As a service station owner, you’ve probably dealt with difficult employees before. Perhaps they’re always arguing with their coworkers, displaying poor work ethic, or their performance leaves much to be desired.
Situations that come from difficult employees can harm your team’s morale, and such people can even hinder your productivity and sales – which affects your service station as a whole.
We put together six tips on how to work through issues with such employees, so you can make sure your service station (and your staff) remains on top.
1. It’s the person’s behavior, not the person.
Before you have a discussion with your employee, make a point to find out why they’re behaving how they are. Instead of attacking their character, offer feedback on behavior that you’ve noticed and how it’s affecting the environment around them. Bring up the situation carefully and with tact, and keep the conversation rooted in facts without letting emotion take the lead.
Your employee might not even be aware of what they’re doing wrong, and it’s your job to point it out in a sensitive, calm manner.
2. Find out why.
Why is your employee behaving the way that they are? Are they having issues at home? Is there an issue with a coworker? Do they have too much on their plate?
By keeping communication open and having conversations with your employees about their situation, you’ll be able to understand where their behaviors come from. Once you find the root of the problem, it’s easier to find solutions.
3. Give feedback that is detailed and clear.
When you’re having a tough conversation with your employee, it’s essential to provide examples of their negative behavior so both of you can get on the same page. Include the negative effect that this behavior has had on the organisation and other team members. This will help your employee understand the impact of their actions.
When you give feedback, it should be direct without sounding like an attack. Work together with your employee to create a realistic plan of action for better behavior going forward.
If an employee is unwilling to change, make them aware of the consequences and let them know that such behavior won’t be tolerated at your service station without repercussions.
4. Be open.
A conversation is a two-way street. This means that you should be just as open to receiving feedback from your employee as you are to give it. If they bring up workplace issues, address them and make corrections where required.
5. Keep track of behavior.
Keep a detailed record of problematic behavior from employees, including the date and specifics about the incident that occurred. Documentation is good evidence, which you may need if an employee should decide to sue your service station for wrongful dismissal.
Keeping a record also gives you tools to facilitate conversations about their behavior, as written evidence is hard to deny.
6. Do damage control.
It may reach the point where you need to remove an employee from the work environment in order to prevent a situation from worsening. Or, if the employee is showing lack of motivation or direction, you might give them opportunities for additional training.
If an employee’s negative behavior doesn’t change, even with damage control done, you may need to let them go in order to keep a small problem from snowballing into something bigger.
It’s not easy to deal with difficult employees, but encouraging a culture of empathy and understanding at your service station will give you the tools to deal with the situation in a productive, amicable way.
If you need help or advice feel free to contact us. ServoPro members are reminded that they have access to our HR Helpdesk.