Difficult staff pose problem (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Difficult staff pose problem

NINTY-eight per cent of managers say they are coming into contact with difficult work colleagues on a regular basis.

Yet only 15 per cent of those managers will confront the staff member who is being difficult according to a new survey by UK training company, PTP Training And Marketing.

The firm, based at Windmill Hill Business Park, said the survey found managers were encountering difficult people on a daily basis, with about one in ten claiming this is an hourly occurrence.

The survey also found that the person most likely to be labelled "difficult" is male, aged between 35 and 45 and working at a mid- management level.

But the results are a close run thing, with 55 per cent of respondents saying they think men are more likely to be difficult, compared to 45 per cent believing women are.

PTP managing director Marc Holland says managers must possess the necessary people skills to deal effectively with difficult people who can be a considerable barrier to office harmony, motivation and performance.

He said: "It is important to be able to identify difficult personality types and be able to respond to them in a constructive way.

"A well-trained manager should be able to spot which personality types are likely to clash and can use their skills to diffuse situations which could get out of hand and cause bad feeling and problems among staff.

"Good people skills are a vital management tool and can clearly help managers deal with specific issues associated with difficult people such as anger, upset and unresponsiveness."

When asked why they think people are difficult at work the three most popular explanations are that they are not team players, they are insecure and lack confidence in their own abilities and they are stressed and under a lot of pressure.

But, while only 15 per cent of senior professionals say they would confront the difficult people they meet, well over half those questioned claim they would try to help the difficult person by discussing any problems.

However, at the other end of the scale 30 per cent said they would simply resort to putting up with or ignoring the difficult people in the office.

Anthony Osborne