Rebels, Criticizers, Backstabbers, and Busybodies

Abstract

There is an age-old business adage that says “85 percent of a manager's success comes from the ability to deal with people.” While dealing with a department full of different personalities is an on-going challenge, the changing nature of work has made working with people a much more complex problem. Some companies are fraught with stress, tension, anxiety, and low morale. Those factors can foster employees' feelings of helplessness, rage, despair, and anger. As a result, workers act out in a myriad of ways. Unresolved behavioral problems can turn into financial losses when angry employees turn into litigious employees. This paper will discuss the background leading to these problems, characteristics of disruptive employees, the changing nature of the law, employment practices liability insurance, and what employers can do to help.