Who else and who least has had some kind of clash in the work environment sometime in your life. Normally, although we think the opposite a priori, many of these disagreements can be avoided by changing a little our way of facing the moment and our attitude to the problem that is presented to us.
Next, we put a series of phrases that we should avoid saying in our work and we recommend other more subtle, softer, less abrupt ways to say them. Remember that almost everything is a matter of attitude!
How not to say it vs how we can raise it
- "I don't have time to ...": The lack of time and the abundance of tasks sometimes get together, overwhelming us a lot and causing us stress. The correct way to say this would be something like: "I can do it by the end of the afternoon", "I can do it for tomorrow", "I can finish it in a few hours". In this way you are showing your interest in work and your responsibility for the tasks that are asked of you.
- "You should have…": That "should" sounds like something mandatory and dictatorial. Whether we are employees or bosses, we must put ourselves in the shoes of the other person and think that perhaps they have not known how to approach the task or the problem in another way. Therefore, we would change that "you should have ..." to "This is no longer working for us, next time ...".
- "I've done everything I can": Although this phrase is not badly said, it may represent something of "sloppiness" and little perseverance on our part. A correct way to say it would be to ask the following directly: "How can I improve it next time."
- "You're wrong": This phrase sounds quite abrupt whether it is said in the context that is said, since we are taking the other person's right away in a blunt way and with almost no explanation. Another nicer way to say it would be: "I don't agree because ...". And it would not be bad to accompany it with something like: What do you think?
- "I'll do it in a few seconds": If we are busy and at that moment the boss comes to tell us to take care of such a task, it is not correct to say that "I'll do it in a few seconds or a minute." Do you really think that you will catch up to the minute? It is more correct to say, realistically: "I write it down and as soon as I finish with what I am, I put on."
As you can see, one way of saying things to another varies a lot and it only depends on our attitude to change day by day. What other phrases do you think we say lightly at work that are missaid or could be roughly understood?