I overheard a conversation that some employees from a neighboring office in our complex were having in the parking lot. I really could not help but overhear what they were saying because a couple of them were pretty loud and upset.
As I listened, the subject of their anger was not anyone in the group. They were upset at what a supervisor had said to one of the women in the group. One woman seemed to be what I would consider “the ring leader” telling the other woman how she should stand up to her supervisor.
The other women seemed to chime in encouraging this woman to not stand for the treatment she received, suggesting that she go above her supervisor’s head and speak to the general manager.
They all were coaxing this woman to either challenge her supervisor or file a complaint about her and she did not seem too anxious to follow through with either.
I could not help but to wonder how all of these co-workers found out about this woman’s encounter with her supervisor? Could the supervisor have been that loud when speaking to this employee that everyone heard her?
Maybe this woman told about the situation to a not so trustworthy co-worker who felt that she should share it with others or maybe this woman shared the problem with too many co-workers herself.
However, it happened it did not matter now and there were several angry employees heading back into that office.
I started thinking about the supervisor that they were talking about and wondered, “Did she know what was going on? Did she realize that several of her staff members where trying to get a lynching party going after her in the parking lot?”
I really wished that I could have found out what end up happening with this situation. I thought about what I would have said to the “victim” of the supervisor’s “bad behavior” had I been given the chance and came up with these six points to follow if you have an issue with a superior at work.
1. If you have a problem with your supervisor, go to your supervisor and ask to discuss it privately.
2. Be the professional that you are, do not lower yourself by acting childish.
3. Be prepared, have notes about the situation that you want to talk about and what you think about the issue. In stressful situations, we tend to forget details that we want to discuss.
4. Stick to the issue at hand, do not take any “rabbit trails” it will only make things confusing and you may hang yourself by saying something unintended.
5. Be willing to listen to the other side and think about what they have to say before you speak. If you need time, ask to continue the discussion at later when you have thought about what they have told you.
6. Oh, did I say be the professional that you are?
What advice would you give for this type of situation?
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