They may be the most difficult people you will ever face working with: those “jerks at work” who oppress, humiliate or belittle subordinates or co-workers. Their dirty tactics include personal insults, threats, sarcasm, the silent treatment and outright attacks. Their very presence is a powerful negative force, and you should not ignore them. Use these strategies to counter their negative influence:

• Expose them. Draw attention to unacceptable behavior. In front of everyone involved, say: “That behavior violates our workplace code. Please do not do that again.”
  
• Educate them. Meet with them privately and define acceptable behavior. Contrast what you saw or heard with the way you expect them to act and speak in the future.
  
• Stand up to them. Turning the other cheek may be an admirable response in some situations, but it is inappropriate when you are dealing with a workplace jerk. Call them out on their behavior instead of avoiding them.
• Hope for the best as you prepare for the worst. Create a disciplinary plan and prepare to follow through if you need to. 

— Adapted from “Taming the Office Tyrant,” Ray Williams, Ray Williams Associates, http://net-work.nationalpost.com.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave_apple.

• Why are the first 5 slides the most important?
• How to structure your slides to engage the audience
• How to convey your ideas without using those dreadful bullet points
• Practice makes perfect! Specific points for when you rehearse and prepare
• How to manage your stage fright before and during your presentation

Here are three bits of feedback your employees would love to share with you but likely never will:

• “You have no idea what I do each day.” Many employees believe that their supervisors don’t grasp the requirements of their jobs and the amount of work they do.

Action item: Counter that belief by finding out. Shadow employees, sit down with them to complete workload assessments or, better yet, do their jobs for one day.

• “I hate your meetings.” Most meetings are a waste of time and your employees resent you for it.

Action item: Before you schedule another meeting, decide if it is necessary. In addition, employees may hate your meetings not because of the frequency but because they are tired of hearing you do all the talking. Invite only people who must attend. Let team members run meetings. Listen more and talk less.

• “Stop calling me outside of work.” If you expect people to respond immediately to every text, email or call you send them during their time off, you are disrespecting work/life boundaries.

Action item: Don’t contact them unless the issue is urgent and can’t wait
until the next workday.

— Adapted from “10 Things Your Employees Are Dying to Tell You,” Barry Moltz, http://www.openforum.com.

[Photo credit:www.flickr.com/photos/cellardoorfilms.]

Phone calls continue to be one of the most dependable and effective communication tools. In a world where emailing and texting are becoming the most popular choices for reaching out to someone, the phone call is a more personal option. A quick call can be much more efficient than a round of emails, text messages or instant messages. They are crucial in maintaining customer relationships. And when face-to-face meetings aren’t an option, they are the only choice for addressing conflict, providing feedback, and discussing sensitive or confidential matters.

Ground Rules

1. Answer the phone enthusiastically.
2. Identify yourself always. When answering the phone, say something like “John Doe, XYZ Co.” When making a call, say “This is John Doe from XYZ Co. I’m calling to …”
3. Focus on the call. Turn away from your computer, set aside what you are working on and pay attention. If you multitask, the other person will know, and you could appear scattered or rude.
4. Answer a call by the third ring.
5. Give your recipient a true estimate of the amount of time that you will need.
6. Speak in a pleasant and professional tone.
7. Maintain a moderate speed. If you speak too fast, you’ll seem hurried or the person may not understand you.
8. Show a genuine interest in the person’s call.
9. Use standard manners, such as saying “Please” and “Thank you.”
10. Ask your callers for permission to put them on hold. Always offer a brief explanation as to why you are placing a caller on hold.

To learn even more rules for communicating on the phone, purchase Professional and Promotable: Etiquette for Today’s Workplace. The new training kit teaches you business etiquette ground rules for the workplace. Follow them, and you will prevent conflicts, build stronger work relationships, present a polished and professional image, and be seen as a model employee—the type that is sure to advance in your organization.

 [Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr.

1. “At the end of the day.” It’s just filler. Forget the phrase and get to the point.
2. “Think outside the box.” A “Be creative” will suffice.
3. “Push the envelope.” That’s just another way to say “Take risks.”
4. “Don’t reinvent the wheel.” The phrase is vague. Offer more specific guidance about which aspects should stay the same and which ones should change.
5. “The ball is in your court.” Enough with the sports analogies. Just say “The decision is yours to make.”
6. “Work smarter, not harder.” Tell people how to be more efficient.
7. “Low-hanging fruit.” It undermines the importance of your customers or goals by suggesting that some don’t require much effort. Treat all business objectives the same way.
8. “Failure is not an option.” Failure is always a possibility, and that phrase does nothing more than cause employees fear and anxiety.
9. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” An actual time estimation to launch a new initiative or make a change is much more useful.

I know I am one to use “out-side the box thinking” when I write and speak, so I’m setting a goal to eliminate it.

