4 Assertive Phrases to Say to a Disrespectful Employee

Jul 11

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Introduction

Disrespectful employees exist in every kind of workplace and display behavior that can become destructive to both other employees and the function of the business. In this article, we are going to review key signs of disrespectful employees and address 4 different assertive phrases to help put an end to this behavior.

Defining Disrespectful Behavior in the Workplace

Disrespectful behavior is defined as any remark, attitude, or action that exhibits undermining and rude characteristics. This behavior can be towards another teammate within the workplace or someone of authority. Some examples of disrespectful employee behavior include:

Actions such as throwing papers or slamming doors
Verbal comments of aggression towards another employee
Belittling an employee
Yelling at a manager

The Urgency of Addressing A Disrespectful Employee

If you hear reports of a disrespectful employee or encounter one, it is crucial to try and put an end to the behavior. The disrespectful employee can be damaging to the performance of others as well as the success of the company. 4 Genuine Examples of Delivering Bad News to Employees can help you prepare to discuss disrespectful behavior with an employee.

For instance, the Harvard Business Review conducted a survey and discovered that disrespectful employees lower the productivity of other employees by a 48% decrease in effort, a 38% decrease in quality of work, and an 80% increase in time spent anxious about the behavior.

Another study conducted by USC business school marketing professors, Debbie MacInnis and Valerie Folkes, looked into how disrespectful employees can deter customers, and specifically used a bank as the setting of the experiment. The marketing professors discovered that 66% of customers would not return to a bank where they witnessed disrespectful behavior.

Therefore, there is great urgency to end the behavior to keep the productivity of the workforce and the return of the consumers. Reviewing The 5 Things Amazing Managers Do to be Successful article can help you prepare for a meeting with a disrespectful employee.

Assertive Phrases to Help End Disrespectful Employee Behavior

Here, we are going to provide you with four assertive phrases to use when discussing with a disrespectful employee.

It is okay to make mistakes. That is how we learn and grow in our careers, but it is important to learn from our mistakes. I am not going to think less of you when you make mistakes.

Commonly, employees will talk back to either authority or teammates in the workplace when they are insecure about their performance and don’t want to be proven wrong. In these cases, when an employee is being disrespectful by constantly admitting they are right, it can be helpful to reassure them that mistakes are okay. This can help relieve the disrespectful employee of the stress of wanting to always prove they are right.

This workplace has zero-tolerance for bullying and belittling behavior.

Reiterating the workplace zero-tolerance policy can assertively reinforce the concept of the consequences of disrespectful employees. A violation of this zero-tolerance policy will lead to termination, which most employees don’t want. In reiterating the policy, the disrespectful employee is made known of the consequences verbally, so if the bullying prevails their employment will terminate.

I want to hear what you think has been happening with your behavior in the workplace.

Here, you can allow the employee to express their thoughts on the situation. It is difficult to help the employee without knowing what they think of their behavior. This can lead to some more context provided, such as something difficult occurring in the employee’s life. Allowing for the time to share can make the employee reflect on the behavior. Also, it shows strong leadership from you by allowing the employee to confide in you and share emotions.

I would like us to work together to form some personal goals for you and track your progress.

Being a great leader in the workplace requires great care for each employee. Sitting down with a disrespectful employee to create some goals to improve behavior and productivity can allow the employee to understand change is within reach. Using the Manage Better Action Plan program can help create goals for each employee and tangibly track their progress.

Can Disrespectful Employees Be Prevented?

Training employees in both customer service and the rules of the workplace can help prevent disrespectful employees. Here are some examples of what you can do within your workplace:

Make workplace rules easily accessible
Have workshops on customer service
Allow the employees the opportunity to ask questions about rules
Help employees understand disrespectful behavior hurts the workplace culture

Disrespectful employees can prevail in any workplace. Understanding how to address disrespectful employees will help mitigate the issue quickly. Always remember to never blame yourself for the disrespectful employees and that you can make a difference by addressing the issue upfront.