Wholeness Healing Center

Dealing with a Difficult Coworker

Dealing with a difficult coworker can be challenging, but implementing effective strategies can help you navigate the situation and maintain a positive work environment. Her are several ways to handle a difficult coworker.

1. Remain Calm and Professional: Keep your emotions in check and maintain a professional demeanor. Avoid responding impulsively to their behavior, as this can escalate the situation.

2. Seek Understanding: Take the time to understand the underlying reasons for their behavior. They may be facing personal challenges or stressors that contribute to their difficulties. Empathy can help you approach the situation with more compassion.

3. Communicate Clearly: Establish open and honest communication. Address specific behaviors rather than making general accusations. Use “I” statements to express how their actions impact you, fostering a non-confrontational dialogue.

4. Set Boundaries: Clearly define your personal and professional boundaries. If the difficult coworker is overstepping, politely, but firmly, communicate your limits. Be consistent in reinforcing these boundaries.

5. Involve a Neutral Third Party: If the situation persists, consider involving a mediator or HR professional. A neutral third party can provide an unbiased perspective and help facilitate a resolution.

6. Focus on Solutions: Instead of dwelling on the problem, concentrate on finding solutions. Propose constructive ideas for improving the working relationship or suggest changes that may alleviate tension.

7. Build Allies: Cultivate positive relationships with other colleagues. Having allies within the workplace can provide support and potentially influence a positive change in the difficult coworker’s behaviors.

8. Self-Care: Prioritize self-care to manage stress and frustration. Exercise, mindfulness, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance can help you cope with the challenges of dealing with a difficult coworker.

9. Reflect on Your own Behavior: Consider if there are any aspects of your own behavior that may contribute to the difficulty. Self-reflection can be an opportunity for personal growth and improvement in professional relationships.

10. Know When to Escalate: If all else fails and the situation remains untenable, be prepared to escalate the matter to higher management or HR for resolution.

11. Stay Positive and Professional: Maintain a positive attitude at work and focus on your professional goals. Don’t let the difficult coworker’s behavior negatively impact your own performance or job satisfaction. (Heathfield, 2021)

If you implement some or all these tips and nothing seems to help, you can reach out to HR and ask for mediation through your EAP services. Here at Wholeness Healing Center, we offer these services to our businesses which contract us for their EAP services. If the only thing you can do is work on yourself, again, reach out to your EAP services and schedule some individual sessions to work on developing the appropriate skill set to help you manage your workdays in a more positive way. For more information, call 308.382.5297 ext 127.

Works Cited: Heathfield, S. (2021, February 28). 10 Tips for Dealing with Difficult People at work. Retrieved from liveabout.com: liveabout.com