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Organizations often face the problem of bad attitude from employees which not only create impeachment to work but also discourage initiative and innovation. Employees with bad attitude have the habit to shift blame and shrink responsibilities. |
| “The Bad Attitude Survival Guide”, authored by Harry E Chambers, highlights causes and suggests strategies to negotiate with the bad attitude. The author recognizes that organizations are dealing with three interconnected challenges from employees: bad attitudes, poor performance, and resistance to change. These issues are interlinked with each other. This summary suggests that employees are not always at fault. It could be organizations culture and management style that can create de-motivation and promote bad attitudes. |
| There are six basic reasons that promote bad attitudes. Bad attitudes generally emerge from a mix of these factors. |
| Low self-esteem, Fear, Resentment, Unresolved conflict, Inability to accept change, and Boredom |
| Low Self Esteem. The employees having low self-esteem become a problem for others. They criticize other employee's performance in a bid to hide their shortcomings. The employees with low self-esteem do not respect values and ethics. People with low self-esteem don't go for challenging task because they don't believe they can deliver. |
| The low self-esteem can be the result of childhood discrepancies and unhappy domestic environment. They turn low self-esteem into a self-fulfilling prophecy, nurturing it by concentrating on their failures rather than successes. They start accusing themselves for their failure and feel no grip on the happening around them. They consider themselves less fortunate and blanket themselves in the shade of self-pity. Recognition is the key to bring out the best from the employees with low self-esteem. Appreciate their contribution to the organization and suggest measures for their betterment. |
| Fear. Fear of failure, bad performance, always worries employees with low self-esteem. They believe that they are victims and don't portray themselves as winners. They always come up with excuses for their Failures. There is a strong need to use the same strategies and techniques we suggested to reduce low self-esteem. Organizations should focus the problem, not the person. |
| Resentment. There are three basic reasons that nurture resentment: issues of unfairness, change in the workplace, loss of power and respect. Treat your employees fairly. Don't discriminate them. Don't favor one at the cost of other. Your policies should be clear and should be known to all employees. Remember, any thing violating the policies will lead to resentment and frustration. |
| Changes in the Workplace. The rules in the workplace have changed with time. Companies no longer offer lifetime job-security and retirement benefits. Rightsizing is being practiced in the corporate world creating a sense of insecurity among the employees, which ultimately gives birth to bad attitude. Compensation is another area where the rules in the workplace have changed. Now the performance determines your emoluments and raises, not the period of service. |
| Loss of Power and Respect. At times, treating your employees causally gives them a feeling of disrespect which eventually leads to de-motivation. Listen to your employees with concern and they must not feel they are less important because this will de-spirit them. |
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| Unresolved Conflict. Solve the employee's issues, the earlier it is possible, otherwise this will irritate them. Unresolved issues articulate bad attitudes and frustrations. People feel themselves victims. Serious conflicts require special measures such as arbitration and mediation. Help your employees to find a solution to their problems. |
| Inability to Accept Change. This is another cause of bad attitude because their low self esteem gives them a feeling that they cannot take the pressure of change. Change also means a rejection of what they are currently doing. |
| Overcoming Resistance to Change. Organizations should explain and interpret the proposed changes and give their employees a feeling that they can be benefit from change. Listen to employees' perceptions of loss, fear, or resentment. Employees must clearly understand what is expected from them. The employees have the right to know what they will gain if they accomplish the change, what they will lose if they don't, and how the results will be measured. |
| Boredom. There is a possibility that an employee may not find interest in one job and could be more interested in another area. Organizations should analyze things from this aspect to generate the employee's interest in the job. Boredom also results in bad attitude because it feeds into employees' perceptions of being disrespected, picked on, and not having control. Rotating employees in different tasks or jobs so that they are not doing the same repetitive tasks helps relieve their boredom. |
| Counsel, Confront, but Never Punish. When faced with a bad attitude employee, you have to respond immediately. If you delay your response, the negative behaviors and poor performance of the employee becomes habit and will be hard to correct. |
| Confrontation. During crisis, immediately confront the employee in a decisive and positive manner. Don't accuse or blame the employee. Find out what happened and suggest mediation. Blaming people will not serve the purpose. |
| Counseling. Unlike confrontations, counseling sessions are preplanned discussions in response to ongoing problems with an employee's behavior. The goal of the discussion is to make employees aware that you have noticed and you disapprove their behavior. The key to successful counseling is interactive communication, communication in which both parties contribute as they work toward a consensus solution. |
| Verbal and Written Warnings. The bad attitude employees should be warned verbally if they continue to practice insubordination, absenteeism, tardiness and procrastination. It is the key that the employee understands the formality and seriousness of your meeting. If problem still persists, then it is time to serve the written warning. |
| Suspension and Dismissal. If the behavior still does not improve, the next step is suspension for at least one month. The unpaid leave gives the employee a taste of the economic consequences of dismissal. |
| If nothing works then dismiss the employee. When faced with the disciplinary process, employees can either correct their actions, face eventual dismissal, or leave the company. In two out of three cases, the employee is gone. Don't start the process if you are not prepared to lose that employee. |
Derived from Sound View Executive Book Summaries
Vol 20, No 3 (3 parts) Part 1, March 1998.  |
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