Bad Manners In The Workplace – How Far Is Too Far?
For many small businesses, high-quality customer service is vital to the ongoing success of the business. What can you do to avoid, or manage, an employee who is rude to your clients or customers?

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Prevention is key – recruit for success
When hiring, make sure you’re attracting the right employees by asking about their values and vision for the business. It’s a good sign if their values and vision align with yours.
Determine if the behaviour is considered serious misconduct
If an employee is rude to customers – determine how severe the rudeness is and/or if it is serious misconduct. If it is severe enough, or falls under serious misconduct, termination of the employee may be an option.
Examples of serious misconduct:
- theft
- assault
- being drunk at work
- safety violations (to clients or co-workers)
- harassment
Identify cause of rudeness and provide ongoing management
Identifying the reason for the employee’s behaviour means you can help avoid it happening again. Possible reasons for rudeness:
- lack of training
- low staff morale
- inconsistent/unclear expectations
- stress
Contact Employsure on 1300 651 415 for advice managing and avoiding serious misconduct and ‘rude’ employees.