‘I can handle when they talk back to me,” the HR director said. “But when they roll their eyes, it just gets under my skin.”

“I know,” said the training manager. “I have an intern who does amazing work, but when I try to give him some direction, the eye-roll makes me explain myself far more than I normally would. I feel I have to defend myself when I’m just stating a clear expectation.”

“It’s not just the younger employees,” the director added. “I get the smirk and sideways glance from one of my most senior specialists. If I ask if she disagrees with me, or disapproves of my approach, she says, ‘Oh no, I see what you mean’ and acts as if she is the most agreeable person around.”

“I think we need to address how eye-rolling impacts our communications. But I bet they roll their eyes if we suggest it!”

How to react when you notice eye-rolling

Most people emotionally react when someone rolls their eyes. The gesture is seen as a nonverbal judgment of your words. If you ask about the gesture, eye-rollers generally deny they did anything disrespectful.

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