Finally Professional Advice On Survival At Work When Surrounded By “Difficult Co-workers”

Psychologically, difficult colleagues at work can be depressing and exasperating to work with, and could shoot your stress level above a measure that can be detrimental.

So thus, a more professional bend needs to be taken forwards these colleagues that never listen, destructively criticise and are bent on making life at work unpleasant.

According to Human Resource Expert, Susan Heathfield, dealing with difficult co-workers depends on one’s self-esteem, self-confidence and professional courage. “As long as you work with people, you have had to address tough situations and handle difficult conversations with annoying employees,” she said.

“Difficult co-workers compete with you for power, privilege and the spotlight; some go way too far in courting the boss’s positive opinion. Some co-workers attempt to undermine you and you constantly feel as if you need to watch your back,” Susan revealed.

At this juncture, we must probably be nodding in agreement as Susan has hit that work experience “nail” on the head. However, she went on to explain that, it is difficult to hold conversations with employees who exhibit behaviours such as gossiping, loud phone talkers, poor toilet etiquette, excessive show off and pride.

All the aforementioned observations must be managed appropriately to avoid conflict in the workplace. Susan added that, “most often, when co-workers do these things, they genuinely do not know they do them, will actually be horrified to learn that they are making their co-workers uncomfortable.

Furthermore, the situation becomes worst when such people are attacking you or undermining your professional contribution.

However, the solutions according to Susan are not far fetched. Deciding to live with the situation long term is not an option, neither is putting an anonymous note in the person’s mailbox, she said.

Start by examining yourself before putting blames on others and be sure that you are actually not overreacting to issues, then explore what you are experiencing with a trusted friend or colleague.

“Talk to the co-worker about what you are experiencing in”I” messages (these are communication approach that focuses on your experience of the situation rather than on attacking or accusing the other person),”Heathfield insisted. Similarly, you can explain to your co-worker the impact of their actions on you.

As you progress, it is adviced that you should become a “peacemaker,” decide how badly you want to make peace with the other person and how much you want your current job, keeping in mind that human behaviour is very hard to change drastically.

Even after the initial discussion, you can still have a follow up discussion, however, if no significant change, you can confront your difficult co-worker’s behavior publicly with gentle humour or slight sarcasm.

Finally, if the status quo changes insignificantly, it’s time to involve others-your boss or a manager. Note that at this juncture, you are escalating the situation, but only then will a long lasting solution be derived.