Being yelled at is never a pleasant experience. It suggests that you have done something wrong or that you are incapable of understanding the concept.
In many cases, yelling is simply a supervisor’s way of dealing with stress and emphasizing the importance of any situation. In short, it’s a way to get employees’ attention and focus them on the task that needs to be done.
The question is whether they should be allowed to yell at employees.
The Bottom Line
The short answer is yes! There is no law that states a supervisor cannot yell at you. Steve Jobs was known to yell at staff a lot, his was to motivate his team.
But, it should be noted that while yelling is legal, it can also be construed as harassment. This is particularly true if the yelling is directed at someone in a protected class.
In fact, it doesn’t matter who is being yelled at. If you are yelled at every day in the office and it’s in front of other staff members, you will feel demeaned and humiliated. If this happens all the time it creates a toxic work environment and that leads to people not wanting to work and even feeling forced to quit.
If that applies to you then you need to speak to a reputable unfair dismissal employment lawyer, you are likely to have a case for harassment.
Should Supervisors Yell?
Supervisors deal with more pressure than the staff below them because they are responsible for the staff working under them. The excess pressure can cause them to become angry and frustrated, which leads to yelling.
However, workplaces are increasingly recognizing that, even if it is legal to yell, it is not beneficial to the workplace. There must be better ways to resolve the conflicts and deal with the pressure. It doesn’t prevent the frustration a supervisor feels, but it does allow them to channel that and motivate employees in a more positive way. An increasing number of businesses are looking at ways to prevent yelling and improve communication.
Dealing With A Yelling Supervisor
If you have a supervisor that yells at you regularly then you need to ask for a meeting with them. This will give you the opportunity to express that you don’t like being yelled at. You can try to find out why the supervisor yells and then work out a different system to help them get the results they need without you being yelled at.
If this isn’t an option or doesn’t change anything then the best option is to deal with the supervisor’s boss. They should be interested in how to motivate employees better and try to help you find a solution.
Don’t forget, you can enlist your colleagues for support when dealing with a yelling supervisor. That is unless you are the only one being yelled at, in which case you will have a case for harassment and you should speak to a specialist as soon as possible.
