How to deal with difficult coworkers at any level has been explained in this article, and after reading this article you will be in control.
There are difficult people at work. They come in all varieties and there is no workplace without them. How difficult it is for you to deal with a person depends on your self-esteem, your self-confidence, and your professional courage at work.
Dealing with difficult people is easier when the person is generally unpleasant or when the behaviour affects more than one person. Dealing with them is much more difficult when they are attacking you, sneakily criticizing you, or undermining your professional contribution.
Difficult coworkers come in every variety imaginable and you have to deal with them. Some speak constantly and never listen. Others must always have the last word. Some coworkers don’t keep their commitments. Others criticize anything they did not create. Difficult co-workers compete with you for power, privilege, and the spotlight; some go too far in courting the boss’s positive opinion, to their detriment.
Some coworkers try to undermine you and you constantly feel like you need to watch your back. Your boss has favourites and the favored party dominates you; people form cliques and leave you out; they tell you that your colleagues are talking about you behind your back. Difficult people and situations like these exist in all workplaces.
No matter where you work, there always seems to be at least one co-worker who is difficult to deal with. Sometimes that coworker even turns into a bully, and that can affect your job performance and self-esteem when all you want is to get along and get the job done. If you let it go, you could end up losing your temper and that could adversely affect you both personally and professionally. However, there are some ways you can get along or defuse the situation to make life at work easier.
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How do you deal with difficult coworkers?
below is a well-detailed steps you can take today and successfully deal with those difficult coworkers.
1. Difficult coworkers
All work situations have difficult coworkers one would have to deal with, from healthcare jobs to sales jobs. It may be the office gossip, the one who never seems to be able to get the job done unaided, or the serial evader, who never seems to take responsibility and blame everyone else for their shortcomings. Then there’s the obnoxious coworker, who never has a good thing to say about you, no matter what. Your first step in dealing with difficult co-workers is to identify who they are to make sure you don’t blame the wrong person.
2. Discuss the problem
With a stalker or traitor in the workplace, it may be necessary to confront the difficult coworkers and dealt with the situation directly rather than let the behavior continue. Having a calm conversation about the problem can have a surprising answer. Some people do not realize the adverse impact their statements and actions have on others and are genuinely surprised and puzzled. Try to speak reasonably and control your temper, but tell the person that you will take the problem to a superior if the actions continue.
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3. Talk to a friend
A little unbiased opinion is never harmful, so talking about your co-worker’s situation with a friend may be a good idea. Not only does it allow you to vent your frustrations, but it can also give you an unbiased opinion of what may be going on and how to handle the situation.
4. Use humor to diffuse a situation
While this type of tactic may work for some people, not everyone can spontaneously make a humorous comment to defuse a situation. A little humor may be the tactic for you if you have a funny side.
5. Have an exit strategy
Having an excuse to walk away from a difficult coworker can help. Whether it’s making up a phone call you have to make, a job you need to do immediately, or another excuse, spend as little time as possible with the toxic coworker. When people find they aren’t listening, they give up.
6. Keep your co-worker’s problem private
You don’t want your character to be questioned, so stay calm when faced with a troublesome coworker. Complaining to others in the office can make you call it a problem yourself, so keep complaints to your family members or a close friend out of the office. Going public with grievances is always a bad idea. This is important if you want to deal with your difficult coworkers effectively.
7. Be bigger than your coworker
You know the old saying: “You can attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.” This also applies to co-workers. It doesn’t mean that you have to come in every day with a new joke or be the person who organizes birthday parties. However, being nice, smiling, and polite can improve someone else’s attitude toward you.
8. A friend cannot be an enemy
While it doesn’t work in all cases, being friendly but not overly friendly with a difficult coworker can produce positive results. If gossip is the problem, having a friendly conversation can clear things up. If, on the other hand, the coworker is trying to take credit for the work they have done, you can tell your boss beforehand that you are working on a certain aspect of a project, so that you will get the credit.
9. Go to your boss
Nobody likes to do this, but sometimes there is no other option if your requests of your toxic co-worker have fallen on deaf ears. If you decide to take the matter to your supervisor, make sure you are armed with the information you need to defend your case. Take notes on how this person’s actions are affecting your work and productivity on projects, and write down exactly what that person is doing to negatively affect your work. To deal with your difficult coworkers, this is the final step to consider.
Whether you work in a healthcare job or another field, there are ways to deal with toxic co-workers to make your job easier.
