A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell: Book Review

by Gini Graham Scott

If you think that management books are too "pie-in-the-sky" and ignore the realities of the workplace, then this may be the book for you. Through a series of anecdotes, the authors address the "typical" performance issues that managers must address in a concrete fashion.

The sub-title for the book could have been, "How Managers Create Employees from Hell They Must Later Correct by Failing to Establish Healthy Boundaries in the First Place." Some of the information is helpful, but the approach is a little negative and reads like a parenting book.

The Table of Contents says it all. Chapter 8: The Impossible Intern. Chapter 9: Damaged Goods. Chapter 19: Sick and Tired. Chapter 25: Con Job.

The three most common "take aways" in each of these chapters are:

• Be a clear communicator when establishing rules, delegating projects or providing feedback.
• Don't avoid conflict in the hopes that the issue will resolve itself. Immediately speak up if you notice employees deviating from the course that you set together.
• Carefully match the employees' strengths with the appropriate position.

We're not saying "don't read this book," but as you do, remember that in manager/employee relationships both can positively or negatively impact interactions. Both can fail to communicate clearly, be flexible and compassionate. Both can be (and usually are) biased in their opinions. Believing that you can "fix" another person is true folly...much less "manage" them.