When it comes to things like job stress and workplace social politics, we all have different levels of tolerance. Left unchecked, one person’s negativity can drag the whole team down. Thankfully, there’s an art to talking to an employee about their bad attitude which, when done well, should help them change their ways.
It’s fair to say many managers dislike conflict, but employee negativity can be a real drain on you, on team morale, and on productivity. So, let’s take a quick look at examples of bad attitude in an employee, and then review six steps to address it. You’ll also find common causes for bad attitude, and how you can influence these to support a change in your team member. You’ll find details on:
- How to spot an employee with a bad attitude
- Why it can be difficult to talk to them
- 6 steps to address their attitude
- Common causes of bad attitudes in employees
What an employee with bad attitude looks like?
These aren’t people who are bad at their jobs necessarily; they’re the employees who bring negativity with them into the workplace. And highly negative employees can be more difficult to deal with when their performance is better than average. So here are some examples of employee bad attitude you might experience:
- Constant complaining about the business or their workload
- Being rude or dismissive of their co-workers
- Undermining and second-guessing the decisions of managers
- Spreading rumors and exacerbating social politics
While everyone can be prone to these behaviors occasionally, this isn’t about those employees offering genuine critical feedback. This is the difference between someone using formal feedback processes like an employee check-in, and those disrupting the team’s workflow by constantly complaining.
Employees should have ways to feed back negative comments so organizations can act on them. These people shouldn’t be treated like they’re causing problems just because you don’t like what you hear, and check-ins are a great mechanism to use. But these aren’t people with constructive comments. They are people who want to be heard moaning and who pull others into their negativity.

Why it’s difficult to talk to negative people
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and, in this case, a team is only as happy as its grumpiest member. One of the trickier parts of talking to employees with bad attitudes is preventing those attitudes spreading to the rest of your team. Research shows toxic employees can seriously disrupt everyone around them:
- 80% of colleagues worry about the offending employee’s rudeness
- 78% become less committed to the organization
- 25% of co-workers on the receiving end of the toxic employee’s behaviors vent their frustrations at customers
- 63% of employees feel they must go out of their way to avoid offending a co-worker which, in turn, disrupts their own productivity
When someone is always complaining or arguing, it distracts others in their workspace. If they constantly second-guess their boss, it becomes more difficult for progressive managers to influence positive change.
And general passive negativity isn’t all you need to consider. You can’t ignore the fact that almost 30% of adults have experienced bullying in the workplace (that equates to over 76 million people in the US alone).
These are not easy people to deal with. Team members go out of their way to avoid either working with them or upsetting them. So it isn’t surprising many managers prefer not to address the issue either. But, ignoring their behavior will ruin the workplace culture you work so hard to develop.
If bad attitudes aren’t tackled, the rest of your employees will inevitably get fed up and become disengaged. At that point, you lose people to turnover or, potentially worse still, great people soak up their negative colleague’s bad habits and you have an epidemic of negativity to deal with.
So let’s look at a few steps to help you make a change.

6 steps to tackle employees with a bad attitude
Managing and talking to an employee about their attitude is all about tact and mitigation. You need to be careful to avoid driving them further away. And you must handle the issue before their behavior starts impacting others. So, follow this how to guide to coach your employee with a bad attitude into a more positive response:
- Discuss the issue privately
- Manage their attitude, not their performance
- Educate, don’t berate
- Be specific about unacceptable behaviors
- Understand the root cause
- Coach your employee towards a positive attitude
1. Discuss the issue privately with the employee
For people on the receiving end of extreme negativity, it might be satisfying to take the offending individual down a peg. But don’t be tempted. Calling someone out is embarrassing, and likely to just make them dig their heels in.
Instead, have a private meeting where you can discuss the situation calmly and professionally.
2. This is about addressing a bad attitude, not poor employee performance
These conversations can be awkward, and employees may feel attacked. Be clear this isn’t about the quality of their work. In fact, referencing their previous accomplishments may prevent high-performing employees using their status as a shield against criticism. Focus on their behavior instead.
3. Educate, don’t berate
If you want your employee to listen to what you have to say, don’t tell them off for their negativity. Rather, this conversation is about helping them see the consequences of their behavior. It requires a certain amount of emotional intelligence from both of you, and you want them to recognize it’s their attitude which needs to change.
