Yahoo Finance 
Why telling your employees to 'relax' is one of the worst things you can do
(trvscls07/YouTube)"Just relax!"
When you're stressed out at work, one of the worst things your boss can say is: "Just relax!"
"In most situations, telling someone to relax is not just annoying — it's deceptive and hurtful," writes Brian de Haaff, CEO of Aha!, in a recent LinkedIn post.
Here's why telling someone to relax when something serious has gone wrong is one of the worst things a boss can do:
1) It devalues the leader.
"During times of stress, the most valuable thing you can offer as a leader is understanding," de Haaff explains. "People do not expect you to solve their problems — but they do hope that you will acknowledge what is going on." Saying, "Just relax" to someone who is upset undermines their feelings in a hurtful way, he writes.
2) It hurts the person they're speaking to.
Saying these two words is not going to help resolve their anxiety, but it will make the employee feel embarrassed for feeling it, he explains.
As a leader, you will inevitably encounter challenging moments and situations with your team. "The worst thing you can do is be dismissive," de Haaff says. "You both know that you cannot change what's happened or make it go away. Pretending like you can damages your own credibility."
Click here to read the full LinkedIn post.
NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do
More From Business Insider
