6 steps for leaders to manage entitled employees

Employees who often carry a self-serving manner can cause rampant disruption to team cohesion within a workplace. Here are some steps to managing employees who display this behaviour.

HR Leader recently spoke to careers expert Michelle Gibbings about how leaders of Australian organisations can proactively manage employees who exude entitled tendencies that can cause disruption.

“Employees with high entitlement have lower levels of engagement. Research shows they are more likely to engage in unethical behaviour, have more conflict with a supervisor, and consider malicious and self-serving actions acceptable to secure organisational advancement,” said Gibbings.

“They can also morally rationalise their behaviour and see themselves in a positive light. Failing to manage an entitled employee effectively can negatively impact the rest of the team.”

Gibbings offered a six-step guide recommended to business leaders on how they can manage these tendencies and lessen the impact that they can have on the rest of the team.

Clarify expectations – “With entitlement, there is a gap in expectations. The best way to address this is to talk with the team member. The purpose of the conversation is to get clear on their expectations, your expectations and the gap between the two.”

Get ready for the conversation – “Be equipped with specific situations to talk through with your team member. Seek to understand your team members’ motivation and career drivers and approach the discussion with an open mind. You want to work through options so you both walk away from the conversation with aligned expectations and a clear way forward.”

Monitor progress – “Notice where you see improvement and where you aren’t. For change to happen, they must want to change, and you need to hold them to their commitments. If they refuse to change, you need to consider their behaviour’s impact on the rest of the team and if that impact is reasonable and something you wish to accept.”

Be consistent and fair – “In your approach, you must consistently apply expectations with the team members and across the team. You don’t want to be unfair or play favourites.”

Focus on teamwork – “The emphasis is on teamwork, and while team members contribute in different ways, each person must understand the value their colleagues offer. Great leaders see value in each team member’s differences and recognise that each person is unique and has different needs. They work to bring out the best in each person.”

Challenge yourself – “Lastly, challenge yourself by asking: Am I an entitled leader? Encouraging your team members to change is challenging if you exhibit the same characteristics. Having an entitled team member in your team will damage your team’s dynamics and culture and can lead to unethical decision making,” Gibbings said.