Have you ever thought about how much time you spend with your coworkers? It’s pretty unbelievable, really. If you work full time, there’s a good chance you’re coworkers get to see you more than your family. When anyone spends that much time together it’s easy to get frustrated with one another – and from time to time – you can really feel your frustrations start to boil up. So how do you deal with it? How can you make it work and make sure you’re able to keep it professional even when you’re at your wits end?
Tips for Dealing with a Challenging Coworker
Keep on smiling. I know! This is a tough one. But everyone loves the person who is always able to hold their head high and keep the positive vibes flowing. There’s something very commendable to be said for never letting them see you sweat and always taking the high road.
Distance yourself. If you get in a situation where you’re constantly surrounded by negativity and gossip, it’s time to walk away. Keeping yourself out of that circle is important both for maintaining respect and for keeping your eyes on the prize – your career. Muddying the waters by getting involved in negative behavior or gossip just isn’t the way to go.
Speak up. When the chatter gets to be too much and you simply can’t take the negativity – it’s OK to speak up, just keep it polite and profesh. Be the one to let the rest of the group know that the gossip needs to stop and that it’s time to turn the negativity into positive action. Rally the troops to pull together as a team and really knock your projects out of the park.
Talk to your supervisor. There’s a lot you can do to step away from negativity or to distance yourself from things you don’t want to be involved in, but sometimes you need someone else to step in. When that happens, it’s on you to have a discussion with your supervisor or even human resources to help find a solution.
At the end of the day, you’re always going to have to deal with challenging and negative people – it’s just the way the world works. It’s how we handle ourselves in those situations that matters. Taking the high road is always the best road and when it’s time to bring in another objective opinion, like your supervisor, then don’t hesitate – you need to enjoy your workplace too.
