Those prone to aggression are often also prone to defensiveness. Vague statements of unwanted behavior leave room for misinterpretation or confusion. As succinctly as possible, state both the current and potential impact of their behavior. How has their behavior affected morale or productivity? How do others feel about working with this person? More importantly, state what is possible if they fix the behavior.
How might productivity increase if they were perceived as a trusted member of the team? Identifying ways they may be more successful if they alter their behavior will help motivate them to make necessary changes. Improvements should be recognized, and employees should be held accountable for failures in not correcting the behavior. Nothing will affect the morale of other employees faster than watching unacceptable performance go unaddressed or, worse, be addressed and then tolerated, which suggests that the manager is incapable of dealing with the situation.
Working with an employee, though, and giving him or her a chance to improve can also be an effective morale booster. Many corporate codes of conduct and labor agreements contain requirements that employees and managers treat each other with dignity and respect and conduct themselves in a professional manner. In addition, most organizations have policies that prohibit harassment and discrimination, including actions that may lead to an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.
One caveat to these conduct-related policies is to ensure that they do not interfere with Section 7 rights under the National Labor Relations Act, which allow employees to engage in protected, concerted activity regarding the terms and conditions of employment. The National Labor Relations Board has gone back and forth on how these policies must be worded; therefore, legal review of all current and any new conduct policies is recommended.
When organizations communicate clear expectations and take appropriate actions, the workforce will be better able to differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The cost of workplace bullying and other disruptive employee behaviors can be measured in many ways. An organization can, for example, analyze the impact of these negative behaviors based on:.
Legal risks are associated with confronting disruptive employees about their behavior. Federal and state employment laws protect employees from discrimination based on age, race, gender, national origin, religion, disability, and, in some states, marital status and sexual orientation. In addition, whistle-blower or retaliation protections and collective bargaining agreements can create some additional areas for legal concern.
When employees who belong to one or more of these protected classes face discipline, they may feel they are being treated differently than those employees who are not members of the same class. Keeping all disciplinary conversations focused on the employee's actual performance problem is important.
Although discrimination and harassment laws prohibit employers from making employment decisions based on an employee's membership in a protected class, basing decisions on performance helps prevent even the appearance of a violation of these laws.
Even if an employee feels he or she is the victim of discrimination or harassment, concentrating on performance helps maintain the focus on the true employment issues at hand, keeps the employer compliant, and shows respect for employees and their rights in the workplace. Workplace bullying is inappropriate and unacceptable behavior, but it is not prohibited by federal law unless the basis for it is tied to a protected category, such as race or sex. Several states have introduced workplace anti-bullying bills in recent years and in , Tennessee's Healthy Workplace Act, prohibiting workplace bullying that is not based on a protected category, was extended to include private employers.
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Workplace Gossip: What Crosses the Line? How to Create a Culture of Civility. How to Create a Bully-Proof Workplace. What measures can an employer take to stop employees from gossiping? How to Resolve Workplace Conflicts. Employees comment that they do not understand documented policies as they are not being enforced.
Disruptive Behavior Justified Employee's Discharge. Attack Bullying Without Being Attacked. Confronting Workplace Bullying. Conflict Resolution Training. Documenting Disciplinary Issues. If not, advise him to take anger management classes. Make it clear that you want to help him. Explain the possible outcomes if the employee does not change his behavior. Do not threaten the employee; simply explain what could happen if he continues exhibiting aggressive behavior.
Located in Pittsburgh, Chris Miksen has been writing instructional articles on a wide range of topics for online publications since He currently owns and operates a vending business. He decided to give his aggressive employee a leading role, because he knew his hard driving tendencies could be an asset. Indeed, the employee leveraged his "never take no for an answer" style and turned the project into a major success.
Another option to use your employee's aggressiveness for good is to ask them to coach a timid colleague to become a bit bolder. For example, in one company I worked with, an aggressive finance employee coached one of her team members on how to repel excuses from employees who failed to turn in timesheets at the end of the quarter - helping the company become far more efficient. As a leader, you need all different types of team members to get the work done.
But an aggressive team member, left unchecked, can derail the work and the reputation of your group. Top Stories. Top Videos.
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