Tantrums, whining, eyes rolling, throwing things across the room or gossiping about others behind their backs. These are examples of childish habits many of us, unfortunately, maintain into adulthood. Even though it may seem trivial, when we behave like this in the workplace it can ruin the morale of the whole team and decrease the productivity of its members. How should managers handle it? Recruiter.com recommends the following steps.
1. Keep calm
Behave like an adult. Give employees who behave like children some space and time to calm down. If you yourself feel that you may have stopped behaving like an adult, take some time to calm down. Stick to the rule of being a role model by showing correct behavior to others.
2. Talk face to face
Do not address the inappropriate behavior of individuals in front of the entire team or even a wider group of people. Arrange a private meeting with specific employees involved in the problem.
3. Listen to all parties
Ask the employees to explain what is happening from their perspective. The fact that you need to talk to them will often show them that they that are not behaving professionally. Only express your complaints after you hear their reasons.
4. Do not address every grimace
Some childish behavior, such as making grimaces when things go wrong, can be tolerated. Interfere only when you see that the behavior bothers others.
5. Clarify rules of behavior
Employees should clearly understand what behavior is acceptable and what is not. Especially newcomers from different corporate cultures maybe are behaving inappropriately without being aware of it.
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