151 Quick Ideas to Deal With Difficult People

50Refer to EAP

Some personnel problems will simply exceed your ability to handle them, but if you want to hold onto an employee minus his or her destructive behavior, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a good next step. When you provide your employees with this benefit, you give them access to expert counseling that is confidential.

“The intention is to save a good employee and allow them to save face in the process,” says John Putzier, an industrial psychologist and president of FirStep Inc., a consulting firm in Prospect, Pennsylvania.

Ask your human-resource department to handle the referral to EAP since they are usually trained to handle personnel matters, Putzier says. If you don’t have an HR department, then designate a supervisor. ...