How To Deal With Difficult Coworkers
At one point we’ve all encountered a challenging co-worker during our career.
These relationships can sometimes complicate the workplace and effect your performance. Unfortunately, we’re not always able to hand pick our co-workers and avoiding them may not be an option if you work in the same department or in close proximity.
Learning how to overcome these obstacles may help you cope with challenging colleagues and help you maximize your productivity.
1. The Complainer: I get it. Sometimes you just need to vent however if you have a repeat offender try to redirect their perspective or encourage them to seek out a solution.
2. The Slacker: We all work differently and perhaps their behavior is unintentional. Have a 1 on 1 conversation with your colleague and explain how his/her actions or ” lack of” directly affects your work.
3. The Gossiper: Dare I say it, every workplace has one. Nothing good can come of gossip, it’s hurtful and can greatly impact morale. Disengage or walk away for these conversations.
Don’t let people push your buttons, instead try to understand why these difficult coworkers bother you so much and have the conversations. In most cases you colleagues don’t even realize they are difficult to work with.
