Life On The Job: Can You Handle Difficult Coworkers?

Love your job but hate your coworkers? If you’re ready to pull your hair out or better yet bludgeon your coworker with a paper weight read on.

Your first thought might be to resign from  your current position. Not necessarily. Even though it might be easiest to cut and run when facing difficult or unruly coworkers. If the job is worth it, you do actually do have options other than leaving.  It is going to take some work and maybe a different outlook, but if this is the job of a lifetime, isn’t it worth a bit of effort?

So what do you do if you find yourself in a situation wrought with complications, problems, and conflict? Realize that there are definitely steps for you to take. By taking these steps, it is possible that you will be able to keep your job and retain your income. Your family will probably love that.

There are many ways to deal with difficult coworkers. Taking a couple of steps can make all the difference – clearly these steps are for those careerists who can and want to handle these matters on their own. Obviously this is your career (and your personal decision) so use your own best judgment because it’s key.

Assess the situation. Examine the ways that you might be able to handle or deal with your coworker, and take all circumstances into consideration.  Remember, a small conflict might be something you can handle on your own. Serious problems, however call for other actions. That in mind, ask yourself you’re able to speak with your coworker privately.

Is it possible to speak carefully with your coworker? Obviously you would want to be sure to be pleasant and as friendly as you can. If you feel you’re able to speak with your coworker, it would be essential to remain professional in tone and in action and of course approach them with no attitude. Some individuals don’t even realize that even a bit of tone or attitude can actually make matters worse.

If you are having difficulties with a coworker who can’t complete projects on time, an approach that might work would be to offer to help by creating a timeline or a schedule. If your coworker wears perfume or cologne that triggers migraines, perhaps you could preface the conversation with an explanation about complications that arise due to the scent. You have to decide if this is the right course of action – of course.

As mentioned earlier, it is essential that you remember that there extenuating circumstances and those should always be taken into consideration. You have to decide what is best in your situation. Obviously you would not want to come to any harm – if you feel it is necessary at any time, you might want to contact your supervisor immediately.

Speaking of your supervisor, if you have discussed the above mentioned issues with your coworker and you have not seen any positive change, you might want to speak about issue with your supervisor. Again, when doing something like this, you will always want to use your best judgment.

The steps mentioned above are just a couple that you can take if you’re having difficulties with your coworkers.  One last reminder, exercise sound judgment when handling situations with your coworkers. Whether or not you can handle difficult coworkers is up to you – it is a matter of career management. The hope is that you’ll be able to keep your hair, keep your job, and refrain from bludgeoning anyone!