How to Manage Arrogant Employees

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: July 22, 2022 References

Confidence is a great quality in an employee—but when that confidence turns to arrogance, the situation can get a little rocky. If you’re dealing with an employee who is a little too full of themselves, letting it go might only make the problem worse. Here are a few ways you can deal with arrogant employees to run the workplace as smoothly as possible.

1

Try not to react.

An emotional reaction may add fuel to the fire. If you hear an employee say something ridiculously arrogant, don’t get mad or lash out. Instead, make a note of it (either in your head or on actual paper), and plan to talk to them about it later.^{[1]
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- Arrogant people often thrive when surrounded by an audience. If you try to confront them in the moment, they may actually enjoy it.

2

Give them individual tasks.

Arrogant employees tend to do well when they work on their own. If you can, try to assign them projects that they can do by themselves or with minimal interaction with others. It’s a great way to tamp down their arrogance without disrupting the workflow.^{[2]
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- If you work in teams, consider splitting up assignments so everyone can work individually.

3

Keep your interactions short.

Don’t burden yourself with prolonged conversations. Instead, try to communicate with the employee quickly so you don’t disrupt your own life. Emails and memos are great for sending information over without talking face to face.^{[3]
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- This is a good strategy in the short term, but it’s not a great long term solution.

4

Give clear feedback.

Let the employee know that their attitude is causing problems. Call your employee in for a private meeting and explain that their arrogance is being noticed. Tell them that their attitude isn’t aligning with workplace values, so they need to make a change.^{[4]
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- You could say something like, “We need to talk about your attitude around the office. I’ve noticed some comments you make to other employees, and you can sometimes sound a little arrogant. I need you to work on your relationship with your coworkers so the workplace can stay friendly and professional.”

5

Track their progress.

See if their arrogance diminishes over time. If you’ve talked with an employee and made it clear they need to change, keep an eye on them. Meet with them one-on-one and talk with other employees to see what’s going on in the workplace.^{[5]
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- If you notice that they still need to change, you can offer constructive feedback if you think it might help.
- Keep track of your meetings so you have a clear record of this employee’s behavior.

6

Set clear boundaries and consequences.

Let the employee know what will happen if they don’t change. They might get turned down for a promotion, transferred to another department, or even fired. If you do set these boundaries, be sure that you actually follow through if the employee doesn’t adjust their attitude.^{[6]
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- Firing someone is an extreme solution, so make sure you try other methods before jumping to that one.