How To Get Along With Difficult People At Work

Have you ever encountered difficult people at work? How are you dealing with them? It’s hard to work if you have someone on your team that is difficult to deal with.

You might be familiar in the following story.

“Last week, my boss hired a “trainee” straight out of college to work in our department. She is young and it really showed in how she behaved.

The problem is, this new “co-worker” of mine started acting like a prima donna. She has become manipulative and dominant. Some of my colleagues are complaining behind her back. It was becoming a nightmare for me just being near her. It has even made me think of quitting.”

Dealing with difficult people at work is one of the leading causes of stress and anxiety.

If left unresolved, it would make that person even more depressed. There are people can’t seem to get ahead in life because of relationships or situations.

Our main set-backs is not all of us are taking the necessary steps to cope up with those difficult people at work who make life unbearable for us.

The following are just some of the list of behaviors that push our “buttons” in the workplace:

• Criticizing your religious or political beliefs
• Uncooperative
• Absenteeism (with effects the team members)
• Too much gossiping
• Arrogant
• Disrespectful to supervisors or co-workers
• Unfriendly
• Complains on everything

The ability to get along with difficult people at work and adapting to their different personalities takes a certain degree of maturity. Not to mention the patience, understanding and it is the basic factor in our workplace survival and no amount of college education will ensure professional behavior.

Workplace relationships is as crucial. It can even lead to unhappiness of that person can’t get along with everybody or that person makes life miserable for others.

How to get along with difficult people at work

Coping with a troublesome co-worker is such a pain and it takes away your productivity.

One of the biggest challenges of dealing with difficult people at work is that their behavior can take many forms. If a co-worker is rude or negative, it may require a different approach.

Here are some general tips on how to cope with difficult co-workers:

The best way is just ignore it.

If that co-worker’s unpleasant behavior interferes with how you do your job, you must find a way to solve it if it is not directly interfering with your job.

Give your co-worker the benefit of the doubt.

Speak up! Bring up the problem directly and privately to your co-worker. If the co-worker’s problems is that he or she tends to be such a whiner or gossips continually.

Put an end to it by discouraging that person.

Try it out for yourself if talking to that person will solved the problem. If not, that is the perfect time to talk to your manager.

Managers generally expect you to work out most of the problems with people who are on your own level. Be sure you tried everything even a trusted mediator before going on a higher level.

Be also aware of your own behavior and work at changing them.

You have to make sure to identify your strengths and weaknesses. You might not change or control the behavior or attitudes of others but you have the power to control yours.

Remember that it is easier to control how you react to difficult people at work than changing their attitudes. Anyway, they won’t be going to last at your workplace if they don’t have what it takes. Sooner or later, your manager will notice it and your boss will take action.

Don’t argue with a difficult person

Just agree and walk away. If you don’t want to agree, then do back to the first tip and just ignore it and try not to get affected. Because if you were affected and thinks about it all the time, your productivity will suffer and your output at work will also be affected.

Stay calm and positive

It doesn’t help getting stressed out on something you cannot control. It is way better to always be calm and stay positive at your workplace. Stay focused on your life’s vision and never lose sight of it. Look for something that will make you happy.

Here is another resource for you to read: 9 Useful Strategies to Dealing with Difficult People at Work