LPHR09 - Managing Very Difficult Workplace Behaviour

Who should attend

All supervisors  

Workshop Overview

Universities have dramatically improved their capacity for student engagement, performance management, feedback, participative planning and communication.  Yet these approaches often do not deal with all staffing issues. 

Sometimes staff, colleagues and supervisors have very difficult, ongoing patterns of behaviour.  They can be reasonable, competent and responsible at times, and get along with people – but there may be a history of difficulty in other areas and of consistently making others very unhappy.

Increasingly, we recognise that we have a responsibility to support the staff who must deal with this difficult behaviour on a day-to-day basis and to change how we support these staff to directly manage the difficult behaviour. 

The Managing Very Difficult Workplace Behaviour (MVDWB) workshop develops a shared understanding and approach to managing very difficult behaviour within the University and in partnership with Human Resources. 

Note: Towards the end of 2019, the half day Masterclass - MVDWB will be held as a follow up to this workshop. During the follow up session, participants will review their case examples and develop detailed management strategies. Sign up for the follow-up workshop here.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Articulate the impact of very difficult behaviour
• Identify common characterises of very difficult workplace behaviour
• Use strategies to manage different types of behaviour
• Identify the common internal and personal challenges that difficult behaviour creates for the manager, management team, and other staff
• Identify organisational and HR processes and methods that support managers and the organisation as a whole

Workshop Topics

• Difficult Behaviours at work
• Managing difficult behaviours
• Assessment and management of specific behaviour
• Building managerial and organisational support
• Practice and application

Training Facilitator

Both training workshops will be facilitated by external consultant Greg Cook, a psychologist with over 20 years’ experience in leadership development and coaching coupled with extensive experience working with senior leaders across Go8 universities.