Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of performance through strong human relations,
team building, and goal of giving. This is the seven Minute Leadership
Podcast with your host Paul fella Aldo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the
seven Minute Leadership Podcast. It's episode one fifty five and today I want to
talk about the energy taking employees that we all have. You know who they
are. We all have that one employee that every day something is a new
crisis for them. They come to you twenty times a day for things that
are really not that important, you know what I'm talking about. So,
employees who consistently take up a lot of their manager's energy and time can be
challenging to deal with. And there are a variety of reasons why an employee
may require more attention and energy from their manager. So here is my list
that may help you understand this behavior and better navigate this type of employee when
dealing with them. So the first list is, let's dive into understanding the
behavior and why these types of employees may be the ones you focus eighty percent
of your time and your own energy on. So number one would be lack
of competence or skill. If an employee is struggling to perform their job duties.
It can be frustrating for both the employee and their manager. The manager
may need to spend more time providing training and coaching to help the employee improve.
Number two is poor attitude or behavior, So employees who exhibit poor behavior
or a negative attitude can just be draining to work with, and again,
managers may need to spend time address the employee's behavior in finding ways to improve
their attitude. Number three, and this one's big and often overlooked, and
that's personal issues. So sometimes an employee's personal life can impact their work performance
and require additional support from their manager. This can include dealing with health issues,
family problems, or even other personal challenges. And the last one for
the behavior list is communication issues. So if an employee struggles with communication,
it can be time consuming for their manager to ensure that they understand what the
proper lines of communication are in the workplace, and chances are there are probably
a few other people in line that they should be communicating with instead of always
coming directly to you. So now that we better understand the behavior behind the
energy draining, what can we do better for these individuals? So number one
would be communicate clearly. It's important to have clear and open communication with problem
employees. You have to be specific about the issues that you're seeing in what
changes you would like to see. Listen to their perspective as well, and
try to find the common ground. Number two is set expectations, So make
sure that problem employees understand what is expected of them in terms of performance,
behavior, and attitude. You have to be very clear about the consequences if
the expectations are not met. Number three is provide feedback, and this one's
a big deal. Regular feedback can help problem employees understand how they can improve
in what they are doing well. Be specific and offer constructive criticism. Number
four offers support. Sometimes employees may be struggling due to personal issues or lack
of training. Offer support and resources to help them improve and succeed. Number
five, This one's gigantic, and that's document the issues. You have to
keep a record of any issues or incidents with problem employees because this will help
you have specific examples to refer to when discussing the issues with the employee or
human resources. Number six is always important follow your company policies. Be sure
to follow your company policies and procedures when dealing with problem employees because this can
help ensure consistency and fairness. And the last one is seek help. If
you're having trouble dealing with a problem employee, seek help from HR or even
your supervisor. They may be able to offer additional guidance and support. So
dealing with employees who take up a lot of energy requires patience, empathy,
and good communication skills. It's important for managers to identify the root cause of
the issue and work with the employee to find a solution that works for everyone,
and this could involve additional training, coaching, or support from HR or
other resources within the company. This has been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast and
I thank you for listening. For more Paul Fellovaledo podcasts, visit Paul Fellovalito
dot com.