I thought I had encountered every personnel problem during the first 20 years of my professional career until I encountered what I term as “The Aggressive Employee.” This is a person who attempts to disrupt the environment of an organization by holding “supervisors/mangers” hostage. Supervisors/managers tend to walk on egg shells to avoid any type of contact with this type of employee. The morale and efficiency of the work unit will decrease if nothing is done to correct the situation.

This aggressive employee often resorts to talking in very loud tones. They continually make themselves the center of the universe. In my particular case the employee resorted to this type of behavior in an effort to avoid following standard workplace operating procedures.

Here is my story. It was my first month of the job as bureau chief. I believe in walking around and remaining visible in the workplace. As I was “patrolling” the offices, I heard an employee screaming at the top of her voice. To my surprise, this employee was standing, literally, in the face of her supervisor.

Now, what should you do when you encounter such a potentially volatile situation? Well, let’s first address what you should not do.

1. Never respond by becoming loud and vocal. If you really feel the need to scream…..don’t. Simply, collect your thoughts and ask the person to accompany you.

2. Don’t get in the persons “space.” Keep sufficient distance between you and the employee.

3. Don’t assume anything. Never take sides and don’t make accusations.

4. Don’t hesitate to call for assistance if you feel the person may cause physical harm to you or someone else.

5. Never try to embarrass or humiliate the employee especially in front of others.

It is sometimes better to walk with the employee outside of the workplace during a “cool” down period. These outbursts are usually an attempt to get attention, so remove them from the workplace. Also, many times personal problems accompany individuals to the workplace. In most cases the supervisors or fellow employees are not at the root of the problem.

Let’s look at other positive steps you could take to resolve the situation.

1. It is better not to speak for the first few minutes. This will give you time to think about your plan to resolve the situation. Remember that removing the source of the disruption from the workplace is crucial. Adverse behavior can result in a stoppage of work for your whole organization and undermine the credibility of supervisors and managers.

2. Always speak lower than your normal voice. This will result in the person having to really listen and concentrate on what you are saying and should have a calming effect on the employee.

3. If the employee continues to shout simply inform them you are not going to respond until they calm down.

4. At some point during the discussion you must inform the employee that his/her behavior was unacceptable under any circumstances.

5. Listen to the issues and inform the employee of your plan to follow-up with him/her. Recommend that they apologize to their supervisor or fellow employee (s). You may need to recommend professional counseling (employee assistance program), take disciplinary action or both.

6. Train employees in positions of leadership how to quickly and effectively resolve/manage different levels of conflict in the workplace.

 

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