As a business owner, you expect your employees to give you their best efforts and do their best work every day. However, you have probably encountered some who just don’t or won’t work. These are some examples of staff productivity challenges and how you can handle them.

The Victim Mentality

You probably have people in your life who always seem to blame others or some external circumstance for everything that goes wrong in their lives. They always seem to have some excuse for not doing what they should. These people are challenging to be around on a good day, but when they also work for you, they can impact your company, especially if they consistently make excuses to your clients.

When you work with victims, you should document every instance where they make an excuse for not completing their work. You will soon recognize a pattern, and with the documentation, you can talk to these workers about why they consistently do not meet deadlines and always have an excuse. Then, work on strategies that can help them. If they do not change, you may have to terminate them.

Troublemakers

These individuals actually cause trouble. They may create strife through gossip and lying to others or because they just won’t do their work. These individuals may also cause trouble online and via email when they aren’t comfortable approaching others whom they have a problem with. However, they often thrive on strife.

If you notice someone who consistently disrupts the work environment, you should speak with them. Ask why they consistently cause problems. You should also watch them closely and document the actions they take that cause uncomfortable atmospheres. Document when other employees come to you about their actions.

Spirit of Procrastination

These workers wait until the last minute to complete their work. If they collaborate with others, they can cause conflict within their teams because their team members may feel concerned that the procrastinator won’t complete his or her part of the project. The team may also take on the procrastinator’s work themselves to ensure it gets done, especially if this individual has missed deadlines in the past.

Work with those who procrastinate. It’s not that they don’t want to work or don’t have the ability to do their jobs, they just don’t manage their time well. Start with building a more detailed schedule with multiple deadlines for parts of the projects they work on. Hold meetings often during which they need to update the team on their parts of the project.

As a business owner, you need productive, motivated employees who meet their deadlines and contribute to your overall success. Therefore, you should document and address these issues immediately.