7 things you should NEVER say at work!
1. āI donāt have time for thatā
This is a nice way of saying āyour work is less important than mineā, which means that freeing up time and giving attention to lower-priority tasks is out of the question. You donāt need to know the Eisenhower matrix to know that thereās more urgent work, but even so. If someone asks for help, itās a very demeaning response.
Itās easy to imagine a toxic manager saying something like that š . Clearly, it shows a lack of consideration. Well, it could also mean that we donāt manage our time well, or worse, that we have absolutely no team spirit.
2. āWeāve always done it like thatā
Typically, the kind of phrase that prevents its employees and newcomers from thinking for themselves. It imposes a certain way of doing things, without taking a step back š. Except that one way of doing things isnāt always the best way, and closing your eyes to that is locking yourself into escalating commitment. New ideas can be beneficial and breathe new life into a company. Itās important to listen to them before rejecting them.
š If, on the other hand, we see that someone isnāt carrying out their tasks properly, we obviously need to intervene. But as an example is worth a thousand words, we help rather than say things like that! |
š You may be interested in this article: Is my coworker a narcissist?
3. āYouāve taken the afternoon off?ā
Oh boy š! It would never occur to me to say that kind of heavy-handed phrase to a colleague.
To translate it simply, it means: āIām working hard, so thereās no reason why you shouldnāt suffer tooā. Itās a phrase that smacks of crass presenteeism, except that itās pointless. Firstly, because our colleague may well have finished their dayās work, not everyone goes at the same rhythm. Worse still, this person may have problems in their personal life! Yes, it could be a mum picking up her sick child or a husband visiting his wife in hospital š...
š You shouldnāt say anything, except if youāre the direct superior, but in that case you should at least have the sensitivity not to talk about it in public.
And as long as the jobās done, thatās the main thing, right?
4. āYou donāt like it? The doorās openā
The picture this phrase paints is crystal clear: itās a boss furious that an employeeās questioning him. As for me, itās clear that Iāve never uttered it, since Iām right at the very bottom of the ladder š¬. Because yes, this kind of phrase is clearly uttered by someone with power in the company and implies āIāll fire you whenever I wantā.
Itās management by fear thatās just going to scare away competent people and damage the company in the long run. Itās shooting yourself in the foot, as well as being a big tw... being a toxic person. š¤
5. āIf I were you, Iād do it like thisā
This sentence may start from a good place because you may want to show your colleague a better way of doing things š. Nevertheless, even if you have good intentions, that doesnāt mean it will be well received. In fact, it can be a tad irritating and a way of sinking a little deeper into infantilization at work.
Itās better to simply offer to help, rather than impose your vision of things. Especially as we donāt know the exact extent of the problems our colleague is experiencing. So if you want to show respect at work, suggest and make yourself available if needs be š.
6. āSexy little skirtā
āWe know exactly why she got the jobā, āItās a girl thing to cry at work!ā... Basically, all the sexist and inappropriate phrases that should have no place in the workplace (or anywhere else for that matter š ...).
A reminder that 8 out of 10 women have already experienced a sexist situation at work. We also remind you that itās an offense punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years. So letās learn to be a little less macho and to ignore our privileges to be a more bearable man at work!
7. Saying āyesā (to everything)
This may well be the phrase, or at least the word, that I might easily say. Except that, Iāve learned to develop my assertiveness at work so that I donāt have to put up with every request I get. Indeed, when you say yes to everything, you run the risk of committing yourself to tasks that arenāt feasible for you.
Sometimes you might be afraid to say no, especially if itās your direct superior or the big boss, but saying yes doesnāt necessarily do you any favors. Once again, itās a question of prioritizing tasks, so itās best to be realistic and take everything into consideration. As such, you avoid putting yourself at risk and tiring yourself out, after all, there are only 24 hrs in a day!
Editorās note: Words that nurture, words that hurtThere you go, now you know the phrases to avoid at work! Perhaps youāve already uttered some of them without realizing the impact they can have? We can never stress this enough, but words are very powerful, they can hurt, comfort, and many other things, so we need to be careful about what we say. Encouragement, congratulations, compliments, and support are also important at work, so avoid words that hurt but donāt skimp on those that warm the heart. š¤ Understanding yourself, accepting yourself, being happy... Itās here and now! #BornToBeMe |
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