my only motivation to be there is to earn money and my 401k. So many of my coworkers and management feel offended by this statement.
I’m union. Union lawyer thinks this is a management strategy to try to manipulate me.
Cue BS answer for any c-suite that tries making me feel insecure over this:
well, I’m a terrible liar, that’s why I’m asking you :D
the unfriendly party might be easy: I’m always friendly and direct because I want to work. maybe that?
It can be hard to put this into words well because it’s different in every situation and making universal statements are rarely correct but I’ll do my best
The problem here is twofold, 1. You feel insecure and 2. Your job is at risk
When interacting with people, not just at work, there are some keys to being well liked. You can be direct, but being direct often comes across as an air of superiority, as if you’re saying “I’m too good to pretend or do what everyone else is doing”. You’re saying you are above thinking about how your words will be received, and it’s the receiver’s job to avoid getting their emotions involved.
In a community, when one person considers themselves better than everyone else via this kind of “better than you” behavior, people will generally consider that person unfriendly or outcast them.
Capitulation and going with the flow of expectations is surprisingly one of the best ways to get ahead, it’s counter intuitive but debasing yourself for the ego of others (harsh way to phrase it, but true) can often make them amenable to just about anything you want. We are remarkably complex, yet fundamentally simple creatures, it doesn’t take much to make a person likable.