How do you deal with difficult people? This is a question I seem to ask myself all the time. Normally, I am a person who avoids confrontation, but at a certain point, enough is enough. At work, I have a student that is giving me a hard time. I don't know what I ever did to her, but she walked in the door with attitude. Half the time she completely ignores me and acts like I'm not there and the other half she's snippy. They graduate in 3 weeks. I still have to give her an evaluation. Her skills aren't the problem, it's totally her attitude. I realize that she's young (21), but she's going to be entering a profession and she's going to have to act like a professional.
My dilemma is, how should I handle the situation. Do I talk to the professor who oversees her clinicals? Do I pull her aside and tell her to knock it off? Do I let it slide because, hey, she's graduating in 3 weeks?
The rest of her class has been awesome. Why can't she just behave like them? I don't want to have to be the bad guy.....but she makes me want to smack her with some of the comments she makes. HELP!
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3 comments:
I think attitude is part of the evaluation. She is working with the public and needs to be made aware that her attitude stinks. It is only going to help her in the long run. Sometimes it is tough being the bad guy but when you have to deal with a person like that, you are the better guy. I have faith in you to make the right decision.
Attitude is so much a part of the eval...I think she's overdue for a "talking to".
You need to tell her privately, and on the spot if you can. In other words, when she behaves inappropriately, ask her to step aside, and then address it. Yes, the other students will know, but they already do know about her snippets - and you are looking as though you are overlooking it. Tell her that unless her attitude changes her evaluation may be affected, but that she has time to show some willingness to change it. If she can't so be it. You'll have saved some future employer the time and effort of hiring/firing her. This may save her future heartache by teaching her that bad behavior will come back to bite her in the behind.
Pull her a side and talk to her. Let her know in three weeks you will be doing an evaluation. Let her know you think she has her skills down but one area you noticed she needed to work on is her attitude and you want to give her a chance to improve it. Keep it positive and she should respond well to you.
I think the lack of communication is terrible in the work place. Communicate with her you never know what is really going on.
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