As an HR Consultant, I have worked in a number of organizations varying in size, industry, structure, mission and culture. While each organization may be unique, every organization I have worked with has one thing in common – the problem employee. The problem employee can show up in a variety of forms and it isn’t always immediately clear that a small underlying problem has a larger impact to your organization. This article will help you understand some of the ways in which a “problem” may exist in your organization. In each of these scenarios the employee I am describing may bring a unique background or skill set that is incredibly valuable to your organization; however, the problems they bring may offset the value you were hoping to receive when you hired the employee.

At some point or another while running your business, you unfortunately will likely need to let someone go, also referred to as a separation or termination of employment. Typically, businesses run into these reasons because either they are cutting costs or have someone performing poorly at their job. Majority of states across the nation, are at-will, meaning they have the right to separate employment at any time. However there are some caveats, therefore your Human Resources team should always keep detailed records to justify the decision to ensure that employee’s rights are not violated and to ensure all federal and state laws are followed during the process.

As a consultant, I am often asked by my clients, “How can I identify employee relations tension before it becomes a company-wide endemic?" Why am I asked this so often? Because employee relations are difficult to assess...