Avoiding Polemic Communication Style At The Workplace- Its Impact On The Team And The Business

This write-up is going to speak about the bad effects of polemic communications in the workplace and how it hurts the team. Before that, it will help to have a basic understanding of what “polemic” means. Polemic refers to the pattern of written/ spoken communication that depends on the usage of aggressive language. This is usually done either to strongly present one’s views or to vehemently contradict the opinions of others.

The negative aspects of polemic communication
Polemic communication might occasionally serve some purpose in other walks of life, but it only carries negative effects in the workplace setup. Let us have a look at a few corresponding points.

• Usually, the polemic style is chosen by those people who are over-ambitious but don’t have any noteworthy achievements to their credit. They seek to rely more on aggression to grow in the organization or to display their authority.
• Also, employees/ managers resorting to “polemics” generally are insecure about their future in the workplace. These profiles erroneously think that if they can successfully dominate their co-workers, their position will remain safe.
• A person communicating in the polemic form shows no respect for the opinions of other members of the staff.
• There is a big misconception entertained by many workplace polemic communicators. They feel that by their method of over-aggressive communication, the subordinates/ colleagues can be motivated.
• There’s one more thing that is commonly seen among these persons: an eagerness to blame colleagues/ subordinates.
• Overall, these kinds of people always like to exercise control over everyone working with them as well as all the matters of the organization.

Polemic communication- Impact on the team and company
Polemic communication is best discarded in workplaces. It only comes with drawbacks, more so when it’s the question of working together as a team. Here, it won’t be inappropriate to briefly highlight some of the related aspects.

• Sometimes, the “polemicist” manager/team leader will be able to make the subordinates follow their directions. It then appears that the aggressive approach has worked. It’s not the case. Here, even if any favorable outcome is seen, that is only temporary.
• The fact is that this communication style creates a consistently- present hostile environment within the team. The subordinates are always under intense stress. Also, every employee starts to view their teammates with doubt and suspicion.
• If the team leader is persistent with their “polemic” style, the employees gradually get fully demoralized. They don’t hesitate to quit the job at the earliest possible opportunity. In the long run, the business will end up losing the services of many competent professionals. Most of them seek employment at other workplaces where employees are treated humanely.
• When the rate of attrition is alarmingly high, the business won’t be able to survive for too long in the market. Here, it needs to be noted that the polemic communication of a person/ few people is the root cause of this problem.
• In this regard, a crucial point has to be specifically mentioned. When any employee/ manager of the organization crosses the limits with their hostile communications, there is a risk of the business facing legal repercussions, too. The person/ persons who were at the receiving end of the above polemic approach could go to court. They might invoke the concerning laws against the team leader and the company.