Delivering Bad News

Review the case study below and in 350 – 700 words explain how you would approach this employee, anticipate the employee’s response, and discuss which conflict resolution techniques you would use. Submit your response to your instructor through the Dropbox in your online course and add it to your Blog.

“You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services. You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service. One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers. In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment. You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

In this situation I would approach the employee in a non antagonistic manner. I would ask him/her if they would please come with me to discuss something that has been brought to my attention and that I have noticed. My instinct in this situation is to first ask the employee if there is something going on in his/her life to provoke this sort of negative behavior. If they say yes then I would ask them if they felt like talking about it. If they are compliant and feel like opening up then the conversation is more likely to go in a positive direction. If they do not feel like discussing the situation with me then I would have to give them an ultimatum. I would say, “Either you shift your way of approaching this job and your interaction with your coworkers or I am going to have to let you go. We have had many complaints about your antagonistic manner and it is affecting the working environment of the people around you”. I would use the initiation phase that occurs, “when at least one person makes known to the other that a conflict exists, such as reacting to another’s upsetting comment, pointing out the offensive nature of the other’s behavior, or reminding the other that she or he is expected to do something the person is not doing” (Cahn & Abigail, 2007, p.159). It might be as simple as them being unaware that they are causing such distress or maybe it is more complicated than that.

The best technique I could use when discussing the issue at hand with this employee is to remain calm and not allow the person to stress me out. Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. states, “The capacity to remain relaxed and focused in tense situations is a vital aspect of conflict resolution. If you don’t know how to stay centered and in control of yourself, you may become emotionally overwhelmed in challenging situations” (Segal, 2009). It is not going to benefit this employee at all if I lose my temper. I would then seem unprofessional and would not be setting a good example. By remaining calm the employee is more likely to respond to me in a relaxed and honest manner. If I become irate because he/she is not being compliant then the situation is bound to get out of control and lead to a verbal confrontation. Even if the employee does not like what I have to say, they will eventually respect the fact that I am being kind but firm, and calm but invested in the situation. It is all about balance and taking the time to truly listen to the other person.

As students venturing into the “real” world, we must be able to apply what we have learned in every situation. I certainly feel prepared and conscious of the constant need to take what we have learned into our day to day lives. Through practice and the desire, I know we can do this effectively knowing always that we are capable.


References
Cahn, D. & Abigail, R. (2007) Managing Conflict Through Communication. Pearson
Education, Inc.
Segal, J. (2009). Conflict Resolution Skills. Helpguide.
http://helpguide.org/mental/eq8_conflict_resolution.htm.