#2 Passive Aggressive Office Notes That Are So Good You Can’t Even Be Mad
Broadly speaking, there should be no room for passive-aggressive behavior in the workplace. If there’s an issue, it’s best to deal with it directly (if diplomatically) than to lash out in indirect ways. But that’s easier said than done.
It takes quite a bit of courage to have an honest chat with your colleagues about how their behavior negatively affects you. Meanwhile, leaving a note takes far less energy… and you can feel like you’re taking action while you hope that it solves the issue. To be blunt, it’s lazy behavior, and it’s not as risky as solving your problems directly. (Spoiler warning: it probably won’t. There’s no real, effective alternative to open communication.)
Psychology Today explains that passive aggression is an indirect way of expressing your hostility and negative feelings. People who employ passive-aggressive tactics usually aim to hurt or confuse their targets. These behaviors can sabotage your relationships both at work and in your private life.
“Passive aggression stems from deep anger, hostility, and frustration that a person, for whatever reason, is not comfortable expressing directly. When dealing with passive-aggressive behavior, it’s important to understand that beneath all of those snide remarks lies a deep unhappiness and sadness,” PT points out.
There are lots of different ways in which people behave passive-aggressively. Some of the most common ones include the following behaviors:
- Procrastinating
- Missing deadlines
- Avoiding responsibility
- Withholding critical information
- Deliberately being inefficient
- Avoiding discussing concerns openly and directly
- Frequently underachieving, even if you're capable of doing better
According to Psychology Today, passively aggressive people often leave jobs either undone or ‘almost’ complete. Furthermore, they often run late. They also aim to subtly sabotage others when they disagree with them.
For instance, they might give out backhanded compliments or give someone the ‘silent treatment.’
Meanwhile, leadership consultant Stefan Falk, an expert in workplace psychology, pointed out to CNBC that passive-aggressive behavior essentially pollutes the work environment and destroys value. According to him, passive-aggressive individuals are inherently self-serving and constantly pursue approval.
“They can, over time, be viewed as highly competitive as well as result-oriented. But a closer look reveals that the end-game of all this is to serve the own self-interest, not the common good,” Falk notes.
On top of that, passive-aggressive individuals want to have followers, allies, and a community of their own, united in their battle against the work community. These individuals often use so-called ‘street smarts’ to get noticed by people who they think can benefit them professionally.
As per Falk, they have “a strong and obsessive dedication of playing the internal political game the right way.”
While they’re doing this, they’ll derail other workers’ agendas, regardless of whether they might actually benefit the company.
