In life, you cannot always get what you want. The same applies to the workplace. In every workplace, there will always be at least one annoying employee that can test your patience and your values. No matter how high the workspace partitions are (so you won’t be seeing a lot of them more often), there will always be a time where you have no choice but to deal with these kinds of coworkers.
Having difficult coworkers can affect your performance at work. They can even add up to your work-related stress apart from having tons of paperwork and a demanding boss. However, this does not mean you have to deal with the stress of having an annoying coworker. It can be challenging to deal with one, but there are ways to handle this kind of workplace situation.
How to deal with annoying coworkers
Regardless of the workplace setting, there will be at least one coworker that can get on your nerves. He or she may be so annoying it can affect your work performance and even your work attitude. More so, it can affect your well-being, especially if that coworker bullies you by putting you down and underestimating your performance in front of other employees.
However, you should not let your emotions get into you. For one thing, dealing with these kinds of situations may depend on your confidence, self-esteem, and the level of professionalism you have. You can choose to ignore them or tackle their intolerable behavior altogether.
Dealing with an aggressive coworker
An aggressive coworker may intimidate you in your place of work. As much as possible, do not feel bad about yourself if he or she yells at you for some reason. If he or she is pressuring you to give in to what they want, acknowledge their needs but stand firm to what you want. This way, you will avoid getting stressed for doing tasks that may actually be impossible to accomplish in a short amount of time.
Dealing with a “negative Nancy”
If you have a negative Nancy in your workplace, best not to give in to their negativity. If they seem negative with a proposal, let them do the thinking. Encourage them to think of ways of how to make the task better. Who knows, they may have a better solution in mind — only that they don’t know how to express it.
Dealing with a procrastinator
It can be frustrating to work with a lax employee. However, you can choose to manage the situation gracefully. First, you should set a definite time as to when you need a specific project done and be firm with that decision. If you want the job done tomorrow first thing in the morning, then tell that person you need it at that time — no excuses. Better yet, you can offer help to the person to motivate them to get going.
Whether we like it or not, we have to deal with different kinds of people during our lifetime. Instead of letting them get through you, take it as a challenge. If you are frank enough, let them know how they are at work. But at the same time, they should still be treated with respect and dignity as a person.
