An employee is speaking with another employee. An employee is pointing at another employee.

Distinguishing Abusive Conduct from Constructive Feedback

We judge abusive conduct from the perspective of a “reasonable person.” Meaning, what would a reasonable person in our workplace perceive as abusive? On the other hand, constructive feedback of a subordinate's work performance by a supervisor does not constitute abusive conduct, even if the subordinate perceives it as such. When done correctly, constructive feedback helps to build morale and cultivates performance improvement.

However, yelling, the use of profanity, threats, “getting in someone's face,” and similar aggressive behavior is considered abusive conduct in our workplace. For instance, if someone is behaving as a bully, their behavior will be considered abusive conduct.