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DISRUPTIVE EMPLOYEES DISRUPTIVE EMPLOYEES
poor attitudes and who negatively
affect and damage the morale of their
colleagues and teams.
He says disruptive talents should be
hired based on job scope and expected
sole contributions, and should not belong
to any department.
“We do not encourage managers to
coddle these disruptive talents as it
sends the wrong message to the rest of
the employees that as long as you deliver
your work or tasks, it’s fine to be cynical
or to bend the company rules,” says Foo.
Joanne Chua, Account Director, Robert
Walters Singapore, says disruptive
employees affect the work environment
negatively by failing to adhere to the
While having negative and troublesome employees in an organisation’s ranks is
nothing new, the idea that these precocious talents may have something unique
and positive to offer is gaining traction in the corporate world
anybody else, and I know how to do it’,”
he was quoted as saying.
“For that idea to succeed you have to
be doing it in a disruptive way, otherwise
you’re just doing the same as everyone
else and you are going to fail.”
Business psychology consultancy OE
Cam has coined an official term to describe
such individuals: “disruptive talent”.
According to Martyn Sakol, managing
partner of OE Cam, disruptive talent
constitute “individuals who think and
act differently, who innovate, challenge
conventional wisdom and practice, spot
trends, see commercial opportunities
and tenaciously find new and better ways
to deliver business success”.
Disruptive
employees
or disruptive
talents?
Sham Majid
sham@hrmasia.com.sg
that were he an employee at another
company, his line manager would have to
“accept that I might not do things exactly
as he’d like me to do them”.
In fact, Branson says he is keen for
organisations of all sizes to recruit more
rule-breaking, fiercely independent and
obstinate candidates like himself.
His reasoning is that the drive and
initiatives spurred by such non-conformists
are far more advantageous to the business
than the fact that these individuals are
tough to handle and work alongside.
“I think anyone who sets up a business
is to an extent a disruptive individual,
because starting a business is simply
someone thinking ‘I can do it better than
What’s the difference?
James Foo, Head of Group HR, ABR
Holdings, says disruptive talents are
people who are bright in certain skills, look
at things at different angles and always
work and think in a different way from the
rest; but are still able to deliver better and
exceeding results.
“However, disruptive talents are not
team players, they cannot work as a team
and are individualistic people,” he explains.
“They work in their own way and
deliver results, although it is hard to
engage them in discussions as they
always speak and challenge you.”
As for “disruptive employees”, Foo
says they are individuals who possess
too shabby in their work.
Would you retain the services of this
individual for their visionary foresight
and ambition or, would you rather not
risk the dynamics of the team and cut
that person loose?
UK entrepreneurial mogul Sir Richard
Branson has confessed to the BBC
Imagine having an employee in your
organisation who’s somewhat of a
rebel, stirs up trouble, and is the ultimate
non team-player.
However, here is the catch: this
individual is also brimming with new
ideas, possesses an indomitable drive
and a never-say-die attitude, and is not

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arrange for a private session with the
employee and walk through the steps.
An action plan can then be devised to
ensure that the employee will be making a
tangible effort to improve their behaviour.
“Lastly, HR managers need to make
clear the consequences that will arise if
the required behavioural change does not
occur,” she adds.
Chua says coaching is a common tool
used to address issues arising from
disruptive employee behaviour.
“During this process, managers and
the HR department have to continue to
follow up on their employees’ progress
until positive behavioural changes occur.
“They must also affirm any positive
improvement in their employees’
behaviour. This would encourage them
to integrate better with their team and
the organisation.”
Coaching for change
According to Susan Chen, Director of
HR, Asia-Pacific, Visa Worldwide, the
key to change is to firstly understand the
root cause of an employee’s disruptive
behaviour.
“It is often too easy to just resort to
HR processes, such as performance
management, without having clarity on
the issues at hand and dealing with them
accordingly,” explains Chen.
“For example, an employee may be
disruptive in communication because
they feel that their ideas are not valued
or heard. This would be very different to
working with disruptive employees that
may be using inappropriate languages in
the office without culture filters.”
Chen says coaching is a great platform
to introduce a systematic process and
provide safe spaces for change.
Once organisations have identified
the root cause of disruptive behaviours,
she explains coaches “can support the
employee to ‘unlearn’ these traits”.
However, she says there are two caveats;
the organisation must first determine if it
is a talent they want to retain, and if it is
a situation that can be changed.
Secondly, it’s about the employee
recognising that their disruptive
accepted corporate behaviour.
“This weakens company culture
and in extreme cases, even business
performance,” she says.
As for disruptive talents, Chua says
these individuals engage in behaviour
that brings about pessimism and
resentment in the workplace.
“These can include spreading rumours
about colleagues or the organisation to
both internal or external stakeholders,
as well as stirring unnecessary trouble
among colleagues by demonstrating
unprofessional conduct,” she explains.
HR’s role
Sakol reinforces the notion that
disruptive talents need to be firmly
managed to avoid problems.
“Disruptive talent can derail; you need
to make sure employees are properly
supported, both when they’re working
individually, and as part of a team,” he
tells the BBC.
Foo concurs that regardless of whether
staff are disruptive employees or talents,
such staff should be identified, and made
aware of how their behaviour is affecting
colleagues and the firm.
