The extensive way the companies operate its business to reap the advantages of the globalisation has increased the dependence on the human capital. The employees of the company have immense power vested on them in deciding the output of the company. A positive attitude towards the work and to other fellow employees is inevitable to bring about a motivating working environment in the entity. The rise in the number of employees brought with it conflicting behaviour clashes of different personalities. Attitude problem of the employees have become a challenging factor to the managers.

The employees with the attitude problem must be identified and dealt with immediate effect. Continuous erratic behaviour from an individual has the strength to exude negativity in the environment leading to low-grade performance from other employees, thereby affecting the business production. The first step of the supervisor is to recognise the cause for the negative outlook of the employee. The solution must be mulled over only on the pinpointing of the cause for the same.

The first corrective action must be taken during the screening of the employee. Attitude of the person means the general mind-set, perspective and philosophy towards life, etc. For any job profile, the first step involves the identification of the technical skills and behavioural pattern required for the job. The behavioural pattern in the possible recruit can be identified using tools like Myer-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI which throws light over the active and dormant traits in the people. Introduction of behavioural interviews helps in predicting employee performance on the basis of past performance. Hiring process must be based on the attitude of the individual as it is the attitude that decides the outlook towards work, gaining knowledge, etc.

Where the attitude problem of the employee was identified after the employee induction, the supervisor will have to spot it out at the onset of the behaviour before it becomes contagious. Diagnosing the cause for the same is the first step to be performed. The cause could be on account of external or internal factors. External factors responsible for a negative mind set are the absence of a clear mission, proper tools and resources, performance appraisal tools, etc. The employee should be educated about the output expected from him and the time allotted for the same, which must be supported by proper tools and resources that would ensure the smooth flow of work. The supervisor must always watch out for employee performance and guide him through the proper channels. The performance appraisal system must be made an effective tool in defining the skills required for each particular task and the expected performance from the employee. One-on-one meeting with the supervisor assist the employee and the supervisor to discover the cause for the poor performance and take the corrective measures before it could affect the employee attitude in a negative manner. The employees must be educated on the behavioural pattern expected of him.

Internal reasons could be on account of the lack of skill which can be overcome using proper training programs. Family matters could be another cause for the erratic behaviour. An informal relationship with the subordinates developed through team building activities, team dinners, etc helps to bring rapport between the two parties. As a confidant the supervisor can recognise the cause for the problematic behaviour and help the employee in creating a barrier between the personal life and the professional life, thereby improving his attitude at the work place.

If in spite of various corrective measures put forward by the supervisor, the employee attitude remains the same, he should be terminated before it affects the head set of other team members. To avoid litigations the effort taken by the supervisor to remove the negativity must be well documented.

The ability to manage an employee with a negative attitude is an art that requires huge amount of patience and observation.