How Can I Design Effective Behavioral Training for a Challenging Employee?

Dear All,

I have a female employee in the Accounts team. Her nature is very aggressive, which leads to verbal tiffs with many around the office. She also has a habit of taking personal calls while sitting in the workplace, so all her personal issues at home are public. She doesn't mind that either and is always eager to discuss her personal issues with anyone who would hear her.

I have tried speaking to her, explaining that it would be unethical if she needs to work while at home after work hours or on leaves, and similarly, it is unprofessional to discuss personal problems while working. Sadly, it doesn't seem like she understands the same.

I have now spoken to her reporting head regarding the issue and explained to him about the need for training for her. I will be starting a basic behavioral training for her and incorporating work stress elimination simultaneously.

I request any training experts for suggestions that can help in designing such a program.

Thanks,
Darshana

Before giving any training, please find out:
1. Why is she aggressive? Is it from day one, or have there been recent changes in her behavior?
2. What family problems does she have at home?
3. As an organization, how can you help her resolve these issues? (If it adds value to your organization, otherwise no)

Dear Darshana, you have an employee in the Accounts Department whose nature is:

a) Aggressive

b) Has verbal tiffs with many around

c) Has a habit of taking personal calls while sitting in the workplace

d) Always eager to discuss her personal issues with anyone who would hear her

e) You have tried counseling her about her behavior, but she remained incorrigible. Now, you would like to talk to the reporting authority so that she corrects her behavior.

All said and done, Darshana, but the question arises: why has her Manager been silent all along? Why did he not notice that her behavior does not conform to norms? Why were you required to inform him that there is an odd sheep in his flock? More than the individual's issue, it is a managerial failure! He needs to be trained in exercising authority or how to give feedback to the juniors! With proper feedback, this type of behavior is correctable. Please note that training is not a panacea for all types of problems.

Since when has this person been working in your company? Who interviewed her, and why was her aggressiveness not detected during the interview? Do you consider this a recruitment failure?

Moving forward, if the employee has time to talk on the telephone, then it means she has surplus time at her disposal. How do you measure her performance? What are the targets, and what is her score? Why has her Manager not stepped in if there was a gap in performance?

Did you conduct an induction for this employee? In the induction manual, have you included the topic of workplace etiquette or workplace behavior?

Your feedback on her behavior did not work because she might have considered you lightweight. Secondly, how the feedback is given also matters.

Instead of wasting time and money on training such persons, it is better if some senior authority gives feedback to her. If she does not reform, then it is better to get rid of such a person. Please note that we run an enterprise that needs to be run professionally. There are larger issues like customer satisfaction, innovation, R&D, etc. on which training needs to be conducted, not reforming quixotic persons!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Dinesh Sir, thank you for your detailed reply. The concerned employee has been with the company for the past 5 years. This is the reason for my intervention. She is a long-standing employee, and we have a culture of valuing our people.

It is not that her manager did not try to intervene. He did his best. (I do take your point about addressing his training needs too). We are a growing SME with about 18-20 staff working at the head office, and I am heading the HR department. This is why I am addressing the issue and want to try training before the department has to take any further action.

Also, from what I have gathered, she has been facing some family issues recently but only started talking about them with others recently.

Sir, I really liked the line, "Training is not a panacea for all types of problems."

Regards, Darshana

Dear Darshana, you have replied to my post, but you have not mentioned anything about the employee's performance or how it is measured. How long has the lady been discussing her family issues on the phone? Is it a recent occurrence or has it been ongoing for five years? Is the employee using her length of service as an asset to justify her wayward behavior?

Escalation and Feedback

Now, escalate the matter to the level of General Manager or above. Have a senior provide feedback. In the feedback, emphasize that she needs to master workplace etiquette, interpersonal skills, and more. Suggest resources like videos on YouTube, web materials, or books for self-learning. There is value in self-learning, and it's important for your organization not to lose faith in it. Avoid conducting training on topics that can be self-learned, as it may set a wrong trend.

Ensure proper documentation of the feedback from senior management. If there is no improvement, issue a warning letter. If there is still no progress, consider a second warning or conduct an inquiry to assess the situation further.

Internal Connections and Personal Problems

From your responses, it seems she has an internal connection she relies on. When she disregards feedback from you and her manager, it speaks volumes. Regarding personal problems, everyone faces challenges, but airing personal issues in the office is inappropriate. As HR Head, have you planned her career development? Instilling career consciousness can fuel ambition and drive career growth.

Performance Targets

Lastly, revisit her performance targets and consider raising them. In other companies, targets are often challenging, leading employees to focus on work and minimizing distractions. When employees are driven, they are more focused, reducing unnecessary chatter.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Dear Sir, Sorry for missing the point about her discussion of personal problems and her performance. She is an average employee who is meeting her routine targets. However, due to her increased family problems over the past year or so, her performance has been affected. This has been communicated at several intervals, even resulting in a lower increment percentage this year.

Regarding her connections in the company, she does not have any direct ones. However, as I mentioned, we are a close-knit company that values its people. Thus, she may benefit at times from being more senior within the company.

I appreciate the importance of self-learning and plan to discuss this matter with her manager and, if necessary, with her directly. In reference to her dismissal of previous suggestions, as you correctly pointed out, it may be due to the way they were conveyed. From my end, it was intended as a casual approach to avoid hurting any sentiments. I will ensure a more professional approach this time.

Thank you once again for your guidance.

Regards, Darshana