Many employees feel hopeless when their supervisor bullies them. However, these employees have “the question tool” at their disposal, and they need to use it. Questioning can be utilized during staff meetings or one-on-one meetings.

As an employee, you need to prepare your question with the intent of allowing you the opportunity to elaborate. Thus, don’t ask “yes or no” questions. For example, don’t ask your supervisor whether you work overtime or not, or should you write the report, or do you accept the return of a  product, do you clean the countertops supervisor can easily answer these questions and use them to bully you even more. The manager can say, “ yes, don’t you know that already!” Your manager is prepared to answer these questions, so don’t ask them.

Ask the hard questions

Instead, ask questions that your supervisor doesn’t know how to answer, but you do. You want to assert yourself as an e.  For example, you ask the following, the department’s sales decreased, should report reflect the dip or reflect something else? If so, what?

At this stage, refrain from using the possessive adjectives. Don’t say “our department,” “my report,” or “our sales,” Don’t claim the negative, Deattach from it.

Your objective is to defend yourself and show that you can stand-up to your supervisor.  Use the questioning tool to flip the table and make your supervisor sweat a little  For example, you say, “now, that we are deciding on writing the report; should the report reflect the loss, and upset the upper management or is there another way of doing it?”  Be prepared to answer your question, because your supervisor can say, “well, tell us. How should we write the report?” Start your answer by referencing something positive that your supervisor said, such as “ I think we should follow what you’ve said the other day when you mentioned that we should focus on the solution.” Then, follow-up by saying, “The report can mention the dip, without making it the center of the attention. Instead, mention all the steps that we took to deal with it.”  You want the opportunity to elaborate, but you don’t threaten your supervisor by making him or her look like an idiot. Otherwise, the supervisor will find a reason to fire you.

Tips for asking effective questions

• Ask questions that begin how, what”, and “under what circumstances.  Make it difficult for the supervisor to answer.
• Ask compound questions. You can throw “ and” in the sentence and combine two items that don’t fit together.   

For this technique to work, you should:

• Ask “innocently,” i.e., you are asking in hopes of finding some answers.  If you sound like an interrogator, you will lose ground.
• Offer a way out. Make suggestions and be ready to defend them.
• Avoid becoming the center of the attention or the “ know it all,” not only your supervisor will come after you, but your co-workers too. Be tactful.