How to manage a negative employee

[Summerdayzz]

Hi all,

I manage a small team and I’m having issues with one staff member in particular who is always so negative about work (and life in general) and is very vocal about it in the office. It’s starting to bring the atmosphere of the office down, as well as the mood of the others (I have found out they call the person ‘the mood hoover’ and I am looking for tips on how to manage the situation.

I am having weekly catch-ups with this person to try and address the issues, they will always say ‘oh I was just being dramatic and having a bad day, I’m fine’ but nothing is really improving. I’ve also agreed to flexible working requests for their well-being but just feel like there is a new issue every week.

The person in question is young (24) and it’s their first ‘proper’ job after university so I can’t work out if they think that moaning about work is just what you do when you are an adult! I don’t want them to be unhappy but equally I need to think of my other staff members who are affected by their behaviour.

I have spoke to HR about it but any advice/similar experiences anyone has had would be greatly appreciated!

You need to give them actual feedback on how their approach is negatively impacting the team. Give them measurable goals to work towards and a review date to meet again on it and be very transparent that things are not currently working as they are. Discuss with HR a possible performance improvement plan - I'm not sure what length of service this person has but if they are not a good fit then you could go down a short service dismissal route if less than two years and no protected characteristics.

Also - do you have a social media policy? You should meet them formally about their conduct online. If you don't have a policy then you can still meet them on it and discuss it - that's unacceptable no matter where you go and needs to be addressed.

But if the pay is better than elsewhere people can get trapped and this leads to even more negativity. Money on its own isn't enough of a motivator imo.

I've also been transferred against my will and it's really hard to be positive about it.

''@HelplessSoul · 11/09/2023 11:31

Formal warning, warn them about their conduct and behaviour. Monitor their performance and then get them fired.

Remove the flexible working privilege, force them back to the office. Weekly issues are taking the piss.

Come down on them using the rules and manage them out and get rid. People like this are time and oxygen thieves.''

This is just bad advice.

The OP has not stated that this person's actual performance is an issue, rather it is their personality and the way they come across.

Flexible/home working actually makes a lot of sense as the employee might become much happier WFH some of the time and it will also mean the rest of the team does not to deal with them every day...

Also I would bet that the employee is going to state that they have issues with mental health and are struggling (which is fair enough) and the OP would get themselves in trouble if they were seen to come down hard on someone who has just declared mental health issues and they could face claim of disability discrimination...

As a manager you will always have to deal with some difficult people. A blunt approach is never going to do you or your company any favour. Listened to what HR has to say to make sure you don't do anything silly (like what was suggested in the above comment...) and get yourself in trouble.

But even if you follow the correct procedure, if your aim from the outset is to get rid of the person and not actually give them a chance to improve, isn't that bullying?

Suggest you re-read my previous missives in this thread.

Also, the employee has likely breached social media policy too.

Something you've overlooked - bringing an employer into disrepute is normally regarded as misconduct.

Pussyfooting around an employee who behaves like that is not the answer.

I worked with someone like this and it brought down the whole team. She was moved sideways to another team and the whole atmosphere changed for us. Meanwhile the other team went down hill.
She used to complain about the “low morale”; she was the low morale.

I inherited the problem a couple of years after when I was promoted, without any managerial training or support. By then she was an established old hand. I used to keep the new trainees away from her, and rotate staff so that no one was with her for longer than 8 weeks. It was madness but she had become close friends with our boss by then.

What was infuriating was that there was a pattern of good trainees, developing attitude problems around her, which my boss felt should be nipped in the bud, ie end their probation. I ended up in the ridiculous position of trying to keep people from losing their jobs, until I came to my senses and left myself.

They are there to do a job.

If they cause more problems than they solve, and make it harder for the business to thrive, then what is the point of them being there?

Is it bullying to want a business to thrive? Is it bullying to want to have enough income to pay all the staff? Is it not bullying to leave someone in place who make everyone's lives a misery?

You have to think bigger picture when you are a people manager.

I think you sounds really supportive and realistic too. I have someone in my team leaning towards this same sort of attitude but we flip flop.

I would deliver it as a shit sandwich - 1) what they’re doing well 2) their attitude 3) their potential if 2 is addressed.

If you’re continually being supportive and still no improvement then you need to start being more direct (but still with a sensitive ear). I would state you want to delve into their well-being as you’re concerned about them. State over the X amount of months you’ve noticed their negative words used and you’ve tried to help to improve it but you’ve noticed that doesn’t seem to be working. Straight up ask if they’re unhappy working there and why. Ask what they want/expect you to be able to do so you can help them remove the feeling of negativity.

The ball is then in their court. It either opens their eyes up and their attitude changes, or they say what’s bothering them and clear I. The ask for help.

If neither of these works then you manage them out.

