Welcome back!
Once you have implemented the solution, monitor the individual’s adherence to whatever parameters you imposed on them. Good employees who run afoul of the rules will be mortified to have messed up and will police themselves so that you don’t have to. Dysfunctional people may decide that acting up just isn’t worth the hassle anymore, and start making better choices. Or they may ratchet it up and try to escalate the situation to once again be to their liking (i.e. they are in control while you are sucking your thumb in your office wondering what to do). Hold the boundary line you set. Once people see that you mean business and that their shenanigans will no longer be tolerated, if they have any capacity for self-control at all, they’ll promptly knock it off. Those with genuine mental or psychological problems might not be able to control themselves, and will require active recalibration of the work environment as well as extensive coaching to try and fix the issues. But chances are these types of folks are not the ones causing all the drama anyway. Drama is usually instigated by people who to some degree deliberately choose it to fulfill their own agenda. Drama is not typically utilized as a tactic by people who struggle just to keep up with the demands of daily life.
Until next time, I’ll be praying for your fierce follow-through on the changes necessary to create or restore a healthy working environment for your entire team.
