Employees who challenge and undermine your authority constantly are deliberately obstructing you in your job. They are rejecting your right to oversee them and have decided that you are not their boss. But you are their boss, they just don’t like it. Maybe they believe they should be in charge. Or perhaps they want you to prove yourself or they just have psychological blocks. Whatever the reason, they are trying to undermine your effectiveness. They are under the presumption that they are too clever and you will avoid confrontation.
The situation of a disrespectful employee must be resolved immediately. Otherwise the behaviour will begin to interfere with the work environment. Potentially it could also begin to damage the company from within the workforce.
It’s not unusual in this kind of situation to feel anger or sheer frustration with the problem. The employee may think it’s okay to walk out of work because they’re unhappy about something. Or decided to take a break when they feel like it. They could simply ignore your reasonable management instructions altogether.
So, how can you deal with employees who challenge and undermine your authority?
Mediation in the workplace enables disputing parties to discuss their points of view in a safe environment. It gives everyone the best chance of reaching a mutual resolution to their differences. Workplace mediation can provide a practical solution to an employment issue that could become the subject of costly and time consuming legal proceedings. Therefore, there could be no guarantee that the underlying emotional issue is ever resolved by either party. However, engaging an experienced workplace mediator can encourage both parties to reach an agreement.
Metis Mediation has a wealth of experience with employees who challenge and undermine authority and can guide you on the best way to approach difficult issues.
We can help with:
- Reducing management time spent on difficult employees
- Dispute resolution
- Commitment to implementing negotiated agreements
- Reduction in cost of complaints and disputes
- Providing an independent listener to aggrieved employees
- Improving working relationships
What can you do?
Have you ever felt a workplace dispute has got out of control? Do you feel a betrayal of trust has occurred within the workplace? Has a situation with an employee left you feeling useless, helpless, or incapable of resolving a problem with staff who do not seem to follow the rules? If the answer is yes, and you do not wish the potential danger of a failed tribunal. Or learn more on how to deal with employees who challenge and undermine your authority then give us a call – 01706 565332
Metis HR is a professional HR Consultancy based in the North West of England supporting clients across the country. We specialise in providing outsourced HR services to small and medium-sized businesses. Call us now on 01706 565332 to discuss how we may help you.
We can now provide on-site mentoring services designed to resolve workplace conflicts between employees who have previously worked well together. For further details email Ali Penney on mediation@metishr.co.uk
