Troublesome People at Work: How to Coach, Counsel and Turn Around Problem Employees

Solve your troubled employees’ problems – and reclaim your time! Learn the secrets to coaching and counseling your most difficult workers – and send their productivity (and yours) skyrocketing.

Discover how to quickly “fix” your “broken” workers so that you can focus on your own career. Getting more done in less time is probably your #1 goal – and troubled workers are your #1 obstacle to achieving it.

That’s why we’ve developed the perfect resource to help you do both. Introducing Troublesome People at Work: How to Coach, Counsel and Turn Around Problem Employees.

Table of Contents

Introduction - Poor Performance: You Can’t Afford to Ignore it

Part I: Understanding the Counseling Process
1. The Basics of Counseling

• Accept Your Responsibility


• The Big Picture


• Set Clear, Measurable Goals


• 5 Lousy Excuses for Not Firing Someone

• Don’t Rely on Memory


• Stop Making Excuses


• Good Documentation


• 3 Mistakes to Avoid


• Secondhand Reports


• Cuff Notes, Logs, Memos


• Red Light: Legal Points


• After Counseling

• Conducting the Interview


• Charlie’s Problem


• The Need for Training


• Meet Barbara


• The Give-and-Take


• How to Be Assertive

• The Turnaround Plan


• Follow-Up Meetings


• ‘How Long Will All This Take?’


• You Missed Something


• ‘I’m Serious—You Could Lose Your Job’


• Setting Time Limits


• Document the Follow-Through


• Alternative: Agreeing to Resign

• Be Confident in Your Decision


• Firing in Anger


• Ask Yourself Key Questions


• The Litigious Workplace


• Another Legal Restriction


• Easing the Blow


• Conducting the Meeting


• Releases, Severance Agreements


• Choosing Your Words


• Cover the Facts


• Federal Fair Employment Laws


• Documenting the Meeting

• Announcing the Firing


• Just the Facts


• Steer Clear of Defamation


• Giving References


• The Impossible Happens


• The Replacement


• Unemployment Benefits

• A Disappointed Employee


• Micki’s Appraisal


• Avoidance Tactics


• Constructive Confrontation


• Cindy’s Game Plan


• The Meeting


• Ongoing Feedback


• The ABCs of Feedback

• Wishful Thinking


• Larry and Beth


• 7 Steps to Helping Troubled Employees


• Employee Assistance Programs

• George’s Hostile Employee


• What George Did Right


• Conducting an Investigation


• The Absentee

• Malicious Disobedience


• The Passive-Aggressive


• Addressing the Problem


• Guidelines for Dealing With ‘Attitudes’


• Action Plans

• Defuse at the Start


• The Need for Assertiveness


• All the Wrong Moves


• What’s Next?


• The Aftermath


• Dealing With Angry Behavior


• Security Issues

• Red Flags


• The Supervisor’s Guilt Trip


• What Should You Do?


• Case in Point: Joe’s Drinking


• Counseling Do’s and Don’ts


• Substance Abuse and the Law

• Making Good Hires


• Day 1 on the Job


• How Do You Rate as a Coach?


• Ongoing Coaching


• When Coaching Comes in Handy


• Feedback Sessions


• A Coach’s Solutions

• Make Jobs More Interesting