KEY POINTS:
Does this person sound familiar? They have a crusty exterior and seem to take pleasure in being mean to junior workers; they flatly say no if given a new assignment that they don't think is in their area; they often have a bad home life, so you cut them some slack; they were a bit of a star in their area of specialty but now do more management; are pally with the boss who doesn't like confrontation and will do anything to avoid putting this office bully in a bad mood.
These are some of the signs of the personality type that consulting psychologist Steven Saunders calls the bruiser.
"They always seem to be the victim. They come to work with a chip on their shoulder. They are prickly and defensive and, when pushed, they can be offensive and cause all sorts of reactions," he says. These unpleasant characters can be incredibly damaging in a work environment; their attitude can lead to staff below them leaving because they can't stand the unpleasantness. And if you as a manager are not reading the signs, or don't want to rock the boat, then you are not doing your job properly.
Saunders, of Steven Saunders & Associates, was asked to speak recently at the Robert Half International business breakfast on dealing with difficult employees. He puts the blame for allowing this poison to exist in a company squarely down to poor management.
"If you haven't got the right boss, you haven't got the right leader, you haven't got consistency of purpose, you haven't got consistency of standards, you haven't got clarity of communications from the leader, you've got a breeding ground for difficult behaviour," he says.
"If you are an astute boss, you can usually see tension building up."
He despairs of managers who come to work and spend the first hour dealing with emails. They should be available to staff and dealing with any problems.
"When you deal with it, be specific and focus on the issue - don't get hung up on personalities," he says.
"They need to be taken aside and reminded that their behaviour is unacceptable."
Managers should put their expectations of staff behaviour into company policy. They should emphasise that doing the job properly includes getting along with staff, that they are expected to be positive, willing, contributing and adaptable members of the team at all times, says Saunders.
The psychologist has solutions for handling a whole raft of characters to be found in workplaces.
There's the apathetic employee. They are the hardest of all, says Saunders. "You have got to explore with them whether they are apathetic because they feel that they are being mismanaged or that they are not being loved and appreciated.
"Some people are just tired. They lack the gas in the tank and, when you put them under pressure to perform, they make excuses, they don't have the drive."
Those whose heart is just not in the job can be a trial to motivate.
"These guys put up a lot of passive resistance, [tasks] are always half done; you can see that they are going through the motions," he says.
And some staff do, in fact, have psychological problems. Saunders does not conjure up a rosy picture when he talks about the ageing workforce.
Depression is correlated with age, he says. And he warns that crusty bruisers get crustier as they get older.
Of course, the best solution is not to hire problem staff in the first place. In many cases, less-than-perfect employees can be picked up in the interview, says Saunders, who has techniques for effective recruitment.
He has some key questions which can show people up pretty quickly. One of them is to ask someone to give their life story in a nutshell. "One guy went on for 54 minutes," he says.
It is a good test of whether someone has a logical, organised mind, says Saunders. Another question to ask is who was their greatest boss. And if the person starts blaming former bosses for their problems, that's not a good sign.
"Beware of blamers," says Saunders.
When it comes to checking references, he advises prospective employers not to beat about the bush. He suggests they ask previous employers: "Was this person a well poisoner?"
"Go straight in, don't mess about," he says. If the problem person is already ensconced in your company, there are ways of improving flawed employees.
"I have dealt with different personalities from lawyers to surgeons ... and often a lack of people skills is the problem." Technically they may be excellent but they fail in other areas.
"You have to make sure people get the tools to do the job, with training and up-skilling," says Saunders.
Roz Urbahn, NZ HR manager for recruitment consultancy Hudson, has ways of approaching difficult personality types and has some practical solutions for managing them. In her experience, she has found at times that the aggressive player may be horrified at being perceived as a bully.
Organisations should have clear behavioural policies which back up the inherent values of the company, she says.
"So that they can say: 'We love what you are doing, but the way you are doing it is not getting you any credit'," says Urbahn.
One of the best tools a manager can use, she says is an "open door policy". And there should not be just one person they can go to. "What you need to do is make sure that there is another touch point in the business," says Urbahn.
Do companies have to put up with bruisers in a tight labour market? "Even though it is a tight labour market, there is still a focus on quality of people working in the business; you can't afford to drop that," says Urbahn. "It's okay for people to be different, that's what creates an amazing culture. That's what makes a workplace fun and productive. You don't want everyone to be perfect."
* Gill South is a freelance business writer based in Auckland.
For Steven Saunders' podcast go to www.roberthalf.co.nz, click on Resource Centre, then Podcast.
