Dealing with a passive-aggressive employee? You’re not alone.
Difficult people are everywhere and dealing with them is painfully excruciating and time consuming.
On the other hand, yelling or lashing out the employee is more than likely to backfire.
Some employers may choose to keep their distance, but this cannot work long. After all, not resolving the issue can harm your work environment.
Confronting a passive-aggressive employee can be a tricky situation. Here are some tips that will help you:
Observe employee behavior
First off, why do you find the employee’s behavior difficult? Why compels their passive-aggressiveness?
Keep an eye on how they act at work. What kind of negative events trigger them to behave in such a manner? Observe the employee’s body language, words, etc.
By assessing the employee’s behavior at work, you can understand what triggers their passive-aggressiveness.
Take action
Once you have ascertained the employee’s behavior as passive aggressive, it is time to address the issue.
For starters, you need to be absolutely about the employee’s behavior you have observed. Do not make assumptions; you need facts to bring up the issue in front of the concerned employee. It is a good idea to document incidents and employee’s behavior.
Stay calm
Do not lose your anger when confronting the employee. Make sure you’re calm and collected. Also, do not react emotionally because the situation will aggravate further. The employee is highly likely to shut down.
Rather than having the meeting with the entire management, arrange a one-on-one meeting with the employee. This will put them at ease. Most importantly, remember to hear their side of the story. Be honest, open and compassionate.
Employee attitude
Keep in mind; the actions of a passive-aggressive individual are complex. In most cases, a person’s behavior is a way to cope with stress, anxiety and insecurities.
You may want to confront a passive-aggressive employee, but there is no certainty that they will change their behavior.
A person can change their behavior only when they are ready to accept that they have a problem.
Therefore, it is important to understand that you can’t change a passive-aggressive employee’s attitude. Instead, you should focus on what you can do to improve the situation.
Promoting a culture of open and honest communication and constructive feedback in an organization is important as it helps increase employee engagement and productivity.
Another way to cultivate a more engaged, motivated and productive workforce is by implementing an employee benefits plan.
Employee benefits refer to the perks offered to employees, along with salary and wages. Employee benefits differ from organization to organization and typically include medical insurance, life insurance, paid leaves, and more.
Providing benefits leads to increased engagement, thereby improving productivity and performance of employees.
For more information on different types of employee benefits plans, reach out to JS Benefits Group.
JS Benefits Group is a reputable employee benefits and wellness consulting company providing practical solutions to businesses in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Under Jennifer Schaefer’s leadership, JS Benefits Group designs and implements customized benefits programs for all kinds of organizations.