“Do remember to give them ‘air time’
to share why they are demonstrating such
disruptive behaviours and if there are any
challenges or genuine problems that they
would like to share,” elaborates Foo.
“Many a time, disruptive employees may
be aware of the company policy but are not
aware of the fact that they are in violation;
thus we need to sit down with them and
go through their disruptive behaviours.”
For a start, he suggests undertaking
periodical reviews and sharing which areas
the company has seen improvement,
and giving them encouragement as well
as revealing the areas where they need
to put in more effort.
In addition, Foo advocates the
inclusion of common disruptive
behaviours such as threats, intimidation,
and making false or malicious
statements about a co-worker, in the
employees’ handbook as part of the
organisation’s policy.
“Company terms and conditions need
to be briefed to all new hires as part of the
corporate induction programme,” he says.
“We make it known to all new staff
during their induction programme
and the handbook is accessible via
the intranet and in print form in their
departments and outlets.”
Likewise, Chua suggests that companies
first establish an acceptable guideline for
corporate behaviour in the workplace.
“Next, they should identify the
negative behaviour in their employee and
the possible effects should such actions
be allowed to continue. Lastly, list the
behavioural changes required of this
person,” she explains.
After the initial actions have been
taken, Chua says HR managers can
Preventing a
disruptive worker
from influencing
others
• Get the support of line manager before you
speak to the negative worker. HR should be
able to provide the necessary documentation,
time frames and advice on how the
organisation typically tackles these problems
• Directly link the employee’s negative
behaviours to the department’s core goals,
functions and performance objectives
• Do not cite the worker’s problem as an
“attitude” problem. That is too subjective and
will likely be considered as personal dislike
rather than a genuine performance issue.
Highlight specific instances, drawing the links
between the negative behaviour and staff
productivity and morale
• Refer this person to resources that will cajole
them into a positive behavioural pattern.
Many companies have Employee Assistance
Programmes that confidentially advise
employees.
• Leave out your own frustration when having a
discussion with a negative employee
Source: “How do I prevent a disruptive employee
from influencing others?”, Monster.co.uk

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behaviours are hindering their success
in the organisation and road blocking
their potential.
Chen believes “most strategies are
not tailored enough when it come to
disruptive employees.”
“Unless it is the company culture that
is promoting disruptive behaviours, more
often, the root causes are personal and
different for individuals,” she explains.
Chen stresses that before any actions
are taken on disruptive employees, root
cause analysis must be done correctly.
“Engaging a coach to have an objective
conversation on why employees feel the
need to behave or react in a certain way is
an optimal and objective way to assess the
need and appetite for change,” she states.
So how should organisations consider
coaching for behavioural change?
Chen says one-on-one coaching is one
of the most effective ways to support
behavioural changes.
“This allows for a tailored approach
and space for change,” she elaborates.
“Too often, organisations treat
coaching like a band aid or final resort
before managing an employee out. The
organisation needs to understand that
change takes time, and engaging a coach
is an investment of time and money.”
“Organisations need to implement by
not only selecting the right coach, but
also to think through the sustainability
of the change after coaching.”
Nipping it in the bud
Foo reckons that in today’s era,
employee engagement forms part of
the employee retention process, and
that it will be the core component for
the next five years.
He says counselling will always be
the first step of the discipline process
for all staff issues, including disruptive
employees.
“The ABR Holdings Group of companies
believes that all of our employees are an
asset to the company and we believe in
giving them a chance to voice out their
challenges,” explains Foo.
“Termination or dismissal will be
the last resort we will take after written
warnings.”
James Foo, Head of Group HR, ABR Holdings
Yelling, intimidation and accusations are common examples of disruptive employees. Another common scenario
is when a supervisor or manager gives constructive criticism and the disruptive employee responds either
through hostility or crying.
Joanne Chua, Account Director, Robert Walters Singapore
In mild cases, employees can potentially spread rumours about aspects of their teams, co-workers or the
organisation that they are unhappy with. Others often fail to meet deadlines and leave the burden of unfinished
work with their colleagues.
Taking excessive medical leave without prior communication of work deadlines and expectations with colleagues
can also disrupt team performance. This is especially so if the employee’s responsibilities are time-sensitive.
Other extreme cases of disruptive behaviour include the abuse of company property, challenging or resisting
authority, inappropriate swearing, as well as discrimination or harassment of other employees.
Examples of disruptive employee behaviour
Foo says the organisation believes
all staff needs to be treated in equal
fairness, and that no one should be
judged without hearing.
“All our department heads are briefed
to identify disruptive employees as
quickly as possible and address the
problem in the hope that they will
change their attitude,” he stresses.
Chua also explains how companies can
adopt a preventive, rather than a reactive
approach to disruptive talents.
“This ensures all employees are aware
of the issue from the very start of their
employment with the organisation.
Organisations can also share their
corporate values and culture with new
employees during the on-boarding
process or orientation, as well as assign a
mentor to advise them on the appropriate
conduct in the office,” she elaborates.
She says another strategy is to foster a
culture that affirms non-disruptive and
cooperative behaviour within the company.
“For example, during town hall
meetings, companies could consider
highlighting the practices of employees
who have demonstrated positive
behaviour, and in turn helped to achieve
company goals,” adds Chua.
“These affirmations help create
conversation in the organisation about
cooperative work behaviour and reinforce
corporate values.”