Comments on How to Resolve Conflicts at Work

Don't admonish or try to resolve conflict in front of other employees. Also, making friends with the antagonist is very likely to backfire, especially if you are in a higher position. This drops you to their level and in the end makes discipline that much harder next time. Work is for working, not socializing. Keep it professional.

Don't admonish or try to resolve conflict in front of other employees. Also, making friends with the antagonist is very likely to backfire, especially if you are in a higher position. This drops you to their level and in the end makes discipline that much harder next time. Work is for working, not socializing. Keep it professional.

My daughter had the perfect line when I was stressing over a conflict with someone. There was really no way out of the conflict but I was allowing it to dominate my thoughts and my mood. She told me I was allowing the person to "live rent free in my mind". Since I couldn't do anything about the person's attitude, I decided to terminate their rent-free status.

Try to make friends with the person in question. If you do, the person in question will be more willing to respect your needs/complaints. Also, when you are friends with the individual, the "little things" may not annoy you as much.

Organize if you feel your world is coming apart. Stop, take a breather, and organize environments around you. When your environment is more organized, you often can get it together better mentally.

Rasputin here: Angel1 writes that it is important to keep a journal because "it enables you to heal, grow and move on." What a load of nonsense. One must keep a journal to defeat your enemies in a lawsuit. Keep a journal for evidence.

When a coworker complains about another co-worker's behavior, or a situation, say to them, "What did Jane Doe say when you talked to him/her about it?" Usually they're venting to others without having ever spoken directly to the person in question.

Keep it in proper perspective. Weigh things, make lists and "Grant yourself the serenity." Take it one day at a time and do the best with what you have.

Rude co-workers come and go. Usually they cannot last in that particular job. Hopefully they move on and bug someone else at a different workplace. If a co-worker belittles you in the office and should not, then report it to a supervisor and let the rest leave your mind like water off of a ducks back. They are not WORTH your valuable time.

It's true that you want to have a good rapport with co-workers, and a great one with supervisors. However, if you stand firm behind your actions, decisions, and opinions, then you will gain respect with those you work with. I try to remember that it's human nature to get a feel for what the new person's like. First impressions do count--establish respect with supervisors during the interview process (being early, well-spoken, negotiating pay well) and then establish respect with others during the first two weeks.

If you have to work with someone with whom you have a personality conflict, only interact on a business level and when absolutely necessary. Once you learn to work together, you might discover that he or she isn't as bad as you thought and vice-versa.

Realize when you've done as much as you can to get through to someone, and then start working on finding other people to support you. There's only so much you can do in your position, but if you can convince other people in different positions that you're right, they can help you get things changed. For example, it's easy for your manager to blow you off. It's harder for them to blow a noisy customer off.

A journal relieves stress and helps you get things off your chest. It enables you to heal, grow and move on. It also helps you get organized, and allows you to put stressors in your life into perspective.

It sounds silly, but viewing your coworkers as customers can help you to view them sympathetically and respectfully. Instead of trying to correct them or take what they say personally, you can focus on helping them. Eventually most people respond well.

Sometimes it is impossible to change a sick, entrenched, hostile workplace. Those in charge control the atmosphere - what they allow is what occurs. Get out of such a situation if you can. If you can't, make sure the time away from work is fulfilling.