A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell: Handling Idiots, Whiners, Slackers, and Other Workplace Demons

A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell: Handling Idiots, Whiners, Slackers, and Other Workplace Demons

by Ph.D. Gini Graham Scott
Released December 2006
Publisher(s): AMACOM
ISBN: None

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

All managers get saddled with "problem" employees from time to time; what sets great managers apart is how they deal with them. Drawing from real-life stories, this helpful and humorous guide provides readers with practical advice for handling a wide range of difficult types, including:

* The Impossible "I"s: Incompetents, Idiots, and Imbeciles -- clueless employees who simply don't know what they're doing
* The Bull in the Office China Shop -- the frequently angry worker ready to confront anyone and everyone
* The Party-Time Performer -- the employee who, although great with people, constantly turns work-time into fun-time
* I've Got a Problem -- employees whose work is compromised by any of a range of personal demons, from drug and alcohol problems to emotional issues

From whiners and wastrels to the needy and nefarious, this book gives readers the tools they need to handle any type of difficult employee.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. Introduction
  3. I. Bad Attitude
    1. 1. One Tough Babe
      1. What Should Alice Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    2. 2. A Serious Threat
      1. What Might Joy Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    3. 3. Prima Donna
      1. What Should Vince Do and Is There Anything He Might Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    4. 4. The Arrogant A**Hole
      1. What Should Sam Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    5. 5. Cultural Chasm
      1. What Should Alvin Do Now and What Might He Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    6. 6. Negative Nelly or Ned
      1. What Might Laurie Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    7. 7. Spilling the Beans
      1. What Should Brent Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
  4. II. Incompetent
    1. 8. The Impossible Intern
      1. What Should Douglas Have Done?
      2. Today’s Take Aways
    2. 9. Damaged Goods
      1. What Might Bethany Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    3. 10. Getting It Wrong
      1. What Should Elsie Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    4. 11. Friends Forever
      1. What Should Anthony Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    5. 12. Protected by the Big Boss
      1. What Should Paula Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    6. 13. Last to Know
      1. What Should Bert Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
  5. III. Personal Issues
    1. 14. The Sensitive Soul
      1. What Should Gloria Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    2. 15. One Problem After Another
      1. What Should Vanessa Have Done Differently and What Should She Do in the Future?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    3. 16. Too Much, Too Soon
      1. What Could Barbara Have Done Differently and What Should She Do in the Future?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    4. 17. Got Drugs?
      1. What Should Natalee Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    5. 18. In the Drink
      1. What Should Judy Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    6. 19. Sick and Tired
      1. What Should Mary Beth Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    7. 20. Scary Employee
      1. What Should Gladys Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    8. 21. A Handful of Sex Problems
      1. What Should Gregory Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
  6. IV. Trust and Honesty
    1. 22. Liar, Liar!
      1. What Might Eva Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    2. 23. It’s the Little Things
      1. What Should Dorothy Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    3. 24. Over a Barrel
      1. What Should Chad Do and What Might Chad Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    4. 25. Con Job
      1. What Could Fred Have Done Differently and What Should He Do in the Future?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    5. 26. Pay or Play
      1. What Should JoAnn Have Done and What Might She Do in the Future?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    6. 27. A Favor Backfires
      1. What Should Frank Do Now and What Might He Have Done Differently?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    7. 28. On the Side
      1. What Should Derek Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
  7. V. Communication
    1. 29. Communication Breakdown
      1. What Should Maria Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    2. 30. What Are You Talking About?
      1. What Should Kevin Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    3. 31. Silence Is Golden
      1. What Should Shauna Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    4. 32. Who’s in Charge Here?
      1. What Should Michael Have Done and What Should He Do in the Future?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    5. 33. When the Cat’s Away
      1. What Should Cheri and Brad Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
    6. 34. Putting the Customer First
      1. What Should Charlie Do?
      2. Today’s Take-Aways
  8. VI. Putting It All Together
    1. 35. Bad Employee or Bad Boss?
      1. Today’s Take-Aways
    2. 36. How Bad Is Your Employee (or Employees)?: A Self-Assessment Quiz
      1. Rating System
    3. 37. Knowing How to Deal
      1. When Employees Go Bad
      2. Pick Your Problems
      3. Some General Guidelines for What to Do
        1. Problem Personality Traits
        2. Serious Personal Problems
        3. Difficulties in Doing the Job
        4. Poor Attitude Problems
        5. Trust Problems
        6. “It’s-a-Crime” Problems
        7. Communication Problems
      4. Some Techniques for Making a Good Decision
      5. The Range of Strategies for Dealing with a Problem
      6. Putting It All Together
      7. Today’s Take-Aways
  9. Dealing with Difficult Employees Grid
  10. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell: Handling Idiots, Whiners, Slackers, and Other Workplace Demons
  • Author(s): Ph.D. Gini Graham Scott
  • Release date: December 2006
  • Publisher(s): AMACOM
  • ISBN: None