Business and professional communication is so important because there is, in all reality, very little room for error. Anything you say can be used if not bound by a contract. So bosses and managers should be very careful since anything they say can and will be taken as seriously as the employee wants.

A coffee shop employee decided to use a manager’s joke against her when she sarcastically told her she could not come in for a shift. Commenters applauded OP’s clever malicious compliance and shared similar stories. We also got in touch with Jonathan Javier, CEO and Founder of Wonsulting to learn more about professional communication.

Joke orders are generally a lot more risky in the workplace then some might think

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual image)

One employee decided to maliciously comply with their bosses joke, to her dismay

Image credits: Breakingpic (not the actual image)

Image credits: u/[deleted]

Poor interpersonal communication is the bane of any organization

While this is a rather minor case, a shift that needed to be covered because a manager made a dumb joke, it’s not hard to imagine just how quickly a miscommunication could spiral out of control in a larger organization. So Bored Panda got in touch with Jonathan Javier, CEO and Founder of Wonsulting, a corporate consulting company to learn more about the do’s and don’ts of this sort of thing.

First and foremost, we wanted to hear what are some common red flags he has encountered.
“A lack of Transparency/Consistency in messaging: Inconsistent messages create confusion and mistrust among team members; this is why at Wonsulting, I emphasize the importance of not only holding myself accountable to clearly communicate but also team members,” he shared with Bored Panda.

Another example Jonathan shared was “Not Listening or Disregarding Input: A manager who consistently interrupts or dismisses team members’ ideas without consideration can hurt team morale; for example, if there are instances where an employee is excited about an idea and the manager already says “no” without listening, this could demotivate the employee. An overuse of Authoritarian Language: A commanding/dictatorial tone turns a thriving culture into a hostile one.”

Naturally, one wonders how these folks get the job in the first place

This raises the question, why do people in management roles, despite being in an ostensibly “people position” tend to sometimes struggle with communication? Jonathan suggests there could be a number of factors at play.

“A lack of “Emotional Intelligence”: Without empathy and understanding, employees to not listen to their managers, which stifles communication and transparency. Additionally, not being “Open to feedback”: Some leaders will give feedback, but won’t be open to receiving any and always want to “be right” for their own egos rather than what’s right for the company,” he shared.

There are always things we can do to improve

So, perhaps OP’s manager, and all the managers of the world need to take some steps to improve. We wanted to hear what would be some good skills to learn to up one’s business communication skills. In all reality, many of these could very easily apply to everyday interpersonal communication as well.

Active Listening is key: During meetings, managers should full attention to team members’ ideas, concerns, and feedback; after speaking, acknowledge their thoughts and efforts, and show appreciation,” Jonathan shared. “Have a culture of “Open Dialogue”: Create an environment where teams are encouraged to speak their feelings without repercussions.”-

“My favorite thing to do to ensure communication is aligned is at the end of the meeting, circle back on action items for each person(s). This makes sure that everything is clear and there is no misalignment on what needs to be done, and when it needs to be done. Last but not least, consistent Check-ins: Regularly scheduled meetings or one-on-ones to discuss progress, and challenges, and provide support will not only hold team members accountable but will help managers “get into the details” of what their employees are doing.”

People though OP’s boss royally messed up and shared some similar stories

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