Key takeaways:

• What to do if you have a demeaning boss?
  • Ask to have a serious discussion
  • Address potential problems before they happen
  • Try to empathize with your superior
  • Take the concern to Human Resources
• What to do if an employee doesn’t respect their job?
  • Prioritize engagement
  • Ask them how they feel
  • Find out what they want to be doing
  • Reevaluate your benefits offerings

Misalignments between employees and employers can lead to unhealthy work environments. Employees who feel mistreated may not feel motivated or respected at work, and it could even impact their mental health or lead them to resign. By the same token, employers may feel hopeless when an employee clearly doesn’t like or respect the work they’re doing.

What can you do if you’re dealing with an unhealthy work dynamic? We will walk through two common scenarios for both parties and give healthy ways to deal with issues.

Working with a demeaning or degrading boss can wear on you quickly and make work toxic. These are the managers who belittle their subordinates, act aggressively or passive-aggressively, lose their temper, talk over people or continually offer negative feedback. They usually don’t focus on an employee’s positive attributes and they may make them feel stupid or less-than or even discriminate against certain people.

Sometimes, the best way to handle the situation is to report it. However, if you’re dealing with a demeaning or condescending boss, there may be other steps you can take first to help ease the situation:

• Ask to have a serious discussion

When something happens that you’re not okay with, like a degrading comment or outburst of anger, try to set up a meeting later to talk to your boss about it. If you feel comfortable doing so, tell them how it made you feel and that you aren’t alright with being treated that way. Standing up to a manager can be a big challenge, especially if you fear negative repercussions such as losing your job. In the right circumstances, however, it can help open someone’s eyes and they might shift their behavior before you have to go to Human Resources (HR).

• Address potential problems before they happen

If you feel like you’ve been in trouble for not completing a task on time or the right way, try getting ahead of the issue next time. Ask to have a meeting about your responsibilities and make it clear that you want to hear from them exactly what they are expecting of you. Take notes. Doing this in advance means you will have proof and clarity so that they can’t argue with you when you do what you discussed. Meetings also open the door for them to provide you with valuable feedback that could help dispel any tension. Sometimes, the issue stems from your boss thinking that you are not taking the work seriously enough or putting in enough effort.

• Try to empathize

If your boss is not normally like this, try to consider what they may be going through. Is it an especially stressful time of year? Are they short-staffed? Are they getting a lot of heat from higher-ups? While there is never an excuse for demeaning treatment, empathizing with their situation may help you control your feelings and move on.

• Take it to HR

Remember that certain treatment, like discrimination or harassment, is never something you just need to deal with. Head to HR if you’ve experienced anything you feel is too serious to work out yourself or with your boss directly. They will help you navigate the right way forward and ensure that it doesn’t happen again. There are laws surrounding these issues that protect your rights in the workplace. Make sure you put your mental health and well-being first. Some things you should never have to pretend to ignore and just get over.

Now, let’s cover the other side of the coin. What if you’re an employer or manager, and your workers just don’t respect you or their jobs? They may not show respect to you or the organization. This could be happening for several reasons, some of which you can’t control. Try out these strategies when you’re noticing a lack of motivation and respect from employees:

• Prioritize engagement

You may need to take a new perspective on how to engage your employees. Perhaps they’re feeling disconnected from work and their coworkers. A social gathering, in-person or online, can help rejuvenate their sense of community and boost engagement. Incorporating gamification techniques, like in-office contests and award systems, can also help people feel more motivated and excited to reach goals.

• Ask them how they feel

It may be hard to know exactly why someone is disengaged or unhappy without asking them. Incorporate feedback tools like surveys to assess employee sentiment. Hold one-on-one meetings and ask for feedback directly. Employees may feel more comfortable talking about their issues in a small group. A lack of communication may be a big factor driving their dissatisfaction.

• Find out what they want to be doing

If employees feel like they’re not being challenged at work, they can quickly tune everything out and lose respect for the job. Ask them what they want to be doing. Find out if there’s a project or task that they feel they could handle. Talk about what their longer-term goals are and see if you can alter their position to take on new responsibilities related to their interests.

• Reevaluate your benefits offerings

Employees will respect and value their work when you show them that you respect and value them. Take a look at the benefits you’re providing and focus on helping them with work-life balance. Pay attention to what’s trending in the job market – for instance, paid family leave and remote or flexible work options are important to today’s employees.

Misalignments between employees and employers happen all the time. Sometimes your best bet is to revamp the benefits offerings and HR delivery methods you’re providing to workers. StaffLink Outsourcing is a professional employer organization (PEO) providing bundled services including benefits, payroll, risk management and more. We step in alongside your HR department to help you address disconnects in your approach, and provide you with the services you really need.

Get started with StaffLink by requesting a proposal or calling 954-423-8262 today.