While it’s true that harmony is essential to any team, this doesn’t mean that you have to “go along to get along.” If someone oversteps your boundaries, there are professional and assertive ways to stand up for yourself at work.
How to Stand Up for Yourself at Work
Generally speaking, being easygoing within reason is an asset in the job world. However, there’s a fine line between “not sweating the small stuff” and avoiding conflict because you feel it’s the path of least resistance.
Here’s what you need to consider the next time you have to choose between letting things slide or standing up for yourself. At work:
- If you are trying to avoid conflict, chances are that you will tell yourself that “it’s no big deal.” The truth is that you are just bargaining with yourself. We usually can tell when our boundaries have been breached. Listen to your intuition and ask yourself why the situation bothers you.
- If you determine that you have to stand up for yourself, ask the other person to meet in private to discuss the situation.
- As you engage the offending party, use “I statements.” The aim of these statements is to put the focus on your perceptions and feelings and not on the other person. For example, if you say “You have a bad habit of interrupting people,” you are setting up yourself for a heated dispute. Saying instead “Your habit of interrupting me is bothering me” reduces the negativity and leads to more constructive exchanges.
- Finally, remember that standing up for yourself doesn’t necessarily mean confrontation. You have every right to communicate your emotions, but it’s best for everyone if you do it in a calm and deliberate manner.
More Tips to Propel Your Business Forward
Read these previous posts for more tips that cover every aspect of the management of your organization, from communication to online security.
- 3 Tips to manage the introverted members of your team
- Planning to take a few day off? Use this checklist
- 3 Project management techniques for small business owners
- Helping remote workers adapt to the office
About the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
At the Greater Riverside Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GRHCC), our core mission is supporting small businesses and economic development with advocacy, business referrals, marketing opportunities, training programs, student internships, and scholarships.