How To Deal With Resistant Employees – by Violet Dhu

Resistant employees are generally those that don’t like change and don’t agree with feedback. They push back, disagree and react negatively to the change. This is not to be confused with employees who ask questions, put alternative views and even may disagree. Resistance is when the only way that they will come to the party is kicking and screaming and their resistance is actually undermining your role or position.

There are several strategies that we can use to reduce the likelihood and the impact of resistant employees.

1. Give the news as soon as you know about it.
Holding back, allowing gossip and innuendo to take over, only creates more uncertainty and resistance. The earlier you deliver feedback the better. It is also unfair to wait until a designated meeting or performance discussion to say something like, “you know that project you worked on 6 weeks ago, I am not happy with …”. Give the feedback as soon as you have it.

2. Be curious and try and understand their position and their resistance.
The greater the understanding that you have of how the person reached their position or their point of view, the easier it will be able to discuss and neutralise their resistance.

3. Try not to be defensive.
Sticking to your guns and being hardnosed and defensive of your position does little to deal with resistance. It usually adds to their resistance as they see you as closed in your thinking and not being open to alternative views. Defensiveness gives a message of “you are wrong and I am right”, which very rarely ends in agreement.

4. Do not get emotional when challenged.
Emotional self-regulation and an ability to stay calm when under fire is important when dealing with resistance. If your voice, facial expressions, breathing and other non-verbals become aggressive or agitated, then people will know that you have become emotional. It is important to remain calm and in control when negotiating tough stuff and having difficult conversations.

5. Make sure the employee feels safe.
Sometimes when resistance occurs and people push back, they start to feel unsafe. They feel that their career might be in jeopardy, they might miss out on a bonus or that they will have a permanent cross against their name. While belligerent and constant resistance needs to be managed, allowing staff to speak up and put alternative viewpoints, while feeling safe, is a crucial skill for a manager or leader. So, in dealing with resistance, ensure you do everything that helps to keep the employee feeling safe.

Resistance in employees can be a problem and can take time to manage. It can disrupt team work and have a negative impact on projects. However, good managers and leaders are able to effectively deal with resistance, while remaining calm and ensuring that everyone feels safe.

If this article is of interest to you and your organisation, I do run a workshop entitled “Assertive Communication Skills” in Perth.