How do you handle a disrespectful employee?

To handle a disrespectful employee, you should politely confront the specific behavior, ask questions to discover root causes, and then validate the employee's viewpoint and worth to your organization. These steps help to prevent disrespectful behavior in the future.

1. Address the disrespectful behavior

   At times, a disrespectful employee may not realize that he is acting disrespectfully. Take the employee aside and specifically highlight the disrespectful behavior. When addressing the employee, it is important to neutralize any emotions so that tension does not arise.

2. Ask questions and listen to the answers

   Ask questions to discover the root of the behavior. Allow the disrespectful employee to speak his mind. In most instances, an employee feels that his best interests are not being taken into consideration, and it is important to understand exactly why this sentiment exists.

3. Validate the situation to provide confirmation

   After an employee has had a chance to provide answers to the relevant questions, provide assurance that his voice has been heard. This provides confirmation and comfort that the employee is not being neglected. In some instances, it may be necessary to say that the disrespectful actions cannot be tolerated going forward. In other cases, it may be appropriate to convey that an open-door policy is always applicable.