Dealing with Negative Employees

By Liz McKeon

In order to maintain a positive barber shop environment, it is important to address negative employees. Negativity can cause distractions in the workplace that lead to reduced productivity and diminished employee morale. Address issues between staff at the onset of problems rather than allowing issues to grow.

Working conditions can affect many parts of the atmosphere, including:

Employee motivation: when employees enjoy their jobs and the people they work with, they are motivated to show up to work every day and perform to the best of their ability.

Negative people can detract from this motivation.

Job satisfaction: a major component of employee satisfaction is feeling supported, comfortable and safe at work. Negativity from co-workers can reduce these positive feelings.

Employee focus: negative employees can take the focus away from projects and responsibilities. The employee may become the topic of conversation, rather than the salon tasks.

Steps to deal with negative employees

1. Listen

If an employee comes to you with a concern about a co-worker who has become too negative, listen before responding. Remember, what one person sees as negativity may just be a misunderstanding or a personality difference. Take careful notes about the complaint and remember to thank the person for their honesty and bringing the matter to your attention. Avoid promising actions or consequences.

2. Research the situation

Before speaking to the person, find out more about the situation. Get different perspectives from other team members. Ask open ended questions that allow people to offer their opinions - you want honest answers. Choose your words carefully. For example, rather than saying “has Jason ever been negative towards you?”, you might get a better response by rephrasing and asking, “how is your relationship with Jason?”. Always observe interactions between your team members and note any behaviours that don’t align with your company ethos.

3. Address your concerns

If you have noticed instances of negativity from a team member, arrange an informal meeting. Be prepared to carefully explain your observations, using specific examples.

Mention how this may be affecting other employees and the business.

4. Offer positive statements

Don’t spend the entire meeting talking about the negative behaviour. Balance the feedback by offering praise for areas where they are doing great, positive feedback from clients and how you value them as a team member. Hopefully, this will be enough for the person to get back to their best selves.

5. Document your notes

Always keep detailed records of your observations, conversations and meetings. Include dates and times. Have your employee sign off on meeting agendas and the plan of action agreed, showing their agreement and consent. Note concerns on employee review documentation. If you have any concerns, contact your HR company before engaging in any discussions and follow their instructions.

6. Avoid gossip

Even though it might be difficult you must remain neutral and open-minded. Don’t get involved in gossip and if conversations turn nasty instead of factual, remind all employees that this behaviour is most unhelpful.

7. Watch out for ‘pushback’

Pushback can take many forms, but it presents as total resistance to an instruction or unwanted change. It can take the form of silence, arguing or passive-aggressive responses.

Generally, the more significant the change, the more pushback you get. Pushback can be harmful to the morale and productivity of the team. Learning to effectively deal with pushback is necessary. As a manager, your success is built on your credibility.

To handle pushback effectively, don’t make any knee-jerk reactions. Stay neutral and calm until you have enough information to fully understand what you are dealing with. Get the facts, don’t blame anybody else, make your own decisions and follow up.

Don’t get caught up in the team’s opinions, listen carefully to all parties, communicate directly, be clear about decisions and next steps.

8. Focus on maintaining a positive workplace

Create an atmosphere that encourages open communication among all team members and management, encouraging staff to address issues when they’re manageable, preventing larger problems in future.

Regularly review company policies, values and client expectations. Schedule time for group staff meetings, where everybody feels they are an important asset to the team. Encourage discussions about the salon culture and atmosphere, not just for your clients but also for the team.

During meetings check in with team members about how they’re managing their roles and responsibilities. Catch stressed out employees early on, as this will help you work with them to manage their challenges before those issues affect the entire team and the atmosphere on the floor.

Reward positive attitudes and teamwork. Create a system for staff to recognise each other for positive behaviour.

The definition of leadership is the ‘ability of a company’s manager to make sound decisions and inspire others to perform well’. It sounds simple. But it isn’t always that easy!

@lizmckeonbizliz