How to Deal with Put Downs within a Work Environment

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt like you have been undermined or patronised?

Put downs is a tricky subject, especially if the person that has directed the put down to you is of a higher authority than yourself. When put in this situation you may feel that you don’t have the right to stand up for yourself in fear of losing your job, and you might see it as there’s no need to retaliate.

Personally, I’ve luckily never had to deal with a put down within a work environment. Thinking about it, I would probably choose to avoid the comment and not respond back as I am guilty of not dealing with conflict in the correct way. I would much rather sit in hope that the situation would eventually slide away, rather than face a conflict head on in the appropriate manner.

Put down’s usually tend to have a hidden meaning, as there’s no need for them, and therefore no reason for the situation to occur in the first place. 

If you are experiencing this type of behaviour, you should definitely try to NOT use any of these attitudes:

·         Ignoring

·         Sarcasm

·         Blaming

·         Dismissing

·         Patronizing

Not using any of these attitudes can be seen as very difficult when you’re put in the situation of feeling undermined by a colleague. I know I would find it very difficult to not use any of these.

So you may be thinking, what happens then when you’re presented with a put down by a colleague? 

After learning about put downs, and how they can be handled positively, I believe that dealing with put downs are most effective when you:

·         Remain calm

·         Come across as assertive

·         Stand up for yourself

This way, you are able to put your opinion across without reacting negatively, and just being as bad as the other party that’s involved. Win win situation, I would say! J

Theorists Fisher and Shapiro devised the five core concerns that relate to the workplace. They suggest that when presented with a negative situation such as put downs, you should aim to address the concern, and not the emotion. These concerns are:

·         Appreciation (Feeling that you are a valued employee)

·         Affiliation (Feeling that you are treated correctly as an employee)

·         Autonomy (Feeling that you’re able to express your opinion)

·         Status (Feeling that your role within the company is respected)

·         Role (Feeling happy and fulfilled with your job)

These concerns can definitely be taken into consideration when dealing with put downs. For instance, if you feel threatened don’t react straight away in the heat of the moment. Instead, take a step back and ask yourself which of your core concerns feels threatened within this situation, and once you have decided and have had time to think, you are able to respond back positively. This then should result in a successful interaction.

Do you think this has helped you with your experiences of put downs?