Are you going to quit a job because a coworker spoils your spirit?

If yes, you are definitely on the wrong path. Quitting a job or reassigning to another location or position does not guarantee that you won’t come across similar problems ever after.

You can meet negative people everywhere. So you need to learn how to deal with negative coworkers.

It is especially difficult when you are the only person who is having problems with a certain coworker. But don’t worry and follow the tips mentioned below.

• Write down both positive and negative traits of this person. Try to be objective (imagine you are the manager of this person–this will help you in your judgment).
• Define his strong and weak points and think how you would deal with him if you were his manager.
• Try to keep this person at a distance to avoid possible conflicts. Of course, sometimes it’s impossible to avoid your coworkers. If you speak to him and feel he irritates you, try to stay calm and polite, don’t show your emotions. Remember that you should never lose your temper. Because once you lose your control, the others will have the impression that you’re not a steady person. And you don’t need such a stain on your reputation.
• Don’t speak badly of your negative coworker. No matter how good you feel when talking bad things about the person you dislike, don’t do that in the workplace. If you gossip about one of your colleagues, the others will think that behind their backs you’ll speak badly about them, too.
• If you have to work on the same project with this person, try to get other people involved. This will make your communication and work management easier.

But if the situation is becoming worse and worse and these tips don’t help you, then start looking for a way out. Of course, you can always go to your boss and tell him that you have no fault and so on, but… actually it’s not the best approach to the problem.

• Try to talk to this negative coworker personally. Meet out of the office to discuss your problems.
• Explain him your problem, be sincere and objective. Listen to his opinion and express yours. Then decide on how to solve the problem. You should both realize that if you’re coworkers you need to get along with each other.

Only if he refuses a heart-to-heart talk, you can speak to your boss about him. But, of course, it’s better to keep such problems in private and solve them without the manager’s interference.

Photo © JuanJe

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