RAINMAKERS
10 Tips For Dealing With Difficult People At Work
By Dr . Clifford Ferguson
In every workplace , you will have difficult co-workers . Dealing with difficult coworkers , bosses , customers , clients , and friends is a skill worth perfecting . Dealing with difficult situations at work is challenging , yet rewarding .
You can vastly improve your own work environment and morale when you increase your ability to deal with the people at work . You also make your workplace a better environment for all employees when you address the problems that a difficult coworker is causing for the team .
Fortunately , in most workplaces , you spend the majority of your days dealing with the normal , everyday people in the office . But , in the event that a co-worker is a difficult person , you ’ ll need additional skills in your interpersonal skills arsenal .
You can increase your skill in dealing with the difficult people who surround you in your work world . These tips should help you .
Difficult people are found in every single workplace . Difficult people come in every variety that you can imagine . But , how difficult a person is for you to deal with depends a lot on such factors as your selfesteem , your self-confidence , how closely you must work with them on a daily basis , and your professional courage .
Dealing with difficult people is easier when the person is just generally obnoxious or when the behaviour affects more than one person . You can team together to address the behaviour or inform management and Human Resources staff to get help addressing the employee issue before it spirals into negativity .
Dealing with difficult people is much harder if the individual is publicly undermining your professional credibility , claiming credit for your contributions , or attacking you personally like a bully .
The Bully
Do you think that you work with a bully ? You do if you regularly feel intimidated , dread to work anywhere near a particular co-worker , and feel dismayed and upset about having to go to work . If you are yelled at , insulted , and put down , you work with a bully . If you have felt psychologically or physically threatened at work , you work
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You can ruin both your job and your career by the relationships you develop with your co-workers at work . Your education , experience , or title don ’ t matter if you can ’ t play well with your co-workers . You won ’ t succeed in your career without forming positive relationships at work . with a bully .
Do you have a co-worker who talks over you at meetings , who regularly criticizes your performance , and steals credit for your work ? If you answer yes to these questions , then the chances are that you ’ re one of the many millions who have been targeted by a bully at work .
Negative Co-worker
Some co-workers wallow in their negativity . They don ’ t like their jobs , and they don ’ t like working for their company . They always have bad bosses who are jerks who always treat them unfairly . The company is always going to fail , and its customers are worthless and demanding .
You know these negative co-workers - every organization has a few . You can best deal with these negative co-workers by avoiding their presence at work . Find out more about dealing with negativity .
Overcome Your Fear of Confrontation and Conflict
Confronting a co-worker is never easy , but it ’ s often needed if you want to stick up for your rights at work . Whether the confrontation is about sharing credit for work accomplished , co-worker habits and approaches that are irritating or sloppy , intentional missed customer delivery deadlines , or about keeping a project on track , sometimes you need to confront your co-worker .
Although confrontation should not be your
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