Hi all! Long story short, I’m a team lead and have a newer team member (she’s been there about 3-4 months). We aren’t exactly close and I’d prefer to keep it that way – she often doesn’t toe the line so I have to reprimand her. However I noticed a couple of times in meetings she outright imitates me by saying “oh can you hear how I’m talking, like you in your sing-song voice” and it’s grated my last nerve. I don’t outwardly think I speak in that way, rather raising/lowering my voice because I’ve always been quite animated and passionate about the work I do.
This must be the third time she’s done it, how would you subtlety call out this so she doesn’t do it again? I often give people a pass but I can tell she’s doing this on purpose and lacks the ability to reign in her social skills, like we aren’t friends so let’s not feel like we can be so familiar.
Ps: this is all over video and audio calls as we work in different areas.
2 comments
“This behavior is really inappropriate for the workplace and I’d hate to bruise our relationship by having HR sit in to retrain you.”
If you can think of nothing else and it is making you anxious, the most subtle yet powerful way to react is by not reacting at all. This is by simply looking at them for several seconds without any expression or looking away. I concur, this always makes the other party feel uncomfortable af. 😁