{"id":945,"date":"2018-06-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-06-14T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.businessbroker.net\/blog\/2018\/06\/14\/handling-difficult-employee-situations\/"},"modified":"2018-06-14T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-06-14T00:00:00","slug":"handling-difficult-employee-situations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessbroker.net\/blog\/tips-for-existing-business-owners\/handling-difficult-employee-situations\/","title":{"rendered":"Handling Difficult Employee Situations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Some business buyers have said they want a business with no employees, because employees are always a problem.&nbsp; That&rsquo;s a good example of the fact that there are always problems, but the key is how you handle them.&nbsp; Employees are necessary for most businesses and the good ones can make you look good.&nbsp; Even the best employees sometimes have problems, and working together to solve the problems can make a business stronger.&nbsp; An employee complaint should be put in perspective.&nbsp; You are likely to immediately presume that a complaint is something negative, but it is also something positive.&nbsp; It is an opportunity to correct a problem and an opportunity to put your best foot forward.&nbsp; Studies have shown that a very small percentage of people complain to businesses if they are dissatisfied; they just don&rsquo;t go back to that business.&nbsp; Of course, most of the complaints are because they are unhappy about the way they were treated or ignored by an employee; but they think of the employee as the business.&nbsp; Although they don&rsquo;t complain to businesses, they like to tell everyone they see about how terrible the business is.&nbsp; That can really hurt a business very quickly.<\/p>\n<p>Business owners can develop a personal style of dealing with problems.&nbsp; You need a desire to make things better and an alertness to see situations objectively as you are finding solutions.&nbsp; Seeking creative solutions and thoughtfulness to reach logical conclusions is a desire you have and will develop more over time.&nbsp; You will see the entire problem and an application to give time and energy the solution requires.&nbsp; You need patience and optimism as you deal with any problems that arise, including problems or complaints and difficult employees.<\/p>\n<p>Good communication is necessary in all businesses and can help to offset any problems.&nbsp; Remember that communication is what the employees understand and not necessarily what you are saying to them.&nbsp; It includes words and body language.&nbsp; Listening skills are also part of communication and can be developed by taking mental notes and concentrating with an open, attentive mind.&nbsp; &nbsp;<span> <\/span><br \/>\n<span> <\/span><\/p>\n<p>Six keys to help you handle complaints and difficult employee situations include:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Schedule a meeting with the employee to discuss the situation.&nbsp; Smile a warm, sincere hello and listen carefully and with interest.&nbsp; Initiate a discussion that acknowledges there is a problem, and accept the problem as an opportunity to improve a situation.<\/li>\n<li>Empathize by putting yourself in the employee&rsquo;s place and anticipating the employee&rsquo;s complaint.&nbsp; Head it off with a sincere, genuine, specific, and timely concerned comment.<\/li>\n<li>Ask direct questions that require the employee to talk about the situation.&nbsp; Listen carefully to the answers with your undivided attention.&nbsp; This is a good way to confirm you understand what you are hearing.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat back to the employee your understanding of the problem and brainstorm together one or more possible solutions to answer his or her concerns.<\/li>\n<li>Apologize, without blaming, for the employee&rsquo;s situation and empathize with him or her for the problem.<\/li>\n<li>Solve the problem promptly by asking for an action step to help the employee make the best decision that resolves the problem.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>After looking at ways to handle complaints, it is also important to look at things to avoid.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br \/>\nFirst, don&rsquo;t directly challenge the employee.&nbsp; Even if he or she is wrong and you are right, don&rsquo;t attempt to prove it.&nbsp; The goal is to solve the problem, not debate the &ldquo;whose fault&rdquo; issue with the employee.&nbsp; Second, don&rsquo;t let the conversation wander off the specific problem.&nbsp; The goal is to solve the problem, not find more of them.&nbsp; Third, don&rsquo;t participate in fault finding.&nbsp; It doesn&rsquo;t help anyone to shift the blame to another person.&nbsp; Finally, don&rsquo;t let your personal feelings get in the way.&nbsp; Remain cool and collected and use courtesy and tact.<\/p>\n<p>REMEMBER, THE GOAL IS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some business buyers have said they want a business with no employees, because employees are always a problem.&nbsp; That&rsquo;s a good example of the fact that there are always problems, but the key is how you handle them.&nbsp; Employees are necessary for most businesses and the good ones can mak<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":211,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-for-existing-business-owners"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>Handling Difficult Employee Situations - Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Handling Difficult Employee Situations - Read now on BusinessBroker.net&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessbroker.net\/blog\/tips-for-existing-business-owners\/handling-difficult-employee-situations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Handling Difficult Employee Situations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Handling Difficult Employee Situations - Read now on BusinessBroker.net&#039;s Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.businessbroker.net\/blog\/tips-for-existing-business-owners\/handling-difficult-employee-situations\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-06-14T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.businessbroker.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/employeetugofwar.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"465\" 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