A short YouTube coaching clip by Raele Altano about handling passive-aggressive behavior at work, especially from managers. Advises avoiding confrontation and instead replying with conspicuous positivity and a neutral tone; provides example responses to comments about dress and PTO and ends with encouragement.
How do we deal with passive aggressiveness in the workplace? Especially when we're dealing with leadership? Let's dive in. Talking back or challenging your manager too much might not be the best tactic. As much as I would love for you to speak up and advocate for yourself, unfortunately could backfire in situations like this. So what do we do instead? Kill their passive aggressiveness with positivity. Like almost an obnoxious level of positivity. It stops you from stooping to their level or absorbing their negative energy. It lets them know that they are not going to get anywhere with you with their negativity and it shows that you are a positive, collaborative team player. So for example, your boss says something like, you're always, always so dressed up for work. Who are you trying to impress? You could say something like, I love getting dressed up for the office. It motivates me and helps me be the best version of myself throughout the day. Or maybe they're being passive aggressive about something work related, like taking your pto. If they say something like, wow, two long weekends in a row. I hope you're feeling refreshed. You can say, I am. I feel great. And taking some time off helps me be a better team player. So thank you. They're not going to like it, but this is one of the best ways to combat passive aggressiveness without leaning into the aggression. Anything negative that they say for Find the positive and vocalize it and keep your tone and delivery as neutral as possible. There's too much good in your life anyway to be dragged down by this energy. You've got this.