4. Be specific about what is and isn’t acceptable
If you make a general assertion about someone’s personality, it’s easy for them to shrug it off. But, if you share examples of an employee’s bad attitude, it’s much harder to deny. When you’re having a conversation about bad attitudes, identify situations where you’ve observed the problematic behavior and illustrate what the employee can do differently.
5. Identify the root cause of the problem
Most employees you talk to with a bad attitude have a reason for being like that. While you shouldn’t pry into their personal lives, it’s worth exploring some of the common causes of a negative attitude. After all, you might be able to help them. They may be struggling with work/life balance, for example, or they could even be experiencing bullying from someone in the organization.
6. Coach your employee away from a bad attitude and towards a positive one
By the end of the conversation, you and your employee need a shared understanding about how you’ll proceed. You should agree what they will do differently, as well as any steps you’ll take to address the root cause of their negativity. The aim is to move everyone towards a more positive experience. Identifying areas where you may need to improve or take action can build trust and encourage them they’ll be supported to make a change.
Common causes of an employee’s bad attitude
There’s no magic formula when it comes to talking to employees with a bad attitude. Yet understanding some of the common reasons it might happen can give you a start point for the conversation.
Obviously, the only way to truly know what’s happening is to speak to the individual. But it can be helpful to reflect on recent comments and reactions in your preparation as you might identify possible causes of stress.
Poor wellbeing
The sheer uncertainty of the last few years means, wellbeing is now more important than ever. Whether it’s physical, mental, or otherwise, problems with wellbeing can devastate once highly promising employees and cause them to burn out. Consider whether you’ve been doing your duty of care to help support their wellbeing. And look at ways to boost employee resilience against job stress.
Low engagement leads to poor employee attitudes
Engagement isn’t a switch; it’s a scale. Difficult employees might simply lack engagement and be bored in their roles. As a result, even your most talented people can switch off and become actively disengaged. At its worst, extreme disengagement can move them to dislike the business, and oppose its goals. So, look for signs your team members motivation has shifted and understand what’s missing for them right now
Conflict with co-workers
Try as they might, some people just don’t get along. Talking to an employee about their attitude gets especially tricky when personal disagreements are the cause. You need to sort through who did what and the impact of those actions, while seeking a resolution which is fair to everyone involved. You should also recognize you may not always be best placed to address this conversation, so seek additional support from your manager or HR team if needed.
Lack of recognition
Employees get fed up if their accomplishments are never recognized and they don’t feel valued. Ensure you take time as a manager to recognize what your team’s doing right and reward them fairly. Give them a platform to recognize each other and celebrate success, because you need manager and peer to keep morale high.
Being underpaid for their role
Changing companies often leads to a bigger jump in salary and benefits than staying with the same employer. In fact, “half of workers who changed jobs saw their pay increase nearly 10%. The median worker who stayed put saw an inflation-adjusted loss of almost 2%.” As a result, people who’ve been with you for a while get frustrated. But not everyone wants more money, so identify what drives your employee and see whether you can help bridge the gap.
Workload can cause a bad attitude
Employees are constantly expected to take on more responsibilities, without the bump in pay. Unrealistic demands and not-so-discretionary effort goes unchecked in most companies. Consequently, you get team members who feel overwhelmed, under-appreciated and burnt out. No wonder they have a poor attitude! So take a step back and think about what you’ve been asking of them lately – could that explain a sudden spike in poor behavior?
Seeing themselves as carrying the team
Some people have an inflated sense of self. Coaching employees with a negative attitude gets frustrating when they’re convinced they’re your most valued person (MVP). You’ll find yourself deal with them talking down to their teammates, potentially badmouthing them. And, possibly not doing what they need to be either. Keep them on track by recognizing their strengths and openly talking about those of others too.
Bad attitudes in employees rarely solve themselves
When you have an employee with a bad attitude, the worst thing you can do is ignore it. Many people don’t recognize what they’re doing until it’s too late, so tackle the issue early. It might feel uncomfortable, but it will be far better than the impact of letting it fester for any length of time.
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