When I was managing a regional sales team, two employees were transferred to my branch from other offices. Both had already earned a reputation. People referred to them as “problem employees.”
At the time, qualified staff were difficult to recruit and even harder to replace. The company couldn’t simply let people go, so transfers were often used as a solution.
Both women were highly educated. One of them had even worked as a high school teacher before joining the company. Looking back, I think part of the conflict came from a mismatch of expectations.
The True Source of Conflict: Dignity
Some managers casually joked about firing people. “Do it my way, or I’ll replace you.” Comments like that were common in some workplaces. Many employees brushed them off. But not everyone heard them the same way.
For someone who had built a professional identity around education and expertise, those words could feel less like a joke and more like disrespect.
The real issue was not performance. It was dignity.
I understood that because I had once worked as a freelance instructor myself. I knew what it felt like when a manager’s careless remark landed harder than intended.
So instead of asking, “Why are they so difficult?” I found myself asking, “What made them feel hurt?” That small difference changed everything.
Becoming the Strongest Pillars
I didn’t use any special management techniques. I tried to speak respectfully. I listened. I considered their perspective. When I could help, I helped. Nothing extraordinary.
Yet over time, something changed.
The two employees who had been known for conflict gradually became the strongest pillars of the team. At the end of each month, when sales pressure increased, they were often the first to encourage their coworkers.
“Let’s push a little harder.” “Let’s finish strong.”
They said the things managers often wish they could say without sounding like managers. I never asked them to do it. They simply chose to.
One day, the former high school teacher invited the entire team, including me, to her home for lunch. It was a simple gesture, but to me it meant something important. The distance between us had disappeared.
Later, other employees with similar reputations were transferred into the team. Surprisingly, the same pattern repeated itself. They adapted quickly and became part of the group.
Beyond the Labels
A year later, our team’s performance earned recognition from the company’s CEO. Soon afterward, I was transferred to headquarters, and our paths gradually went separate ways.
Of course, not every conflict ends this way. Some people never find common ground. But looking back, many workplace conflicts were not as complicated as they first appeared.
People want to be understood. People want to be respected. Very often, that is the entire story.
Even now, I occasionally think about those years and smile. At the time, I believed that “problem employees” had been assigned to my team. Years later, I came to a different conclusion.
The problem was not the people. The problem was the label that had been attached to them before anyone truly got to know them.
Once that label disappeared, what remained were not difficult employees at all. They became some of the most dependable colleagues I ever worked with.