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Today\u2019s work environment is more challenging than ever. With layoffs, the uncertainty that comes from the intrusion of AI, and changing codes of conduct, tempers are bound to flare up. Insults may follow. If you are a recipient of one of the six following insults, here\u2019s how you can best respond.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Suppose you are in a meeting and your boss shouts at you, for example: \u201cYou didn\u2019t hear me. I said we\u2019d save that discussion for next time.\u201d\u00a0Don\u2019t answer that rudeness with your own anger.\u00a0That would only make things worse.<\/p>\n
Instead, respond to the substance of his words. You might say \u201cFine, we\u2019ll postpone the discussion.\u201d The point is to detach yourself from the anger and not escalate a heated exchange.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s hard not to feel insulted when a boss calls you names or diminishes your work.\u00a0My first job in the business world was a humbling experience. My boss was a terror who spewed rudeness.\u00a0When I submitted an assignment, he\u2019d find what he considered a mistake and call me \u201cstupid.\u201d Only once do I remember him complimenting me with \u201cYou\u2019ve made it as a speechwriter!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
To compound those problems, one of my colleagues mimicked my boss\u2019s style by also hurling insults at me. That workplace was a nightmare.\u00a0That same colleague remarked to members of our team in front of me, \u201cShe won\u2019t last.\u201d I had just given birth six weeks earlier and was working hard to be both mother and assistant to the SVP.<\/p>\n
How did I respond to these insults? I fled to the washroom and cried. That was many decades ago. Today I would advise employees to respond to such insults with more courage and say, \u201cI don\u2019t think that is an appropriate comment,\u201d or, \u201cYou hired me and I am doing my best.\u201d Or you could go off, think about it and come back to the offending manager the next day with \u201cI\u2019d like to talk to you about something you said yesterday.\u201d Stand up for yourself without getting angry or defensive.<\/p>\n
Incidentally, I did survive that job and acquired an important set of skills. But it was a difficult trial-by-fire.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n