Let’s start with this: your job as a business owner or manager is not to play amateur psychologist.
When an employee is driving you crazy, it’s easy to start labeling: “He’s a narcissist,” “She definitely has OCD.”
Bad move. You’re not running a clinical practice; you’re running a business! Diagnosing personalities puts you on the path to drama and more drama. Zeroing in on patterns points you toward action.
Instead of guessing what’s going on inside someone’s head, ask yourself:
- What is this person doing specifically? (Name the behavior).
- What is the impact? (Such as – it’s hurting morale, we’re missing deadlines, our bottom line is suffering).
- Have I laid out explicit expectations? (Have you ever said clearly what, how, and when things should be done?).
In this article, I want to focus on employees who waste time. Here are five classic patterns and guidance on how to deal with each one.
1. The Drama Queen
This is an employee who is constantly involved in emergency crises, interpersonal sagas, and alliances and rivalries. If you get pulled into the drama, remember this: you are paying adults to fight on company time.
- How to neutralize this: When this employee comes to you with drama, focus on facts, never competing narratives. Don’t play referee in the “he said, she said” game. More importantly, make your company’s incentive structure (raises, bonuses, perks) reward efficiency and actively punish time wasted on drama.
2. The Gossip
Even if it’s not a weekly soap opera, an employee who collects and retells private information or rumors is a liability. This isn’t harmless socializing. It’s actually toxic (and evil!) as it destroys the psychological safety of everyone within the company.
- How to handle this: Treat gossip involving personal or confidential items as a threat to the business. Step in immediately and shut it down with clear rules regarding communication. Like this: “We don’t speculate on people’s personal lives here.”
3. The Chronic Complainer
Everything is bad. Your clients, your software, your coffee. There’s always a criticism, but never a solution.
- How to deal with this: Listen briefly to acknowledge the point, then move directly to accountability by saying something like: “What do you propose we do about it?” If they can’t offer anything, end the conversation.
4. The Know-It-All
A common time-waster is when one person gets the last word on everything. This stifles other employees, and it prevents you from getting input from everyone else.
- How to stop this behavior: Make a structured framework where everyone gets to contribute. “Thank you, Jerry. Good point. Now, what about you, Jenny?”
5. The Meeting Hijacker
This employee goes off-topic, reopens decisions that were already finalized, or turns quick check-ins into big-picture battles over company strategy.
- How to handle: It’s back to basics with how to run a meeting. Use a strict agenda and a “parking lot” for off-topic ideas. If they start to derail the room, intervene: “That’s a separate topic. Let’s park that for later so we can stick to today’s goal.”
One last point. Sometimes the source of workplace dysfunction isn’t the employee. It’s you.
Here’s how that could look: Vague role definitions are the reason that employees are bickering over who is supposed to do what. Inconsistent rules are breeding cynicism. Or your micromanagement is enabling helpless dependency where employees always ask for help (or permission) before they do anything. Take a moment to consider whether the solutions aren’t with your team, but with your management style.
Stay tuned for Part 2, where I’ll dive into the productivity killers.
