How to Tolerate a Difficult and Challenging Co-worker
Since you generally can't choose who you work with, not all office partnerships are made in heaven. A personality conflict can place severe strain on your working relationships and affect your productivity. Whether the co-worker is someone who sits near you, a scheming colleague or a challenging team member, there are steps you can take to make your working hours bearable. In some instances, you might even want to take steps to protect your job.
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Instructions
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Determine whether the co-worker's behavior bothers other people. Before you make a fuss, you should make sure it's not just you. Monitor your own reaction to the co-worker; if you are bothered by everything he does, you're likely the only one who finds him challenging. If you are bothered only by a few specific habits he has, you're probably not alone.
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Speak with the co-worker about the behavior. Take this step only if it is important enough to warrant intervention. Author Robert Bacal told USA Today it's important to make the distinction between an annoying habit and one that interrupts other people's work. If your co-worker is frequently on the phone discussing personal matters within earshot of other employees, a conversation might be warranted. Speak with the co-worker when you are not in the midst of anger and use language that does not cause conflict; let the co-worker know his voice carries across the room and that he might be more comfortable having his conversations in the break room.
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Take action to protect your job if the behavior is a direct threat to you. If your co-worker is sabotaging your workplace success by spreading falsehoods to your manager, intervene by promoting yourself to the higher-ups. Ask for a job review if you don't have one scheduled to find out if any negative discussions have made an impact. Point to your recent successes and how your work has profited the company if you sense you need to do damage control.
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View the challenging co-worker as a member of your team. If you are forced to work collaboratively with the co-worker, it is helpful to see how the co-worker's strengths complement yours. Together you can be a positive team, even if you do not agree on project strategy. Try dividing project duties evenly between you and defer to your co-worker in the areas where his talents shine.
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Limit your exposure to the challenging co-worker. If possible, move your work location to give some distance between yourself and him. If you can't move, go for a walk when the co-worker is around or when you feel your nerves become frayed. If your workplace permits it, wear headphones and listen to music when he is in the area. If the problem is severe enough, start networking to find another job.
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References
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