What Happens When Something Disrupts Your Normally Pleasant Work Environment?
We’ve all been there. A coworker has dropped a verbal bomb and you don’t know what to do about it. We suggest the following best practices in dealing with inappropriate and unprofessional workplace behavior. 1. Don’t Confront: In many cases it’s best to press the “ignore button” and walk away, especially if you’re in a group setting. Often you can simply respond with, “I hear what you’re saying,” then quickly move on. Do it without getting upset. If you fight fire with fire, you’ll surely get burned. 2. Confront with Caution: If you know the talker and can be fairly certain s/he won’t blow up, bring up the remark later, away from a group setting, according to business etiquette expert Randall Hansen. “Say, ‘Maybe that topic you brought up should be kept outside the office,’’’ Hansen suggests. “He may appreciate the advice because it will save him from future embarrassment in the office or with clients.” 3. Speak from the “I”: If you’re offended and feel a strong need to respond, don’t make the speaker wrong, says business etiquette consultant Hilka Klinkenberg. “Don’t respond with, ‘How dare you say that,’ but rather, something like, ‘that comment made me feel uncomfortable,'” she says. 4. A Bomb From Above: If your boss or other higher-up crosses the line, the situation is trickier — you may have to weigh the options of making a point or sticking your neck out. In fact, Randall Hansen recommends not going to Human Resources about such an incident. “Too many times a company will circle the wagons to protect a boss, even when they should want to know about the incident to prevent lawsuits and foster a better environment,” he says. However, it is perfectly legitimate to document the incident and involve HR in case it becomes a more serious or pervasive situation. “And if you have mentors in the company who are on the boss’s level or higher, tell them and let them approach the boss,” Hansen says. 5. Being a Good Manager: On the other hand, if you’re in a supervisory or management position, don’t “press ignore” after hearing inappropriate comments. You inaction puts your company at risk. “It’s part of your responsibility to model and lead and set an example,” says Hilka Klinkenberg. “If you let remarks slide you could open yourself and the company to liability issues around harassment and discrimination. Still, you should approach the speaker with tact and without anger,” she suggests. By following these best practices you will be able to provide a more respectful and happier workplace for everyone.
Achilles Group helped us with recruiting for a critical position on our finance team. Their team posted the position, sifted through all the applicants, and then screened them via phone interviews. The candidates they brought to us were all top notch–any one of them would have been a great fit! The person we hired ended up being one of the best decisions we ever made!
First Presbyterian
We are a small company and yet we don’t feel like a number. Large payroll companies have reached out to help us with HR, but I fear we would be just a number with them. We can call Achilles and they can be here on site in a couple of hours if needed. And because of that relationship, I feel like I am talking to someone who understands our company.
CEO, Slow Dough
Before we engaged with Achilles Group, our HR was more on the reactive side and we felt something was missing, and we didn’t know how to get there. We worried about many HR topics like compliance gaps, records retention, how to on-board new employees, and how to develop our leaders. Achilles not only guided in all those areas, but they spent a lot of time with us and provided the manpower needed to take that burden off our shoulders. It would have been very difficult to accomplish all this from a time standpoint without their team involved.
CEO, Engineered Air Balance
“We started out as a new company in 2020 that emerged from a group of experienced leaders and employees in the flight services industry. We knew we needed HR support through a real partner so we would not have to figure things out on our own, and we were not going to bring that function in-house. The Achilles team has been vitally important given the many dynamics to HR. It’s reassuring and gives us the confidence that our questions, issues, and problems will be resolved."
COO, Flight Pro Services
“Achilles has helped us navigate this exciting time by reducing some growing pains via thoughtful counsel, offering timely guidance as we hit different periods in our growth, and providing much needed insight into organizing our larger team.
Achilles has played a vital role in assisting us to keep the culture that has been such a key component of our success. As a bonus, we have been voted one of the Best Places to Work for four years running!”
Vice President, 2H Offshore, Inc.
Achilles Group was crucial to the transition off a PEO. Achilles Group engaged to help us roll off the PEO, and immediately it felt like a partnership. The process was absolutely seamless. The Achilles team not only assisted in streamlining HR compliance, but they focused on a strategic approach to ensure our policies and processes were more in line with our business’ vision and not just the PEO’s way. They advised how to cascade our team communications effectively and how to use benefits as a competitive advantage. Achilles Group is our ally and confidante in our business.
Director of HR, Dayrise Residential
One of our leaders created a toxic working culture. Our Achilles expert helped guide our company through the transition. If it weren’t for Achilles, we would have been stuck for years. Instead we experienced a lot of storm for about four months and it’s been a complete rainbow ever since.
CEO, Avanti Senior Living
I am very grateful with all the things Achilles helps us with. The people at Achilles Group are very professional. The team is good with communication. It’s so good to have someone to bounce things off, and we are looking forward to a long-lasting relationship. We like that we have one designated consultant to manage the interface with other Achilleans on various workstreams.
