead from the front!!!!!
Denise says
“The Complusive Liar”…. I got a worker who is about 5 items on your list plus add the fact he can’t be honest about anything!! Hard to be a manager over a liar and cheat but nothing you can do when it is the bosses BROTHER!!!!
Rich Henson says
Nepotism. Oh boy!
Rich Henson says
Great advice: Lead from the front. I will steal that for my future post. Thanks
Damon Astill says
It is not copyright. Feel free but count me in on your future posts!!
Damon Astill says
Talk to the brother. Explain how it effects your team morale and the sense of powerlessness you have to deal with it. Ask him how he would deal with it.
Gary says
The employee who smells badly, this is not only for someone with poor hygiene, this is for the person who uses so much volatile cologne or perfume you hope static electricity does not cause an explosion taking out the whole company.
Gary says
Had some dealings with chronic complainers as well. Except, they only complained to co-workers, never management. Working conditions were unsafe, not enough training, the list goes on and on. Said they were going to call OSHA, or the department of health, or some other government agency. Complaints were only heard 3rd and 4th hand, but never directed to the person who could do anything about it. and the complaints were never made clear. The individuals involved just liked to complain………..
Bonnie Cramond says
Hi, Rich,
Two if my issues are related to email.
1. The person who sends out an email to the public with grammar and spelling errors. (Those do not represent the organization well.)
2. The person who does not answer emails.
BTW, the first one should be “They smell bad.” Bad is a predicate adjective in that sentence, so you use the adjectival form. If you say, “They smell badly,” it means that the person’s sense of smell is bad.
Rich Henson says
Hi Bonnie,
Yes, I’ve worked with both of those people, and yes, it is grating!
As for smelling bad vs. smelling badly. Sweet! You are most correct.
Thanks for the fix. (I fear I did not represent my organization well.)
Rich Henson says
Hi Gary,
We hear a lot from frustrated managers who say their employees complain about everything to everyone, except they don’t complain to those who can help. As you know, good managers communicate well with many employees, and that helps better assess the validity of “complaints.”
Thanks
Rich
John Greenwood says
The owner of the company who knows all, can do things with better results than the recognized experts in the field, or modify machines that were design by professionals so that their effectiveness is now questionable.
All with results that are far less than expected/desired. This person hires some of the best engineers and professionals but doesn’t listen to them.
John Walston says
This sounds way too familiar, John…. there must be an epidemic.
Roger A Revell says
Many years ago as a manager in retail I had an employee, Lorna. She was fantastic with customers both in person and on the phone (many phone calls and orders were involved in this situation). Over the years, she had earned a simple stand-up desk in the stock area. From that location, she responded to many customers’ calls. The problem: she was a snack-rat! Bags of Cheetos, chocolate candy wrappers, and jelly bean jars littered her work area. We were in an old downtown building, and her snacks brought mice. (The official break room was three floors way by elevator.) Despite all her positive customer work, she did not hear feedback. Figuratively, I had to slap her across the face to get her attention, then say, “I want you to clean up this mess.” As a young manager, I was challenged to balance the good with the bad here. There was only short-term change, followed by more feedback. Decades later she passed, and I attended her funeral.
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