A Difficult Position

Sometimes workplace interactions can be more hostile than intended. Being able to remain calm and react in a positive manor when tensions run high is an important asset to have in the business world. In the proposed situation, you have a boss that requests feedback from you and fellow employees, however when she receives any form of criticism she goes off on a tangent. This behavior leads to people just agreeing with all that she says to avoid these outbursts. How would you handle this situation and what would you say?

In this particular situation, as with many of the hypothetical situations we’ve encountered, I am very limited on real-world experience. So having to imagine myself in this situation, I would say that meeting with my boss in a private setting would be very important. Confronting them in front of a group could easily be taken as a personal attack and cause the situation to become more heated than necessary.

During the meeting, it is really important to keep things comfortable and not in an accusatory fashion. Really focusing in on the importance of a positive work environment.

• A positive work environment promotes a positive work ethic for all employees, which helps business.
• Constructive criticism should be used to fix any and all issues, helping things run smoothly.
• Probably most important is that constructive criticism should not be taken as a personal attack.

With any luck, your boss will be open-minded enough to understand that sometimes a collective take on a subject can lead to a better running company or more easily solved issue.