Typically, happy employees are the productive ones who represent your business in the way you want. Despite your efforts to keep them happy, you may end up with someone who’s disgruntled about some aspect of working for your company.
Taking care of a disgruntled employee can be a challenge because you have to balance out what’s making them unhappy with the needs of the company. There are several things you can do, and a few you should avoid when you’re in this situation.
Review the employment contract
Employees who have an employment contract have specific rights in that contract. You must abide by those terms, so knowing them ahead of time is critical. Once you know the terms that are in that contract, talk to the employee about what’s going on. Never assume you know what the employee is going through. It could be that they’re upset about a personal matter and that’s negatively impacting their work performance.
Be realistic with solutions
You should only offer solutions to the employee that are realistic. Unrealistic solutions can upset the employee, even more, so be sure you’re only offering what the company can do. Consider writing out the solutions and creating a contract with the employee.
Follow up with the employee
Never assume that the problem was suitably handled until you follow up with the employee. Ask pointed questions about the problem to determine if the employee is satisfied. You should also take a look at their recent work to see if it’s improved.
Employers have to do what they can to protect their company. This can be challenging when an employee is disgruntled. If you have to fire the employee to protect the business, make sure you do this properly so that you can avoid allegations of wrongful termination.
