“Johnny pulled my hair, Ella ate her booger!” Timmy didn’t do his homework, Suzie keeps talking to me!” 

Middle of class snacks and failure to complete one’s own task is not anyone’s business but their own and who they report to. Sticking your nose, or finger where it doesn’t belong does not increase productivity, or solve any issues. 

Tattling, passive aggressiveness, bullying, temper tantrums, avoidance, and retaliation are all very present in professional settings. And that sucks.

If you take offense to the above statement, you may be the guilty party. 

I have seen first hand the damage caused by such behavior. Lowered morale, tension between team mates, decreased efficiency and just a general feeling of the yuckies. As leaders, it is your responsibility to not only dissuade such behavior, but to not act in such a way as well. Lead by example. No leader will be successful in creating and maintaining a strong team if they expect others to do as they say, not as they do. 

What as a leader, mentor, or just all around great employee, can you do to reduce such frivolous behavior? 

Team Rules: From day one, set the expectations. What infractions do you want reported to you, and how? How do you expect your team members/mates to resolve any disagreements? What justifies being escalated? If everything is important, then nothing will get resolved. 

Recess: Burnout is real. Whether it be forbidding people from working on their lunch break, or firmly persuading someone to use that excess PTO, allow for and celebrate time away. People are much more prickly when they are tired. Tempers will be short, and nit picking will intensify when your team is worn thin. 

Detention: You have corrected the behavior. Addressed the situation. Received promises that attitudes will change, and yet they persist. Send them home to contemplate whether this is the job for them. Let them return with a new found commitment to the team and its values. 

One Bad Apple: You must not let the crappy attitude, the inability to play well with others, or the bad communicator, spoil your harvest. Remove, permanently, the one who is unable to see or change their misgivings. 

Ignorance is not bliss. Brushing known offenses under the table will cause you to lose respect, become a doormat, and undermine your authority. 

Set the bar high, hold people accountable, create a cohesive team that works with each other, not against each other and watch your business flourish. 

I am also not against snack time, but that’s a topic for a different day.