Employees That Can Endanger Your Small Business

Your small business may run very successfully due to the combined efforts of yourself and your employees. But there might be times when some of your employees could take advantage of their position or a particular situation.

Here are some undesirable employees- and their antics – that can hurt your small business and ways of dealing with these difficult employees.

Employees That Steal

This is one of the biggest problems facing small businesses. It is essential that you maintain strict vigil over your inventory, your office equipment, your cash and even your bank accounts.

Employees will come up with novel ways to steal in cash or other things. You should install a closed circuit television system [CCTV] in order to safeguard your business and also to act as a deterrent to thieving employees.

Do not tolerate theft in your business. If you do, you will send the wrong message to the rest of your employees.

Employees That Harass Others

Sometimes small businesses have certain employees that love to harass other employees – they may even try to act similarly with their employer.

If you find that certain employees have ganged up to bully other employees by harassing them mentally or physically, then you have to take a firm stand. Warn them to behave themselves in the future – and if possible, separate the group to reduce their strength.

If you find that a particular employee is trying to trying to harass another employee of the opposite sex by acting in a lewd manner, then fire that employee immediately. If you don’t, you may be seen as tolerating the behavior, paving the way for a lawsuit.

Employees showing signs of violence should be let go immediately, before they forget their limits and get violent towards you.

Employees with Loose Lips

Another undesirable employee is one that has a loose tongue and seems more interested in engaging other employees in idle talk instead of concentrating on their work. This type of undesirable employee should also be handled promptly.

Such employees might invariably end up in spreading half-truths both inside and outside the office walls. This could seriously jeopardize your business and even your reputation.

In dealing with difficult employees, warn such employees to either zip it up, or ship them out of your business.

Inefficient Employees

There may be some employees that always end up bungling most of the jobs that you entrust to them. Employees like this will not only cause you anger and anguish, but will also mar your reputation in the long run.

Re-train such employees, if you can, in order to improve their performance. You should also keep an eye on them until they start performing according to your expectations.

If there is no improvement even after repeated reminders, then you may have to let them go. You don’t want this type of employee to hurt your small business.

Employees with Substance Abuse Problems

This is another serious problem that you need to handle before it goes out of hand.

Employees that have a drinking problem or who are hooked on drugs can compromise themselves and your business by making critical mistakes that could endanger themselves or others.

You can try to help them by enrolling them in assistance programs. If they show no signs of improvement or the problem is severe, then you should fire them. Such employees might also steal from your business in order to fund their addiction.

As a small business owner, you need to observe the body language of all your employees. Act on any suspicious activity as soon as possible so that it can be nipped in the bud – and before these types of employees can harm your small business.

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