Workplace Conduct

Is there a problem employee in your workgroup? I’m not talking about a person or a type who are annoying or stirring a pot…. but is there one who you know is a lawsuit waiting to happen? An easy way to answer this question is to answer another; do you find yourself saying “that’s just how he/she is”- “everyone is aware of it but we ignore or work around him/her.

We conduct numerous workshops around the topic of Professional Conduct in the Workplace. These workshops cover a variety of topics including office etiquette, laws affecting the workplace and the implication of social media including textual harassment and sexting. Regardless of industry or employer size, the “that’s just how he/she is” person is sometimes in the room. If they are not in the room, we quickly learn who they are and what they do on a regular basis. We watch as others roll their eyes, move their heads to point others out and sometimes just outright express the frustration about “that’s just who he/she is” behavior on others.

There are as many reasons for bad behavior as there are people and our intent is not to make judgments. This is just a gentle reminder that behavior problems generally don’t just go away or fix themselves.

Next time you hear “that’s just how he/she is” we suggest you immediately talk to someone in a position of authority in your organization. Let them confront the behavior before it becomes a law suit which causes incredible disruptions in the workplace and can impact profits, pay and reputations of organizations.