Employees have their weaknesses and bad habits. Some are likely to procrastinate; others have problems with coming to work on time, or are constantly absent, some like to gossip, others are whiners… and the list can go on and on. Difficult employees are a mainstay in every workplace; and their bad habits range from manageable to totally out of control. They are a headache to every manager and a burden to their team.

Business leaders deal with difficult employees in different ways. Depending on the degree of their misbehavior, there is a corresponding action. The first few offenses are usually dealt with gentle reminders, then a note in the employee file, and if the problem persists termination may follow. Bad employee habits can drain productivity; the time that’s supposed to be spent working and meeting deadlines are put to gossip, slacking off, and coming in late. Pretty soon, the entire team will be affected, and the entire organization.

Below are some bad employee behaviors to watch out for.

1. Lying

An employee that cannot be trusted can be a major problem in the office. Misrepresentations, plagiarism, tampering with time sheets, misusing office funds and equipment, and lying about issues related to work are major issues that call for concern. Simple lies can turn into bigger ones over-night.

2. Procrastination

Employees who put things off until the last minute can impact the total efficiency and productivity of the entire organization.

3. Tardiness

Coming in late every morning, returning late during breaks, and turning in work beyond deadline are all signs of carelessness and poor work habits. Always arriving late is also a blatant display of disrespect to office policies and other members of the team.

4. Addiction to social media

Spending official work hours surfing the internet, watching videos, and downloading stuff is unacceptable. This is one of the worst traits causing difficult employees to pull productivity down. Wasting paid hours doing unofficial business can be costly to the organization.

5. Temper tantrums

Throwing a temper tantrum when work gets tough is a major sign of unprofessionalism. This is proof that an employee can’t handle stress and work under pressure.

6. Whining, complaining, gossiping

All these negative behaviors kill the enthusiasm of people in an organization. When employees spend time gossiping about others, complaining about work, and whining over the little things they cannot perform their work properly. In addition, they run the risk of affecting the people around them.

7. Negative body language

Actions speak more than words. Making faces, frowning, rolling of eyes and other non-verbal body language are usually exhibited by difficult employees and must be addressed immediately.

While some behaviors will not merit termination, there are some major bad habits that should not be left unaddressed. These misconducts may lead to bigger problems that may even put the entire organization at risk.

© 2013 Incedo Group, LLC