Preparing to address the negative attitude

Preparing to speak to employees

Once you have identified the team members that have a bad attitude in the workplace, the next step is to prepare yourself to speak to them. Here are some top tips:

Top tip 5

We recommend having more than one person conduct the meeting, with at least one supervisor or HR representative in the room to take notes. Doing this helps the employee to see concerns over their attitude are being taken seriously.

Top tip 4

During the meeting, you can refer to the policies and show the employee where they are falling short of complying with the general rules of the company.

Top tip 3

Make sure you have a good framework in place within the company, that there are policies regarding how an employee should behave and work, and if possible, print this out to have a copy of it for the meeting.

Top tip 1

Consider the impact you believe the bad attitude of the employee is having on the business and those who work with them.

Top tip 2

Reflect on how the behaviour of this employee differs from the rest of the staff and imagine the difference it would make to the morale of the business and team members if this attitude were eradicated.

Before speaking to employees, consider the potential reasons for their negative attitudes.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a single factor responsible for the decline in your team members’ attitudes. However, there are several common causes we can discuss, such as:

Poor wellbeing

Given the significant uncertainty of recent years, prioritising employee wellbeing is now more crucial than ever. Whether related to physical or mental health, issues with wellbeing can significantly impact once-promising employees, potentially leading to burnout.

Managers bear a responsibility to prevent this and enhance employee resilience in the face of job-related stress.

Low engagement leads to poor employee attitudes

Engagement isn’t an all-or-nothing switch; it exists on a spectrum. Some challenging employees may lack engagement and feel bored in their roles, causing even the most talented staff to disengage.

Alternatively, they might be actively disengaged. In more severe cases, extreme disengagement can lead to a strong dislike for the business and opposition to its goals.

Conflict with co-workers

Despite our efforts to maintain professionalism, interpersonal conflicts can arise. Managing employees with negative attitudes becomes particularly challenging when personal disagreements are the root cause.

In such situations, you must navigate the details of what transpired while remaining above office politics and ensuring a fair resolution for all parties involved.

A lack of recognition

When your achievements go unnoticed or you don’t feel valued, it’s natural to become frustrated with your employee experience. As a manager, take the time to acknowledge your team’s successes and ensure fair rewards.

Additionally, create a platform for mutual recognition among team members — both practices are crucial for maintaining high morale.

Being underpaid for their role

Switching companies often results in a more significant increase in salary and benefits compared to remaining with the same employer. Unfortunately, loyalty doesn’t yield the same rewards — for employees, at least.

Research reported in Forbes said: “Half of workers who changed jobs saw their pay increase by nearly 10%. The median worker who stayed put saw an inflation-adjusted loss of almost 2%.”

Workload can cause

a bad attitude

Employees are frequently burdened with additional responsibilities without corresponding pay increases.

Unrealistic demands and unacknowledged discretionary efforts are present in many companies, resulting in feelings of overwhelm, underappreciation, and burnout. It’s no wonder that staff members develop negative attitudes!

Seeing themselves as carrying the team

Dealing with employees who have an inflated sense of self can be frustrating. Coaching individuals with negative attitudes becomes particularly challenging when they firmly believe they’re the team’s champion.

Often, you’ll find yourself addressing their condescending behaviour towards teammates or even outright badmouthing.

The frustration of working with difficult people

Managing employees with negative attitudes becomes challenging when preventing those attitudes from spreading to the rest of your team.

After all, a team is only as happy as its grumpiest member, and research indicates that toxic employees can significantly disrupt the overall team dynamics.