Employee Relations Problems
Dealing with employees who are having problems with management or with each other can be one of the less pleasant aspects of owning a business. Enlightened managers look critically at themselves as well as at the employees who are having problems, in an attempt to determine objectively where the problem lies. When all sides become more flexible, problems are more likely to be resolved.
Other People Are Reading
-
Complainers
-
Nearly every workplace has at least one person for whom nothing is ever good enough. Complainers undermine the morale of the entire working group by constantly stirring up the latent dissatisfaction of other employees, or by annoying those employees who are satisfied but tired of listening to complaints. Complainers exist in all shapes and sizes; some do excellent work when they're not complaining, while others mix their complaints with malingering. Some have a valid basis for their complaints, while others simply make things up. If the complaining doesn't get out of hand or seriously disrupt the workplace, it is sometimes easiest simply to live with it.
Feuds
-
Employees who share a workspace for 40 hours a week sometimes reach the conclusion that they don't like each other. If this mutual dislike becomes too intense, workplace feuds erupt. The worst feuds are those in which both sides recruit others in the workplace to their side and against their enemy. When this happens, management needs to step in and make it clear that there is no place for Hatfields and McCoys in the office. If you manage a large company with a number of departments, you can sometimes defuse office feuds by moving one or both employees to other locations.
-
Malingerers
-
Malingerers are people who simply don't like to work. They might be complainers or they might be very cheerful, but what they are not is productive. Malingerers often spend their time engaging coworkers in conversation, thus creating two nonworking paid employees rather than just one. In some workplaces, if piecework is an option, malingerers can be dealt with by changing their pay to a piecework basis, so that they are not getting paid unless they are working. This usually encourages them to cut down their conversation and increase their work.
Gossip
-
Gossip exists in every workplace, and within reason it does no harm. In fact, it can even help to build feelings of community and solidarity. People are naturally curious about others, and gossip is a way of keeping up on other people's activities. However, when the gossip becomes malicious and turns into backstabbing, it can wreak havoc among employees. Managers who keep in close touch with their employees are more likely to nip this sort of thing in the bud before it gets out of control.
-
References
- Photo Credit quarrel image by kuhar from Fotolia.com
