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New Hires Cliques Communication Expectations

We have a new employee in our department, and there is something about him that I disliked from the moment I met him. He has an arrogant and condescending manner, and several of us feel this way about him. How can we deal with him?



Before thinking about strategies to deal with this new employee who may or may not be a study in arrogance, take a second look at first impressions. No doubt, there have been times when your initial impression of someone was absolutely correct, but there probably have been instances when you found that a person was rather different from what you initially thought.

First impressions can be tainted in many ways, such as by a prior experience with someone who reminds you of this new acquaintance. You might not even remember the negative experience from long ago, but that does not stop your unconscious from sending you a negative message.

At this point, the best step is to try to set your first impressions aside and get to know your new associate. As you work with him, you will get a more accurate understanding of what he is really like. Importantly, if you continue to expect him to be arrogant and condescending, you are likely to misperceive some of his actions or even draw condescending behaviors out of him.

It will also be helpful to look at your fellow employees and see if all of you might be acting as a clique and barring a new employee from entry. By taking these steps, you will be able to see if there is more (or less) to your new employee than meets the eye.




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