Difficult Colleagues
A healthy professional working relationship with your colleagues can benefit you in a number of ways. Not only do you get better co-operation from them you can also find that your office is a lively and productive place. Difficult colleagues though can make work stressful and unpleasant for you. As you may not be able to avoid them it helps to know how to survive working with difficult colleagues.
Every office is filled with people from various backgrounds and with different personalities. Some of the people you will get along with perfectly well but you may find that some are very difficult to get along with. Difficult colleagues are found in most offices so you may not be able to avoid working with them unless you change jobs. If you are stuck with difficult colleagues then use the tips below to help you survive:
Remain calm:
It's easy to lash out when confronted by difficult colleagues but this will make the situation worse. Control your temper and the situation so things do not go out of control. Walking away to calm yourself down helps and can give you time to assess the situation and think of the best solution to the problem. In your anger you could say some nasty things that could go against you so remain as calm as you can.
Difficult colleagues:
In order to survive working with difficult colleagues you need to understand which ones are difficult and why they are so difficult. Identifying difficult colleagues first can give you time to come up with a solution instead of having to deal with the problem as soon as it arises. Certain characteristics in people can make them difficult to work with so you could try and find solutions for each difficult colleague.
Solutions to the problem:
There are many different ways to deal with difficult colleagues and if you are going to survive working with them then you need to find the best solution for your problem. Sometimes talking to the person and explaining why you are finding it difficult to work with them may help but other times it may fail. Weigh the pros and cons for each possible solution so that you can find the best method for you.
Office politics:
If you are going to survive working with difficult colleagues you need to be aware of your surroundings. Just because you may be finding certain colleagues difficult to work with doesn't mean everyone else is. Gossiping behind the backs of difficult colleagues could create problems for you if they find out. Humiliating difficult colleagues is not the solution to your problem and can further create problems.
Building a relationship:
Some colleagues are difficult for you to work with because you do not know them very well. Sometimes knowing a person better can make it easier for you to work with them on a daily basis so focus on building a strong work relationship. Socializing out of work can ease some of the tension between you and difficult colleagues so spend some time out of work with them to break down barriers.
Protect yourself:
In the quest to survive working with difficult colleagues you may allow yourself to be attacked. There are times where you should let things go and there are times where you need to stand up for yourself. Remain professional and don't run to your boss every two seconds. If however difficult colleagues are really harassing you and making it difficult for you to work then you should inform your employer.
Be the bigger person:
Another way to survive working with difficult colleagues is to avoid getting caught in conflict. If you are being criticized by difficult colleagues instead of retaliating you could ask them why they feel that way so that you can improve yourself. Do not behave in a way that can harm your career and don't start mimicking the bad behaviour displayed by your colleagues as you could come across as childish.
Learning how to survive working with difficult colleagues is useful as you may not always be able to avoid them in your professional life. Difficult colleagues will remain difficult up until you do something about them. The tips above will help you in not only surviving but coping with difficult colleagues. Using the methods above you could come up with an action plan suited to your situation.
