What is most difficult employee situation you have handled well? How about not-so-well?

This question is designed to explore your conflict resolution skills and how you handle interpersonal issues in the workplace. The interviewer wants to know about a challenging situation you had to address with a co-worker or subordinate, and what strategies you used for handling it. The second part of the question is intended to get an understanding of when your attempts to resolve such issues did not work as well as you'd hoped. This information would give the interviewer insights into your learning and evolving from experiences.

It's important in your response to address:

1. The context and the nature of the difficult situation.
2. Your specific role in handling it.
3. The approach and steps you took to resolve it.
4. The results or changes that occurred because of your actions.

In my previous role as a team leader, there was a situation where two team members had a significant disagreement about the direction of a project. Both are excellent workers, but the conflict was affecting the entire team's morale and productivity.

I intervened directly by initially conducting separate meetings with them to understand their perspectives. I noted their concerns and the reasons for their disagreement. I then organized a meeting where both could openly discuss their points of view, while I facilitated a constructive conversation to emphasize the importance of common ground and teamwork.

The result was a compromise on the project's direction that satisfied both parties, and the team's synergy returned to its usual high level. However, I regret not intervening sooner. The disagreement had been brewing for some time, and in retrospect, earlier action might have prevented some of the team’s productivity loss.

In my role as a manager at a retail store, I had an employee who was consistently late, which was adversely impacting the team's functioning. I had a private meeting with her, outlined the issue and the consequences, and provided her the opportunity to address any issues that were causing her lateness.

She committed to improving, and we agreed on a 30-day plan to ensure accountability and track her progress. Unfortunately, there was no significant improvement even after this intervention.

Reflecting on this situation, I realize I could have explored more on why the previous plan did not work and perhaps tried alternative solutions, like adjusting her working hours or arranging for assistance to cover her initial hours. I learned first-hand that a manager should be flexible and innovative with problem-solving for different individuals.