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How to Deal with Difficult Coworkers and Improve your Relationships

Want to learn how to deal with difficult coworkers? Here's how you can do it.

By Syed BalkhiPublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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How to Deal with Difficult Coworkers and Improve your Relationships
Photo by Obie Fernandez on Unsplash

Are you dealing with negative coworkers?

Well, in that case, you're not alone. Almost every workplace has people who can be difficult to work with. The bad news, however, is that no matter how annoying or frustrating they are, you are bound to work with them.

So unless you're a remote worker, you have to face them every day of the week.

So instead of complaining about it, or being demotivated about stepping into your office, it's better if you can figure out how to deal with such people while you're at work.

If you don't know how to do that, this post is for you. In the following section, we'll look at 5 easy tips on how to deal with difficult coworkers and prevent yourself from facing awkward situations.

So let's get started.

1. Set Your Boundaries

Dealing with difficult coworkers can be a lot less challenging if you know how to set your boundaries.

This might sound like a negative thing to do but knowing that is extremely important since you can't avoid working with them.

By setting boundaries, you let your coworkers know what to expect from you. When the expectations are low, it's easier to focus on your duties and be more efficient in your job.

Also, when you have boundaries, you can easily mitigate difficult work situations in general.

2. Know That You Can't Control Their Behavior

Sometimes it's best to understand that you can't control other people's behavior. So instead of complaining or taking their words seriously, it's best to ignore them.

Think about ways to ignore their rudeness and aggression. Focus on how you can react more calmly towards their negative behavior so that you can avoid getting into a feud with them or affecting the environment around you.

That way, you won't be much affected by their behavior, words, or actions. As a result, it will become easier to co-exist peacefully with them even if you find them annoying.

3. Don't Over Analyze

Sometimes you might tend to overanalyze what your coworkers mean or what they say and how they behave. But doing that can complicate things for the worse.

So try not to do that. This will not only make your life easier around those coworkers but will also reduce conflicts, confusion, arguments, and awkwardness in the workplace.

You can start doing that by focusing on what's under your control. Let go of things that you can't control or change.

Instead of overanalyzing why things didn't turn out the way you wanted, try to look for solutions to make things right. Things will be much simpler if you can accept them as they are. So just go with the flow.

4. Make them Feel Heard

Another very effective and wonderful idea to deal with difficult coworkers is to make them feel heard.

Sometimes people tend to be more negative when they feel unheard. Instead of ignoring their complaints, make sure that you listen to them.

Try to make them feel better by understanding their side of the story and by clarifying their statements.

This will give them a chance to vent out their anger and complaints and might even change their behavior to a more positive one. If you think their behavior isn't rational, make them understand why that is the case.

You should also engage them in team-building activities and make their voice heard more often. Doing this will make them feel more included and accepted and help them get rid of the negativity.

5. Evaluate and Control Your Actions

It's often easier to put the blame on others. But sometimes, it's important to evaluate your actions and understand your role in affecting your relationship with your coworkers.

It can be the way you communicate or your behavior that's offending them. If that's the matter, see how you can change it to improve your relationship with your coworker.

So these are a few ways to deal with difficult coworkers. But before considering others as negative and difficult, make sure that your behavior, words, and actions aren't responsible for affecting your equation with others.

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About the Creator

Syed Balkhi

Syed Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner, the largest free WordPress resource site. You can learn more about Syed and his portfolio of companies by following him on his social media networks.

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