Archive for November 14th, 2008
Question Asked: How Do I Deal With A Difficult Co-Worker?
First and foremost, always be professional. Everyone’s got an opinion about everyone else. Whether it’s that you think they’re lazy, or are a detriment to the company, it’s irrelevant. Be professional at all times.
If the co-worker is someone who works for you, it’s your responsibility to provide them with some form of feedback, to let them know that they’re causing an issue. When doing so, stick with the positive and negative approach. For everything negative you say, say something positive, as well. Even if it’s tough, and you have to search for something positive to say, do it.
If the co-worker is a peer, on the same level as you, you should speak with the person whom you both report to. There’s varying levels of “difficult” that a person can be, clashing personalities happens in the work place, and shouldn’t be a reason to report someone to their boss. People don’t get along every day, it happens. If this co-worker is hindering the progress of the company in some major way, you should speak up.
The most important thing, aside from staying professional, is to keep your cool. No matter how much you dislike someone, or how strongly your personalities clash, try to remain calm. If you lose your cool, and go ballistic, it’s going to look worse for you, than the person you’re trying to report.
In most cases, you can just ignore this difficult co-worker, if they work in a different department, or building, or office. In some cases, you’re supposed to work closely with this person, and can’t ignore them, and have to deal with them. In that case, the only advice I can offer is to show them the same level of respect that they show you. No matter how much, or how little that may be.