How to Work Effectively With Difficult Colleagues
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Know the Symptoms
Develop "toxic worker" radar by determining which employees unfairly shift blame, dump core duties on others and relish talking negatively about colleagues. -
Rise Above Them
Don't lower yourself to their level, because you'll get into a winless "he said/he said" situation. Model higher-road behavior and behave in a professional manner. -
Take Michael Corleone's Advice
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." If you don't present a threat to toxic co-workers—and try to share common ground—they'll have less incentive to attack you. -
Move Them to the Sidelines
Difficult employees can be marginalized by giving them assignments that keep them busy and productive, but present minimal opportunities to abuse others. -
Don't Take It Personally
Always deflect any potential for an emotionally loaded confrontation by basing all discussions about the business at hand. Leave personalities out of it. -
Corral Them
Compartmentalize the impact of problem workers by putting them on the same team, so they'll be more likely to leave other employees in peace. -
Give Them a Voice, but not Power
Allow toxic workers to present their views to you freely, even if they're objectionable, but keep them from spreading hateful comments to other employees—or acting on those statements. -
Don't Show Fear
Destructive employees thrive on the fear of others, so it's important to remain calm, unafraid and in control. -
Document Their Actions
Maintain ongoing documentation that demonstrates the extent of the worker's offenses and any ensuing damage to colleagues, customers and the business.
Toxic co-workers arrive in all shapes and forms. There are the passive-aggressive types, the pathological liars and, of course, the bullies. If you think bullies can be found only in schoolyards, think again: As many as one-third of professionals are victims of workplace bullying, and 20 percent of these incidents cross the line into harassment, according to the Workplace Bullying Institute. Managers and team leaders must take control of these situations because bullying and other harmful office behaviors can lead to employee stress, absenteeism, low productivity and high turnover—not to mention the failure of key projects. Some incidents might even lead to lawsuits. To provide some guidance about how to handle difficult employees, we present the following nine best practices. They are adapted from a range of online resources, including the "Leadership Freak" blog and AllBusiness.com. Combined, they underscore the importance of approaching potentially destructive workers with the same kind of strategic planning that you put into a major business undertaking. The goal is to ensure that these employees have minimal negative impact on other staff, as well as business outcomes.