HR professionals fulfill a key role by bringing talented new workers into a company. However, they often have the less desirable task of dealing with employees who have been insubordinate or failed to perform their duties in some way. While communicating with these workers can be stressful, it’s a crucial part of an HR pro or manager’s job. Here are some tips to confront an employee in an effective and efficient manner.

Communicate With Human Resources

You don’t want to engage in a potentially unpleasant conversation with an employee without first touching base with your company’s HR department. Let your human resources team know about the situation and discuss whether it’s a new problem or a repeated one. If this worker has been disciplined before, you might need to consider taking more serious actions to resolve the issue. Additionally, HR can help you come up with a course that’s most likely to result in a positive outcome.

Schedule a Time to Talk

Rather than talk to an employee when you’re upset and potentially reactive, schedule a time to discuss the problem when cooler heads have prevailed. While you don’t want to wait too long – continued bad behavior can have an impact on all the employees in the office – it’s important to make sure you can handle the problem calmly. On the day of the meeting, find a quiet place where you can talk without interruptions and avoid raising your voice, even if the employee raises his.

Keep Accurate Records

Whatever you decide, keep a clear and detailed record of the situation and its outcome. If you and the employee come to an understanding, make sure the terms of the resolution are outlined on paper, so both parties are clear on their responsibilities moving forward. Doing this also ensures that you can hold the employee to her promises in the future and provides consequences for failing to do so.

Contact American StaffCorp for More Management Tips

At American StaffCorp, we don’t just help companies find new employees. On the contrary, we are committed to assisting our client businesses year after year. Whether you need help locating workers, screening prospects or dealing with a management issue, feel free to contact our job pros.