Handling Negative Employee Attitudes: Strategies for Supervisors

As a supervisor, encountering an employee with a negative attitude can pose significant challenges for both the employer and co-workers. Understanding how to effectively address and manage such an attitude is crucial for maintaining a productive and harmonious work environment. In this article, we will explore various strategies to handle negative attitudes and ensure a positive and effective workplace.

The Conundrum: Choosing Between Productivity and Attitude

Years ago, a test was administered to new supervisors with a question that exemplifies this very situation: “You have two employees but the company has to fire one of them. One of the employees is a very hard worker but difficult to get along with. The other employee is not as productive but is a wonderful person that everybody likes working with, and is always cooperative with a good attitude. Which one do you dismiss?”

The correct answer to this question is critical for any supervisor. However, the question often leads to a deeper discussion on how to handle employee attitudes and behaviors. Instead of making the decision to retain or dismiss based on productivity alone, it’s important to focus on rehabilitation and improvement.

Offering Choices for Improvement

If faced with an employee with a negative attitude, consider offering a choice: “If you keep your negative attitude, you will be shown the door. However, if you want to improve your attitude and maintain your job, I am here to help you.” This approach can be both straightforward and challenging. It sets clear expectations and offers room for improvement, which is often the better long-term solution.

Focusing on Specific Improvement Goals

One effective strategy is to focus on specific activities that the employee needs to achieve. To ensure clarity and transparency, these goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). Below are some examples of how you can use SMART goals to address various issues:

Professional Conduct and Expectations

Clearly document and define what you mean by a “Professional Code of Conduct”, and include this definition as the standard for “Meeting Performance Expectations.” Clearly outline the personal business commitments of your direct report, making these SMART with appropriate metrics for monitoring and tracking.

Addressing Under-Performance

If the employee is under-performing, place them on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) and put them on probation. This helps to set clear expectations and provide a structured approach to improvement.

Specific Problem Behaviors

If the employee has a particular problem behavior, such as not engaging in meetings or being confrontational, assign them specific tasks to address these issues. For example, if they do not engage in meetings, define tasks that will get them involved, such as leading meeting topics or facilitating meetings. If they are confrontational, assign them to become a resident Conflict Resolution Management Mediator for the department and have them take proper training in this area.

Improving Communication Skills

If communication skills are lacking, assign them appropriate training. Have them read books, articles, and participate in workshops to improve their communication skills. Furthermore, encourage them to network and organize regular meetings or brown bag lunch sessions to foster better socialization and collaboration among co-workers.

Conclusion

Managing negative employee attitudes is a complex but necessary task for any supervisor. By offering choices, setting SMART goals, and focusing on specific improvement goals, you can help transform negative attitudes into positive behaviors, ultimately leading to a more productive and harmonious workplace.

Keywords

Negative Employee Attitudes, Supervisor Strategies, Employee Relationships