At work, everyone needs to show respect and everyone needs to be respected.

But what do you do if problems come along? Here are two stories that may help you think about the issues.

Penny gets a job in a shop. She finds she doesn’t really like it. Because of this she’s often late and she doesn’t work very hard. She makes a lot of mistakes

One day she gets in late and then breaks something by accident. Her boss shouts at her and calls her a stupid idiot.

Penny says this is out of order. She says her boss needs to show her more respect.

Go to Story 2 – is this funny?

Find out how to deal with problems.

Dean gets a job in an office. It’s a friendly place and after a couple of weeks he feels OK about telling a colleague that he’s gay.

Another colleague overhears and makes a joke. Dean says he doesn’t find it funny. But the jokes continue. Soon he’s getting laughed at every day

Dean complains to the boss. He says this is abusive and makes it impossible for him to feel OK about being in the office. The boss says ignore it – it’s just a bit of fun.

Cool down. If someone’s upset you, it may not be best to act straight away. Wait until you’re calm enough to think clearly about the best thing to do.

Speak to the people you trust. Get their opinions about what you should do.

Ask yourself questions. Who’s caused the problem: you, the other person, or both of you? Is it a minor problem you can forget about, or a major one that needs sorting urgently?

Think practical. What can you do to sort things? Who should you approach for help?

Know your rights. If you’re not being treated fairly at work, find out the employer’s policy on dealing with this and insist that the policy is followed. Find someone from outside work to advise and support you if needed.

Does this sound like good advice? We’re interested in hearing from you. You can contact one of our advisors at any time.