Challenging Workplace Behaviours Training
Practical training to help managers and staff address challenging workplace behaviour, hold difficult conversations, set boundaries and prevent escalation.
Practical training to help managers and staff address challenging workplace behaviour, hold difficult conversations, set boundaries and prevent escalation.
Challenging workplace behaviour does not always begin as bullying, harassment or formal misconduct. Difficult communication, persistent negativity, dismissive responses, inappropriate comments, boundary-crossing, uncooperative conduct or unmanaged conflict can nevertheless affect wellbeing, working relationships and performance. This practical course helps managers and staff recognise emerging problems and address them constructively before they escalate. Delegates learn how to focus on observable behaviour rather than personality labels, prepare for difficult conversations, explain impact, listen to different perspectives, establish professional boundaries and agree appropriate next steps. The course also considers disability, neurodivergence, culture and other aspects of identity, helping organisations respond fairly without mistaking difference for misconduct.
Organisations use many different terms when describing behaviour that is causing difficulty at work. It may be called challenging behaviour, inappropriate behaviour, unacceptable behaviour, difficult conduct, disrespectful behaviour, poor attitude, unprofessional behaviour, conflict or a breakdown in working relationships.
Sometimes these concerns develop into bullying, harassment or formal misconduct. Often, however, the immediate problem is behaviour that is affecting colleagues, teamwork or performance and needs to be addressed before matters escalate.
This course focuses on the practical skills needed to intervene early. Delegates learn to describe what they have observed without exaggerating or making assumptions about motive, explain the impact of behaviour, listen to different perspectives, communicate expectations and establish appropriate professional boundaries.
The aim is not to diagnose personalities or label somebody as a “difficult person”. Effective intervention focuses on behaviour, context, impact and fair expectations — and recognises that there may be more than one perspective on what has occurred.
A team member regularly responds abruptly to colleagues, dismisses suggestions and leaves others reluctant to approach them.
A manager describes an employee as uncooperative, while the employee says expectations are unclear and their communication style is being misunderstood.
A colleague's communication is described as blunt and inappropriate, but concerns arise that disability, neurodivergence or cultural differences may be influencing how interactions are being interpreted.
Addressing behaviour early can prevent relatively manageable concerns from becoming entrenched workplace problems. Avoidance can allow frustration, resentment and misunderstanding to grow, while an overly confrontational response can intensify the situation unnecessarily. Effective intervention requires clarity about what has happened, why it matters and what needs to change.
A behaviour-based approach helps managers and colleagues avoid labels such as “difficult”, “aggressive”, “lazy” or “unprofessional” without explaining what the person has actually done. Instead, delegates learn to identify specific examples, consider context and impact, ask effective questions and communicate expectations in a way that is clear, respectful and capable of being acted upon.
Fair intervention also requires awareness of difference. Communication, eye contact, tone, social interaction and ways of processing information can be influenced by disability, neurodivergence, culture and other aspects of identity. Difference should not automatically be interpreted as poor attitude or misconduct. Where appropriate, organisations should consider individual circumstances and reasonable adjustments while maintaining fair and appropriate workplace standards.
Explore behaviours that can disrupt working relationships, including dismissive communication, persistent negativity, boundary-crossing, uncooperative conduct and emerging conflict. Consider behaviour, context and impact rather than relying on personality labels.
Recognise early warning signs and consider the costs of avoiding difficult issues. Assess urgency, risk and whether an informal conversation, management intervention or more formal organisational response is appropriate.
Learn how to prepare clear examples, choose an appropriate setting and structure a conversation that focuses on behaviour and impact without exaggeration, personal attack or assumptions about intention.
Develop skills in listening, questioning and perspective-taking. Explore how to respond to disagreement, defensiveness or emotional reactions while keeping conversations respectful, focused and constructive.
Consider how disability, neurodivergence, culture and other contextual factors can influence communication and behaviour. Explore inclusive responses, reasonable adjustments and the importance of avoiding stereotypical assumptions.
Practise setting professional boundaries, communicating expected standards and agreeing practical next steps. Recognise when informal intervention is no longer appropriate and a concern should be escalated.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
This course is particularly suitable for people who need the confidence and practical skills to address emerging workplace behaviour concerns before they become more serious or entrenched. This includes:
Where an individual requires confidential, tailored development following an allegation, complaint or identified concern about their own workplace behaviour, our one-to-one workplace behaviour training provides a more appropriate intervention.
Participants gain a practical framework for addressing workplace behaviour problems earlier and more fairly. They develop greater confidence in recognising emerging concerns, preparing for difficult conversations, explaining behaviour and impact clearly, listening to different perspectives and setting appropriate professional boundaries.
Organisations benefit from earlier intervention, clearer expectations and reduced risk of avoidable escalation. The course encourages managers and staff to address behaviour without unnecessary labelling, while maintaining fair standards and recognising when disability, neurodivergence, culture or other contextual factors require a more inclusive or adjusted response.
Workplace concerns are described in many different ways. Choose the course that most closely reflects the issue you want to address.
Choose this course when managers or staff need practical skills to address inappropriate, unacceptable or difficult behaviour early and prevent escalation.
You are viewing this course
Choose this course when the priority is recognising, preventing and responding to bullying, intimidation, undermining, exclusion or misuse of power.
View course
Choose this course when detailed understanding of Equality Act discrimination, harassment, victimisation and protected characteristics is required.
View course
Choose this course when the priority is workplace humour, joking, teasing, boundaries, inclusion and understanding when banter may cross a line.
View course
Choose this service when an individual requires tailored learning and development following an allegation, complaint, organisational process or identified concern about their workplace behaviour.
View service
All our courses are tailored to ensure the training reflects your organisation’s goals and priorities. Whether you need a single session for one team or a programme of sessions across a larger workforce, we can develop a delivery approach that works for your organisation.
The course can be delivered face-to-face or online via Zoom or Teams.
To support participation, discussion and interaction, we recommend the following group sizes per session:
Need to train a larger workforce? No problem. We regularly work with organisations that need to train larger numbers of employees. Where appropriate, training can be delivered across multiple sessions to ensure everyone receives the same high-quality, interactive learning experience. We can develop a delivery programme to suit your workforce size, locations and timescales.
We can also adapt group size, session format and delivery arrangements to support accessibility, reasonable adjustments and specific organisational requirements.
Please note: the half-day rate is not always available for face-to-face sessions.
Over 25 years' experience delivering equality, diversity and inclusion training, consultancy and professional development.
Keep updated with the latest equality and diversity news, offers and updates.