Hello, everyone.

This is Enta.

I've been at our company in Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, with a senior colleague I've known for over 20 years since a few days ago.

I heard an interesting story on the way there.

That person runs a fairly large general contractor firm, and that’s what I heard from him.

 

Apparently, the way his subordinate speaks really gets on his nerves.

I don't like the way that word ends, lol

If you use that tone of voice when dealing with a customer, it might annoy them, especially if they're older.

 

Well, I get what my senior is trying to say, but I think, “Language evolves, so isn’t that okay?” Still, I’m getting pretty worked up because I know it doesn’t work that way when dealing with older people lol.

 

And then, the conversation ended on a bit of an awkward note—it seemed like they couldn’t quite see eye to eye—and my senior colleague described that lingering sense of unease as “subordinate harassment”!

That's what I'm saying, lol

 

Oh, so it's workplace harassment from a subordinate, huh...

It’s common to hear about workplace harassment from superiors, but there are also bosses who, in a sense, feel stressed by their subordinates—and that’s called “subordinate harassment.”

Come to think of it, I feel like I used to be a "subordinate-harasser."

There were times when I wouldn't listen to my annoying boss and would even bully my subordinates, which would make him angry...

When I look it up online, the term “reverse harassment” comes up.

I was surprised to find that there were actually quite a few cases.

 

How are your subordinates doing?

Or what about your junior colleagues?

Power harassment from subordinates is often difficult to detect and tends to be perceived as a management failure.

Perhaps because of that, it often takes time for the problem to come to light, and by the time it does, the supervisor is already exhausted, or so I’ve heard.

 

To prevent this from happening to either side, everyone should communicate effectively—managers and senior colleagues should maintain an attitude and mindset that allows them to share both positive and negative feedback, and encourages others to do the same, while subordinates and junior colleagues should respond accordingly.

I'm taking it slow while dreaming of that kind of ideal relationship, lol.

 

Whether you're dealing with a subordinate or a supervisor, the question of how to communicate with someone who isn't getting the message remains the same.

This is something we should both work on.

After all, work only gets done when we’re working together.

I'm not saying we have to actually hold hands, but let's at least do a proper "air hand-holding" while we're working! lol

 

See you later