Difficult employees are a serious problem that most managers or business owners will encounter at some point. For a small business like a massage studio or day spa, difficult employees are particularly harmful since the impact of one employee has a larger impact on the work force than they would on a larger organization of hundreds of employees.
US Legal, a company that provides state-specific legal forms online, offers the definition of a difficult employee as “someone in the workplace who displays behaviors that disrupt productivity and negatively impact the work environment.” Poor performance, insubordination, or interpersonal conflicts with coworkers are among workplace behaviors deemed difficult.[1]
Difficult employees can impact an organization by:
· Creating conflict among team members
· Affecting motivation and engagement
· Disrupting timely execution of work projects
· Causing loss of other employees
· Reducing trust in management
· Impacting customer relationships and retention resulting in loss of revenue
Common behaviors of difficult employees
How to manage difficult employees starts by recognizing the difficult behavior you or someone working for you may encounter and what impact it is having on the team. Behavior that may be challenging for one person to deal with may not be for someone else.
Leadership-Development.net identifies the following as the seven most challenging employee types to recognize relative to how to manage difficult employees:[2]
· Passive-aggressive employee: Instead of direct confrontation, expresses dissatisfaction through indirect actions, such as missed deadline or subtle resistance.
· Chronic complainer: Can be dismissive of others’ ideas and be unwilling to collaborate.
· The Know-It-All: Is very confident of their ideas and can dismiss other’s ideas, which can lower morale.
· Non communicator: Causes misunderstandings because they hold back information or fail to communicate.
· Resistant to change: Finds it difficult to adapt to new processes or programs and so slows progress and affects performance of the team.
· Micromanager: Has trouble delegating and often over controls. Micromanagers can be demotivating to other team members.
· Underperformer: Fails to meet expectations consistently.
While these behaviors may be the most common you will encounter, there are other behaviors to watch for that can create conflict and tension such as the bully, the disruptive employee, the gossip, and the procrastinator to name a few. In learning how to manage difficult employees, you need to understand exactly what the challenging behavior is and how it is impacting your team and your business.
How to deal with difficult employees: Step 1 identify the problem and meet
Before you do anything to address the behavior, however, try to understand the issue. Do not rely on a complaint from someone else or office gossip. When it comes to how to deal with difficult employees, first you want to assess and observe the behavior so that you feel confident that there is a problem that needs fixing. Still do not spend too much time doing research. When someone is disrupting your team, you want to bring the behavior to a halt as soon as possible.
Once you have determined the need for change, schedule a time to meet with the employee. Avoid making the conversation public. Conduct the meeting in private. If you have an office, meet with the employee there. If your spa or massage business does not afford a place for a confidential meeting, suggest going out for coffee. You show respect for your employee when you keep the conversation between the two of you.
Even before you begin raising issues of concern, acknowledge what the employee is doing well. How to deal with a difficult employee involves establishing trust and this starts with you letting the employee know in what ways they positively are contributing to the business.
How to deal with difficult employees: Step 2 establish accountability and expectations
Express your concerns directly: Key to how to deal with difficult employees effectively is to keep your emotions in check and express your concerns directly. Your goal is to explain how someone’s behavior or attitude is impacting your spa or massage business. Be specific about your concerns and what needs to change. For example, if someone fails to follow protocols about client intake or in dealing with getting treatment rooms ready in time for the next client, point out what they need to change. Explain the importance of being more thorough and efficient/
Listen objectively: When it comes to how to deal with a difficult employee, aim for a dialogue to let the employee know you also want to hear what concerns and frustrations they may have that is causing the disruptive behavior. Listen attentively and show empathy for the employee’s perspective. Successful active listening involves:[3]
· Paraphrasing what you have heard
· Asking clarifying questions
· Checking to be sure the employee feels understood
Ask for feedback: When the discussion concludes, ask for feedback. This way you will know if your employee fully understands the situation and the need for change. Direct feedback also eliminates guesswork trying to figure out how your employee is reacting to the conversation. Without feedback, you may think an issue is resolved when it really is not.
Get agreement: Ensure that the employee understands their role and your expectations about their performance and what needs to improve.
How to deal with difficult employees: Step 3 follow up
Provide time for improvement: After the meeting, give your employee time to demonstrate more appropriate behavior. During this period, provide input on how you see things going. Reinforce the positive in the hopes that any residual negative behaviors will eventually go away.
Be available to talk: Make it clear you are always available to talk if they are having difficulty changing their behavior to meet your expectations and requirements.
Offer coaching: Consider providing coaching or asking someone else on the team to be a coach if your employee is open to it and feels they need help.
The key to managing difficult employees is listening, setting clear expectations for performance and behavior on the job, and inviting feedback. Many employees just need to be heard and made to feel they are valued. The process will not work for everyone and you may need to let an employee go, but for the sake of your business and other team members, dealing with difficult employees through open communication will benefit your business overall.
[1] “Difficult Employees: Navigating Legal Definitions and Management Strategies,” USLegal, Accessed August 22, 2026. https://legal-resources.uslegalforms.com/d/difficult-employees
[2] “How to handle the 7 most challenging employee types in your team,” leadership-development.net, Accessed August 22, 2026. https://www.leadership-development.net/blog/how-to-handle-the-7-most-challenging-employee-types-in-your-team.
[3] Shonk, Katie, “Managing Difficult Employees: Listening to Learn,” Harvard Edu: Harvard Law School, June 16th, 2026. https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/dealing-with-difficult-people-daily/managing-difficult-employees-listening-learn/
