---
title: 5 Warning Signs Difficult Employees Have I Performance Institute
description: Difficult government employees are in fact, easy to identify. Here are some signs to look for. While they are not all-inclusive, they are good indicators of where your personnel problems lie
---

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# [5 Warning Signs Difficult Employees Have I Performance Institute](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/blog/warning-signs-difficult-employees)

 Written by [Stewart Liff](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/blog/author/stewart-liff) | Apr 30, 2021 3:12:20 PM

*The Performance Institute is pleased to present the first in a three-part series providing insight on *How to Manage Difficult Government Employees *authored by *[*Stewart Liff . *](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/pi-fellows-stew-liff)<https://www.performanceinstitute.org/research/new-human-capital-research-program-government-workforce-performance-optimization/>

[**Difficult government employees**](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/research/new-human-capital-research-program-government-workforce-performance-optimization/) are in fact, **easy to identify.** Here are some signs to look for. While they are not all-inclusive, they are** good indicators **of where your personnel problems lie:

## ***1. Everyone is Aware of the Problem Employees***

That is because they stick out like a sore thumb. For example, whenever I visit a new organization, within a short period of time I know who the [problem employees are](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/blog/2015/02/25/part-1-of-3-how-to-manage-difficult-government-employees). Why? **Because everyone else knows who they are **and are more than willing to share this information with you in the hope that someone, anyone will do something about them.

## ***2. Difficult People Tend to be Cynical and See the Worst in Others***

Problem employees are usually suspicious of others and as a result,** frequently make negative comments about their co-workers**. They rarely take the extra step and often see demons around every corner.

## ***3. Difficult Employees are Unusually Critical of Management***

It is not unusual for employees to criticize poor management decisions. However, **problem employees tend to see every management decision through a prism of negativity and as **[**a result are never satisfied.**](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/blog/2015/03/13/gao-report-on-poor-performance)

## ***4. Troubled Employees are rarely willing to Take Responsibility for Their Problems***

This trait is easily detected because** difficult people will often have a number of problems**, both personal and work-related. The employee that commonly is late to work but [**blames traffic or an alarm clock**](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/blog/2015/06/18/7280) for not going off is the perfect example of the way a difficult employee thinks. 

## ***5. Poor Employees will Subtly Undermine the Organization***

**Your difficult people **are probably actively sabotaging you, but doing it in subtle ways. This is the employee** who breaks numerous rules**, but always seemingly in good faith and never the same way twice. Looking at the actions of the employee one at a time, they may seem to be innocent, but looking at those actions overall, [**you can see a pattern of insubordination and sabotage.**](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/blog/2016/07/20/resonate-with-your-audience)

The point here is that people who exhibit the behavior described above,** are going to be harmful to your organization**. It may manifest itself in poor performance and/or behavior, but it will definitely appear in some form and will certainly pull you down.

## **Take Action.**

**Want to manage difficult employees in your organization? **[The Performance Institute](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/solutions/training) offers more than 100 open enrollment courses annually and can bring any course on-site. Intensive, methodology-based courses include step-by-step processes to improve organizational management capacity. [Join The Performance Institute. ](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/)The Performance Institute is a nonpartisan, private think tank seeking to **improve public and private sector performance through the principles of transparency, accountability, performance and engagement. **We serve as the **nation’s leading authority** and repository on performance-based management practices for government. Learn more about our courses and how the can help your organization [here](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/solutions/training). 

### **About the Author**

**Stewart Liff** is an HRM, visual performance management, and team development expert. He serves as a Fellow with [**The Performance Institute **](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/our-mission)and is the President and CEO of [Stewart Liff & Associates.](https://stewartliff.com/) He is the author or co-author of seven books, including Managing Government Employees and A Team of Leaders

**View Stew Liff’s full webinar presentation, How to Manage Difficult Government Employees, **[**here.**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqmvSDIOCYk&feature=youtu.be)

 

[View full post](https://www.performanceinstitute.org/blog/warning-signs-difficult-employees)

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