If they say they aren’t enjoying working there ultimately, it’s also okay to suggest looking externally. Not in a threatening way, but as a supportive comment. Managers who genuinely want you to progress and develop at a personal level can discuss external paths to do that. My former boss did, I still chat to him now. He acted as my mentor and essentially told me that I wasn’t developing further as there was no management role and I was stalling my own career. Set timelines and targets to achieve my goals, and don’t stop that from being external. He was one of the best managers I’ve ever had. I was bored and not challenged. My point is, this doesn’t have to be a negative conversation. If this is their first job, maybe it isn’t right and they can’t see that yet.

That wasn't what I meant, although perhaps that was lost in my attempt to be concise. If a performance management process is being used then it should have the opportunity built in to support that person to improve and stay. If it's just window dressing then it's not ethical.

As a people manager you still have a duty of care to the individual and a responsibility to behave ethically. You can't just deliberately cause someone harm and shrug it off as "for the good of everyone else".

The employee in question also has a responsibility to behave properly and not bring its employer into disrepute by complaining on social media about them.

The employee also has a duty of care towards their employer too - you know, the one who pays their wages, by not serially showing disdain and complaining without justification. 🙄

The shit sandwich does usually work.

It's ok to tell them that their negativity is making you worry about them, but that it's also making you worry about the rest of the team. I was once told "never complain about being tired in a [demanding, long hours but great workplace] - we're all tired, so saying it out loud just makes it seem like you think you're more important than other people". I was pretty shocked at the time but actually it makes loads of sense.

Is there a way they can express any genuine concerns in the right direction (i.e. to you), but avoid sort of wafting negativity over everyone else - what about a once a week or even 10 minutes daily catchup where they can get it all out?

Depending on what the content of the moaning is, I think showing them how it's a "them" problem is valuable - you could ask questions like, are you feeling unable to keep up with the work? Do they need more help with creating an action plan to get tasks done? If they say no to this I think it's perfectly fine to suggest that if it's more just a case of letting off steam perhaps they could do this with their friends in their own time.

IMO everyone moans about work but it's not fair to let this affect everyone in the office - presumably they all have their difficulties and frustrations too.

What kind of complaints are they making?

Have you asked them if they are ok? What they enjoy about the job. What they dislike? What they think can be done to make it better etc?

This!
I find that with the team I manage the softly softly, bend over backwards to help just makes the situation worse. Unfortunately over the past few years about 90% of the staff that come to me that are under the age if 25 (I deal with the newbies for the first 3 months) absolutely take the piss, they expect the whole team to accommodate, it's like they realise 'this is it' and that they are now out in the big wide world, they are woefully under prepared. None of them seem to have the slightest concern for others but expect tge whole placecto revolve around them and accommodate their every need. It causes huge resentment from the rest of the team.

I hate how this thread became rife with ageism. I manage 3 women 50-60 on my team and they are the most negative and unwelcoming people ie rolling eyes in meetings, tutting etc. They feel invisible due to length of service! People being negative at work isn’t exclusive to young people.

I'm 53, and I don't doubt my manager thinks I'm negative, but I was reassigned to a role I didn't want. At first I was positive. I'll get through it! It may not be as bad as I thought! I might be able to go back, go to another role! People will CARE that I am not cut out for this! They'll want me back working on what I was better suited to.

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong WRONG.

I was wrong on every cheerful little assumption. I feel my generally positive attitude saw me cornered in to this situation. But i'm The Negative One I'm sure.

you need to be careful because of HR issues if this person is anxious or depressed etc.

Give over.

Said employee cant be either of those things if she has been caught with her pants down about renaming a file and storing it incorrectly.

The OP is doing the right thing to get this useless employee out.

Not saying don't get them out - I am saying be careful of what could come back.

I'm sure HR will box that off. HR work for the employer(s) benefit, not the employee.

Sacking an utter moron like the OP describes is a walk in the park.

Be careful of trying to police your team's every thought and utterance. What you don't want to do is create a culture where freedom of speech is banned. Anyone of working age is an adult and responsible for their own behaviour. If this employee is doing their job and isn't saying absolutely inappropriate things, you need to allow for their relative immaturity in the workforce.

Let them know you are supportive of them coming to you with specific concerns that they think you can help with, make sure they have meaningful work and then crack on. Others on the team should also be busy and not dwelling on their low level moans.

if you're having a weekly all team meeting, where everyone gets a turn at updating their current activities, it will influence this person on how to behave. Maybe confide in one trusted stable team member that you'd like them to act as a role model as the person is new to work and needs a bit of mentoring, then let things take their own natural course.

Ive learned long ago to let things find their own level and to stop worrying about everyone's day to day "happiness", this isn't a kindergarten, it's a place where we get stuff done - I create a positive culture and then people can pick and choose if they like working on my team. So far, coincidentally, my team has been stable for some while and people start to see that 'this side of the fence is greener' by comparison.