Passive aggressive team members

Passive-aggressive teammates are those who express disagreement or discontent in indirect ways. Imagine a graphic designer who agrees to a deadline but submits work late without explanation, or a UX designer who offers silent resistance, subtly undermining project goals through delayed feedback or minimal effort.

Here are a few tips to deal with passive-aggressive behavior:

• Start by discussing concerns privately with the passive-aggressive team member, focusing on specific behaviors, like missed deadlines by a graphic designer, rather than personal traits.
• Try to understand their motivations for acting a certain way. Their passive-aggressive behavior often stems from a desire to avoid conflict or from feelings of defensiveness. For example, a designer might miss deadlines due to fear of criticism.
• Use specific instances or records to clearly outline the issue and how their behavior impacts the team. If direct conversation doesn't lead to improvement, consider involving a mediator to facilitate dialogue.
• Stay approachable and develop a positive relationship and rapport with them where they aren’t afraid to share bad news with you.^[1]