

If the manager periodically provides feedback on the employee's performance, "it eliminates some surprises when it comes time for the annual performance review," Timmes said. They also allow each party to provide feedback. For one, they allow the manager to emphasize how the employee's role is tied to the success of the organization, which goes a long way toward maintaining the employee's sense of mission. These short conversations serve several functions. They do not need to be time-consuming a 10-minute informal chat every few weeks or so should suffice, Timmes explained. Once onboarding is finished, these conversations should continue. Encourage the employee to ask questions to help them understand their duties. During the onboarding process, a manager should initiate conversations with the new employee about expectations, responsibilities and other topics that will make the employee's role clear. But hiring is only the beginning to ensure that a staffer stays well-adjusted and engaged, Timmes said. "You can teach someone a new skill, but you can't give them empathy, self-awareness, altruism or an amenable personality." Attitudinal issues will soak up the most time and will most often end in heartbreak," Curry said. "It's easier to correct skill deficiencies than it is to fix attitude.
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Veteran security manager Sam Curry, who is now chief technology and security officer for Burlington, Mass-based software company Arbor Networks, agreed with this emphasis on positive attitude and high emotional intelligence. Making an effort to ensure from the start that new employees have the right attitude for the position reduces the chances that they will become problem employees later, he added. "They're hiring for the right attitude as much as for the right skill set," Timmes said. A candidate's qualifications are still important, but managers are also looking beyond the résumé. As a result, more managers are deploying their knowledge of these concepts in the employee selection process.

There are more resources available in the "emotional intelligence space" that emphasize the importance of relationship management skills, self-awareness and social awareness, he said. Timmes, who has nearly 30 years of experience in HR, sees a clear trend in the field. And the effort starts during the hiring process, said Michael Timmes, a senior human resource specialist at Kingwood, Texas-based Insperity, a national human resources service provider. While that may sound like short and snappy advice, following it entails sustained effort on the manager's part. The first piece of guidance is simple–don't let staffers become problem employees in the first place. When it comes to advice for working with problem employees, experts offer numerous approaches covering various parts of the process. Secrets to Winning at Office Politics (St.

The Management Team Handbook (Jossey-Bass, 1998) and McIntyre, a workplace issues expert who writes a weekly syndicated career advice column, "Your Office Coach." She is also the author of "When you are talking about dealing with well-entrenched personal qualities, you need to be a bit of a black belt in your personal skills and in your management," says Marie G. As the experts attest, there's no silver bullet solution, no ready-to-use spiel or psychological exercise that can suddenly make a difficult employee easy to work with. However they're described, problem employees are the dread of every manager, and they require special skill and attention. Workers who need behavior modification and attitude adjustments.