Do you use any of the phrases above? If so which ones?

[Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cutiemoo.

I am always looking for topics to write about, so my friends and family often hear questions like “What’s the biggest issue you are dealing with at work right now?” or “What is the best thing about your job/company?” During dinner last night, I asked my husband “Who has been your most difficult coworker?” Without giving it much thought, he began describing a woman he used to work with who was known to unload the personal details of her life to anyone within earshot.

He felt ambushed every time she would enter his office. She was pregnant at the time, and she believed it was necessary to offer him a play-by-play of every bit of displeasure she was experiencing. What’s worse is that she never knocked or asked to come in. She just plowed into his office and began to rant.

They weren’t friends—in fact, he barely knew her—and he was never more than a set of ears for her. He didn’t actively participate in the conversations. Instead, he nodded and offered the occasional “Man, I’m sorry to hear that.” Maybe that was his value to her: someone to listen without offering advice or opinions. She made her rounds most mornings, hitting up a few coworkers before she settled down to work, so it’s likely that each of those people offered her something different.

That said my husband endured several months of that behavior and the feeling of being held hostage by someone he didn’t want to offend. We often tell readers in our publications that in that situation, it’s best to politely say something like “I’m sorry, but can we catch up at lunch? I am swamped right now.”

However, he didn’t want to catch up. Nor was he interested in ever hearing the personal details of this person’s life. I think a lot of us can admit that there are people at work we just aren’t interested in being friends with, and that is O.K. Because while most of us can’t choose who we get to work with, we can choose who we open up our lives to, and we should never feel forced into being someone’s friend.

The best thing my husband could have done is to politely have said “I’m just not comfortable talking about this sort of thing with you. If you have work matters to discuss, please continue. If not, I really have to get back to work.” Yes, it might be awkward for a bit, but that kind of brutal honesty is sometimes necessary to reset boundaries.

Have you ever been in that kind of situation? How did you handle it?

• Start with formal salutations. Use Ms. or Mr. and then last names when contacting people the first time. Switch to first names if and when they respond by signing their first names, otherwise you risk appearing too impersonal.
• Include a greeting. When emailing to a group of people, beginning with “Hi all” may sound a bit clumsy. Use “Hello everyone” or just “Hello.”
• Send thanks. Handwritten thank-you notes offer a personal touch, but go ahead and use email to express your appreciation more quickly.
• Minimize fonts and colors. Resist the temptation to use fancy fonts, sizes and colors. In general, choose a legible font such as Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman. Use either 10- or 12-point type and stick to black text.

— Adapted from “Email Etiquette: Still Puzzling After All These Years,” Barbara Pachter, Pachter’s Pointers, http://www.barbarapachtersblog.com.

Photo credit: [www.flickr.com/photos/karpidis]

Don’t:

• Talk on the phone loudly—especially on personal calls.
• Show up late for meetings.
• Be nosy, looking over a co-worker’s shoulder to check out his or computer screen.
• Take supplies from teammates’ desks without asking.
• Chew gum loudly or talk with your mouth full of food.
• Wear too much perfume or cologne.
• Gossip.
• Ask others to lie or cover for you.
• Talk religion or politics in the office.
• Tell offensive jokes.
• Watch inappropriate videos.
• Use obscenities and profanity regularly in work settings.
• Show up late for meetings or miss team events.
• Take personal time at the last minute, often leaving co-workers in the lurch.
  

Do:

• Clean up after yourself.
• Refill or replace something when you take or use the last of it (coffee, printer ink, pens).
• Say “Please” and “Thank You.”
• Share credit with those who deserve it.
• Accept blame when you make a mistake.
• Pull your own weight.
• Maintain a positive attitude.
• Turn your cell phone ringer off during meetings.

If your co-workers are the ones lacking manners, purchase The Co-Worker from Hell: Successfully Manage Your Most Challenging Work Relationships to discover how to minimize conflict with hellish coworkers, confront their behavior head-on, resolve your issues and move toward a successful work relationship.

This training kit includes the following:

• 75-page binder full of advice, quick tips, assessments and worksheets.
• CD of customizable, print-ready forms.
• 60-minute audio conference presentation Dealing With the Co-Worker From Hell with PowerPoint Presentaton and pdf of the presentation slides.
• 60-minute audio conference presentation How to Manage Frenemies, Friction & Frustration at Work with PowerPoint Presentaton and pdf of the presentation slides.

• Don’t use these common nonwords
• Phrases that undercut messages
• Steer clear of these redundancies
• Make sense of these 5 word pair
• Dodge these common mistakes

While you are there, download these complimentary reports:

• How clearly do you communicate?
• Tips for 25 commonly misspelled words
• Goal-setting worksheet
• Wage war on wordy writing
• Break down language barriers
• Take a positive approach to employee complaints
• Stop the meeting madness