Workplace Skills
Group
Autism & Asperger
Connections
4/5/14
Today’s Agenda
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1:00-1:05 – Welcome & Agenda Review
1:05-1:35 – College Living Experience (Guest Speaker)
1:35-1:45 – Break
1:45-2:15 – Handling Difficult Workplace Situations
2:15-2:25 – Break
2:25-2:50 – Handling Difficult Workplace Situations
2:50-2:55 – Assignment
2:55-3:00 – Q&A / Wrap-Up
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Judi Stein Stutman
College Living Experience
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Break
Please be back in 10 minutes
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Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
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Fact: You will encounter conflict and difficulties in
the workplace. Conflict is a normal and natural
occurrence when people interact regularly.
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Difficult Workplace Situations
Primary causes of conflict in the workplace:
 Communication issues
 Personality differences
 Disagreements
 Non-compliance with workplace rules or policies
 Bullying
 Harassment
 Discrimination
Some conflicts are to be expected – while others are clearly
unacceptable
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Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
Communication Issues
Communication issues are the most common cause of conflict in the
workplace.
How to handle communication issues:
 Address misunderstandings/other communication issues right away
 Be aware of the “unspoken rules” for communication in the
workplace
 Use effective communication skills:
 Gather your thoughts before speaking
 Be specific, direct, and concise
 Pay attention to your listener and take turns speaking
 Ask open-ended questions to seek understanding
See our January WSG presentation on “Effective Workplace
Communication” for helpful tips and examples
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Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
Personality Differences
The workplace brings together diverse personalities (and
backgrounds, cultures, belief systems, etc.). If you find
yourself frequently irritated by things a coworker says or
does, you may be dealing with a personality difference.
How to handle personality differences:
 Ask yourself whether the issue is worth addressing
 If it is worth addressing (because it negatively affects you
or your work), address the problem respectfully but clearly
 Frame the problem as an “I” statement to minimize
defensiveness – for example: “I prefer not to talk politics at
work” (instead of “Stop talking to me about politics”)
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Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
Disagreements
Disagreements are guaranteed to happen. Whether you find
yourself disagreeing with your supervisor or a co-worker,
having a strategy to handle disagreements will help.
How to handle disagreements:
 Frame your disagreement as a question, such as “What
about…” or “Could you tell me more…” to address your
concerns in a respectful way
 Seek to understand where the other person is coming from
 Ask for a break if you’re getting too stressed/emotional
 Realize that sometimes you’ll have to “agree to disagree”
or support a directive even though you disagree with it
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(such as a company policy, etc.)
Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
Non-compliance with workplace rules or policies
Whether a co-worker is disregarding a workplace policy, or you are the
one not following the rules, non-compliance is a common source of
workplace conflict.
How to handle non-compliance:
 Ensure you understand and follow workplace policies/rules
 When someone you work with is not following workplace rules:
 Check company policy. Some companies have detailed instructions
on how to handle non-compliance problems in the work environment.
 If no such policies exist, decide how to approach the problem based
on the impact to your work or the overall workplace. Sometimes you
can correct a problem through a simple discussion. In other cases
you may need to go to your manager or Human Resources (HR). 11
Break
Please be back in 10 minutes
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Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
Bullying
You may experience bullying in the workplace. Whether the
bully frequently criticizes you, conveniently “forgets” to give
you important information, or talks badly about you to
others, bullying is abusive and can have a destructive
impact on you and your work performance.
Definition of bullying:
Bullying is defined as persistently aggressive and/or
unreasonable behavior against a person. It’s bullying when
someone is singling you out, and being more than just
annoying or rude. In short, bullies intentionally try to harm
you and your ability to do your work.
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Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
How to handle bullying:
 Evaluate the situation. Is this person nasty to everyone, or just you?
Some people are simply unpleasant and difficult to work with.
Assess the situation objectively before figuring out how to proceed.
 Stand up for yourself. Remain calm and polite, but set your limits
firmly. Keep your emotions in check and respond to bullying with a
simple statement like “I don’t think your tone is appropriate.”
 Document your situation. If the bullying continues, document your
interactions with this person. Keep a detailed written log of what
he/she says and does, as well as what you say and do in response.
 Get management involved. If it becomes clear that the bullying is
not going to stop despite your best efforts, involve your supervisor or
Human Resources (HR) department. Describe what is happening 14
(using your documentation) and how it is impacting your work.
Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
Harassment
Sometimes bullying crosses over into harassment. If you experience
harassment or hostile treatment in the workplace, it’s important to
know your options so you can take appropriate action.
Definition of workplace harassment:
 Workplace harassment is defined as any unwelcome conduct that
denigrates or shows hostility towards another person on the basis of
any characteristic protected by law (which includes an individual’s
race, color, gender, ethnic or national origin, age, religion, disability,
marital status, sexual orientation, and gender identity).
 Conduct is considered unwelcome if the employee did not solicit,
instigate, or provoke it, and the employee regards the conduct as 15
undesirable or offensive.
Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
How to handle harassment:
 Do not ignore the situation – address it right away
 The first (and often most effective) step to take is to tell the person
to stop. Let them know their behavior is unwelcome.
 For example, if someone repeatedly tells ethnic jokes around you,
you might say “I think ethnic jokes are offensive, so please do not
tell them in my presence.”
 If the person continues the harassment, then report the situation to
your supervisor or Human Resources (HR) representative
 For more information about workplace harassment, visit
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/harassment/tp/harassment-in-theworkplace.htm
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Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
Discrimination
If you experience discrimination during your job search, the interview
process, or in the workplace, it’s important to know your rights.
Federal Equal Employment Opportunity law prohibits discrimination
based upon race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the
basis of disability.
Definition of job discrimination:
Job discrimination includes discriminatory practices in any aspect of
employment, including hiring and firing; compensation, assignment,
or classification; transfer, promotion, layoff, or recall; job
advertisements; recruitment; testing; use of company facilities;
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training programs; fringe benefits; pay, retirement plans, and
disability leave; or other terms and conditions of employment.
Handling Difficult Workplace
Situations
How to handle general job discrimination:
 If you believe your employment rights have been violated, you may
file a charge of discrimination with the EEOC (Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission). http://www.eeoc.gov/
How to handle discrimination related to the ADA:
 There is no hard and fast rule as to whether or not you should
disclose your diagnosis
 There is no law that says you must tell a potential employer or
current employer about your diagnosis – unless you want to request
protections or accommodations under the ADA
 To learn more about ADA provisions and potential accommodations,
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visit the Rocky Mountain ADA Center:
http://www.adainformation.org/
Discussion
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How does conflict affect you? How do you
usually deal with conflict?
What other difficult situation have you faced
in a work (or similar) environment? How did
you handle it?
Which tips from today’s presentation were
most helpful to you?
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Assignment for Next Meeting
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May WS Group Topic: “Job Fair with Local
Employers” – Details TBD
Assignment for next meeting
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If you’re currently looking for a job:
 Complete several job applications and turn them in
to employers
If you’re currently employed:
 Sign up for free training and career development
workshops at http://www.ppwfc.org/
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Q&A
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Thank you for coming today!
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