How do you handle an effective but problematic employee?

Can there be a situation wherein an employee is effective yet problematic at the same time? Yes, there could be! For example, an employee who is intelligent, communicates well and does his assigned job competently. However, the problem is he comes to work late and it’s somewhat a force of habit for him already. Thus, it affects the timely completion of his assigned work.

How would you handle him to correct his behavioral problem? Should you immediately warn him about his tardiness and completely disregard his effectiveness at work? Or mention first his work effectiveness and after that bring out his frequent tardiness and offer help to correct it.

The best choice is the latter: Mention first his work effectiveness and then bring out his force of habit tardiness and how you can help him cure it. This you do in private: you and the concerned employee alone.

By mentioning first his effectiveness at work and then by offering him help to solve his problem of tardiness or any work-related problem for that matter. You are actually telling him that he is doing a good job, hence; you are actually motivating him. And you are deepening that motivation drive by offering him help solve his work-related problem, in this case his tardiness.

When you have a problematic employee don’t immediately single out the problem that bedevils him. Look first to his work performance because you might find out something that is encouraging or positive. After which you address the behavioral problem that disturbs him by offering him help on how to solve it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas