Efficiency in the workplace is the result of a motivated, satisfied team of employees. But what happens when those employees start disrupting the productive atmosphere?

One disruptive employee could start a chain-reaction of other people slacking off, causing the company’s reputation and success to dwindle.

Feverish at the thought of an empty desk? Tackling sick leave professionally and productively

Take for example, an employee who takes an excessive amount of sick leave. Workloads can be shifted but an empty desk could cost a business time and money. Plus if the employee’s illness is not managed sensitively, moral in the office could be affected leading to a reduction in productivity.

According to research, the average worker in the UK takes 8.4 days leave a year, which costs UK companies £12 billion a year. It can also make things awkward when the employee returns to work since they may feel isolated or that other members feel they have received special treatment.

There are steps that can be taken to ensure employees only take sick leave when absolutely necessary though.

Firstly, the company must define whether the illness is short or long-term. Long-term sickness can often be harder to manage and can raise feelings of anxiety on return to work. The Disability Discrimination Act should also be adhered to.

With short-term sickness, the issue is slightly more straightforward although it’s still crucial to get to the crux of the problem. Identifying the problem is the first point of call. Most employees will react well to one-on-one meetings where they can communicate openly without judgment.

Both parties should be committed and considerate. Management need to understand the need for rest and recovery, while employees should recognise the requirement to either temporarily shift their workload or outsource the work until they are able to carry out their duties again.

Here are a few procedures that workplaces should be practicing in order to ensure short-term sickness is dealt with professionally:

• Keeping the lines of communication open – for example letting an employee know that they must phone in by a certain time on each day of their absence
• Ensuring employees understand the importance of medical certificates (doctor’s notes) to cover their absence
• Conducting return to work interviews
• Sensitively advising an employee if their absence is putting their job at risk
• Monitoring individual absence records
• Having rules in place on absences close to holidays

Sick leave is an unpleasant issue for both the employee and the employer but often cannot be helped. With the right procedures in place, the resolution should be straightforward and if dealt with professionally and sensitively, it shouldn’t disrupt the office environment.

Catty colleagues or best of friends? Personality clashes and how to clear the air

Some issues in the workplace are more transparent though. Misconduct, abuse of company policies or general apathy/attitude problems can cause disputes that send tremors through the entire company infrastructure and need to be resolved immediately.

In an ideal world, employees would relate to one another and treat each other with respect and dignity. It’s easy to forget that every individual in the workplace has a different background, circle of friends, set of beliefs and career aspirations. Personality clashes are only natural in a diverse group of people, yet they needn’t cause conflict for colleagues – they simply need closer management.

After all, employees needn’t become best friends. As long as their work ethic is kept in-check and they are able to communicate effectively with other members of the team, there shouldn’t be a need for intervention from HR.

Dealing with personality clashes in the workplace is best done directly. An indirect e-mail could be misinterpreted because there is no ‘right way’ to read an e-mail so the tone may upset or confuse a co-worker. The best way to resolve this kind of problem is to meet face-to-face and openly discuss the problems before agreeing on a practical solution.

“It’s company policy!” may be a clichéd phrase in the office, but it works

Outlining a company police regarding workplace behaviour could also help bring employees in line. Creating a structured company policy not only helps employees to understand how they should be acting in the office, but also what behaviour simply won’t be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action.

When a new employee joins the team, they would then instantly recognise that such behaviour as anger, intimidation, accusation, cynicism or general negativity/unwillingness to co-operate simply will not be tolerated in the office. These defined rules will not only help them to become more efficient team members but will also represent the office as a whole creating a sense of security for long-term employees.

It may even be that certain employees are not being challenged enough so feel the need to act irresponsibly to create a sense of satisfaction elsewhere. Creating private meetings to discuss the matter directly may not be efficient in this instance, which is when a company should look to adapt and try different avenues.

Company excursions, charity fun days or even sending an employee on a course can both demonstrate a commitment to the individual and their best interests plus involve the wider team in becoming more motivated and interacting better.

Any aspect, which causes disruption in the workplace, should be taken seriously and acted upon as soon as possible to avoid the domino effect, which could lead to detrimental performance and a loss of productivity and profits.