Assertiveness at Work

Have you ever been told, “You need to be more assertive”? Perhaps someone has said, “Stand up for yourself!” or, “Tell me what YOU think!”

But what exactly is assertiveness? Assertiveness is a communication style.

When we are assertive we express our feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and opinions in a respectful, open manner that doesn’t violate the rights of others.

There are a range of other communication styles. One that violates the rights of others is aggressive communication. On the other end of the spectrum is passive communication, which violates our own rights. Sometimes, people use a combination of the two, resulting in a passive-aggressive style, where the person is essentially being aggressive, but in a passive or indirect way.

Understanding how to be assertive gives us choice in the way we communicate with others. Assertive communication promotes good psychological health, and better relationships.

Some of the other benefits include:

Improved confidence and self-esteem
Increased resilience
Reduced stress and anxiety

Situations where you might need to be assertive at work

Asking for a pay rise or promotion
Discussing your performance
Appraising the performance of your staff
Giving feedback to colleagues or supervisors
Dealing with challenging or difficult behaviours
Negotiating tasks and responsibilities
Collaborating on a group project