People decide what handling difficult employees really means by watching who gets promoted. Policy on this strand of people management and development is judged by how it is applied in the difficult cases, not the easy ones. Participants gain a clear basis for measuring what the practice within people management and development has actually achieved. Participants come from operational and oversight roles, and both perspectives on handling difficult employees are used deliberately. Content is organised around the decisions practitioners actually face in this strand of people management and development, not around theory headings. Buying a tool rarely fixes this aspect of people management and development; the underlying capability has to be built internally first. Discussion is anchored to worked examples of handling difficult employees rather than to abstract argument. Applied research in people management and development consistently shows that early structure around the people management and development capability reduces downstream rework. Participants leave with a first-ninety-days plan for the practice within people management and development rather than a set of notes.
Expected Learning Outcomes
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Assess the cost of handling difficult employees and the cost of leaving it as it is.
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Prepare a short, evidence-based briefing on handling difficult employees for senior management.
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Design a policy on handling difficult employees that is fair, lawful and actually usable by line managers.
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Assign clear ownership for each element of handling difficult employees across the functions involved.
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Review handling difficult employees annually against what actually happened, not what was intended.
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Verify that improvements to handling difficult employees have held six months after they were introduced.
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Design the communication that makes handling difficult employees understood rather than merely announced.
Who Should Attend
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Talent and organisational development specialists working on handling difficult employees.
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Internal communications staff explaining handling difficult employees to the workforce.
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Managers in small and medium organisations who own handling difficult employees alongside other duties.
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Newly appointed managers taking on handling difficult employees for the first time.
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Senior leaders accountable for the culture handling difficult employees produces.
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Line managers who apply handling difficult employees in practice.
Course Modules
Open any module to see its sessions and topics.
01
Handling difficult employees: communication and employee understanding
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1The conversation about handling difficult employees managers most often avoid
Test the procedure for handling difficult employees against a realistic scenario.
Reduce the variation in how handling difficult employees is carried out between teams.
Pilot changes to handling difficult employees in one area before wider rollout.
Confirm that contractual obligations around handling difficult employees are understood.
Session 2Building manager capability in handling difficult employees rather than owning it centrally
Close out actions on handling difficult employees rather than leaving them open indefinitely.
Test the policy on handling difficult employees against three real cases from the past year.
Estimate the resource handling difficult employees requires to run as designed.
Check that handling difficult employees complies with current labour regulation in every location.
02
Handling difficult employees: records, privacy and legal defensibility
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Reading the current state of handling difficult employees honestly
Assign responsibility for keeping documentation of handling difficult employees current.
Measure the effect of handling difficult employees on retention and performance, not activity.
Script the difficult conversation handling difficult employees requires and rehearse it.
Estimate the cost of handling difficult employees and the cost of leaving it unchanged.
Session 2What has to be agreed before work on handling difficult employees starts
Set the annual review point for handling difficult employees and who attends.
Document the reasoning for every exception granted under handling difficult employees.
Define who decides on handling difficult employees and who may only recommend.
Anticipate the objections handling difficult employees will raise and prepare the answers.
03
Handling difficult employees: evidence, data and honest measurement
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Testing handling difficult employees before relying on it
Review whether handling difficult employees is aligned with the objectives of the workforce.
Build the internal briefing that explains handling difficult employees to those affected.
Design the communication for handling difficult employees around the questions people will actually ask.
Confirm that those complying with handling difficult employees understand why it exists.
Session 2Reviewing handling difficult employees against what actually happened
Train line managers on handling difficult employees rather than handling every case centrally.
Check that handling difficult employees still works when volumes rise unexpectedly.
Identify the data the organisation already holds that bears on handling difficult employees.
Confirm that reporting on handling difficult employees reaches the people who can act.
04
Handling difficult employees: policy design and legal footing
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1The exception to handling difficult employees that sets the precedent
Set escalation thresholds for handling difficult employees that work out of hours.
Plan succession for roles most exposed to handling difficult employees.
Establish the boundary of handling difficult employees and record what sits outside it.
Prepare the response for the most likely failure in handling difficult employees.
Session 2Appeals and grievances arising from handling difficult employees
Compare intended and actual outcomes of handling difficult employees honestly.
Check that records of handling difficult employees answer the questions likely to be asked.
Set the consistency check that catches uneven application of handling difficult employees.
Ask employees what handling difficult employees feels like from their side.
Choose the package that suits you
Silver Package
At least 3 people
USD1,250
Workshop or Program Participation
Airport Transfers
Customized Badge
Expert Mentorship (Private Sessions)
Supervision & Secretarial Services
Accredited Certificate of Participation
Complete Training Kit
Coffee Break
Closing Ceremony
Gold Package
At least 3 people
USD1,850
5-night stay in a 5-star hotel
Workshop or Program Participation
Airport Transfers
Customized Badge
Expert Mentorship (Private Sessions)
Supervision & Secretarial Services
Accredited Certificate of Participation
Complete Training Kit
Coffee Break
Closing Ceremony
Complete your registration
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