Handling Bad Attitudes in the Workplace

Especially in small companies, one bad apple can turn a fun and friendly office culture into a negative and unwelcoming atmosphere to work in. While everyone has a bad day every once in a while, enduring bad attitudes can become pervasive, often affecting everyone in a team or office. And when employees are unhappy, managers can expect things like productivity and customer service to decline as well. That's why it's so important for bosses to take care of unhappiness or resentment before it becomes a larger problem. Here's how you can manage bad attitudes in the workplace:

Document Instances of Bad Attitudes
As anyone well-versed in human resources could tell you, the first and most important step you should take if you start noticing a bad attitude is to document specific instances, being as detailed as you can. This is key for two reasons: First, if you bring the subject up with the employees in question, you want to be able to provide examples of their behavior that you won't tolerate. That way, you can have a more constructive conversation, especially if they don't realize they're acting negatively. Second, if you end up needing to discipline employees, having documented evidence will ensure you can prove they were violating company policy.

Avoid Confrontation
It's unlikely that employees are exhibiting bad attitudes for no reason at all, so confronting them about it may just lead to more resentment on their end. Instead, set up a private meeting, and allow them to vent a little. Are they feeling burnt out? Are they frustrated with a co-worker? Finding out what's behind the negativity will give both you and the employees a tangible problem to fix and a constructive way to move forward.

Give Them a Warning
Before resorting to disciplinary action, give your employees a warning. Though negative behavior is unacceptable, a warning will allow them a chance to change their attitude and will give both of you an opportunity to begin to fix the underlying issue. If they continue exhibiting the same behavior, though, disciplinary action may be necessary.

Make Yourself Available 
To prevent employees from building resentment or unhappiness in the first place, make sure they know you're available to listen to their comments or concerns. Keep daily or weekly office hours in which they can schedule time to come and meet with you, and ensure you're open to what they have to say. You can even hold regular check-ins with each employee to try to catch any attitude or office issues before they spread. 

Change Who You Hire
Another way to prevent the problem before it begins is to focus on hiring the right people. During the interview process, make sure candidates are qualified for and enthusiastic about the positions they're interested in, and always check their references. For startups especially, managers often need to hire people who are willing to commit to long hours and large, varied workloads, so take extra care if you're opening a new business. You don't want to be battling employee unhappiness right out of the gate!