Trouble In The Bubble?
Having difficult employees at your workplace is a common thing, because, at the workplace, difficult individuals do exist. They arrive in every conceivable variety and a workplace without them is an absolute fantasy. Some go on constantly talking and never listen to what other have to say while others always need to have the last word. Few coworkers disregard the commitments. There are many who will go on criticizing something, which they were not part of. Difficult Coworkers will compete with you for the privilege, power, and the spotlight; there are many who will travel way too far, such as courting positive opinion of the boss, to your detriment. The level to deal with a difficult person depends on your own professional courage, self-esteem, and sheer confidence. Dealing with difficult people at the workplace is easier when the behavior hits more than one individual or when the individual is generally just obnoxious. Dealing with such people is much harder when they are undermining your contribution on a professional scale or attacking you. There are a few coworkers who continuously try to undermine your potentials and always you live under a feeling of being careful behind your back. You boss will play the favorites game and the most favored team lords it all over you. They will establish cliques and purposely leave you out alone. Difficult situations and people exist in every work culture. They all have a single thing in common, which you need to address them. No matter how difficult the situation is around you, even if it resembles banging your head against a wall, dealing with such individuals is a must.
Why Bang Head Against The Wall?
If you left your situation unaddressed, trust me, it won’t get any better instead it will get worse with time. Important, unaddressed workplace conflicts simmer below the bottom line and often burst out counter-productively beyond the line of the surface at work. When treated unprofessionally, people go into an initial state of shock. So, you aren’t alone if you are taking some time to understand the nuisance going around you. Once fully aware about the happenings, deciding to continue with the situation over a long term won’t serve well as an option. You might start feeling the excruciating amount of pain and become so angry that your endeavors to address the issue become irrational. So, it is better if you address the difficult employee while you can balance some emotional control and objectivity because constant complaining without dealing might earn you a title of ‘Complainer’ and ‘Whiner’.
Dealing With Troublemaker
Deal with Antagonism Confidently
If anyone is showing aggression towards you, either physically or verbally, then no matter whoever they are, it is alright to walk away and return when they have sobered up. Return back and explain that this kind of behavior is intolerant from your side and that in future you won’t appreciate such onslaught. No one at your workplace has any rights to compromise your personal well-being and safety through psychological or physical fear.
We are all Humans After All
It is very important for you to remember at the end of the day, we are all humans. Each one of us has good days and bad days in our life. Sometimes if circumstances turn trickier, we may behave less than lovely to our peers at work. So maybe, some time and patience are all that an individual needs to get out through a rough phase of life. Rather than humoring them with a knee-jerk attitude of yours, ask them if they are alright and you just want to make sure if something is troubling them. This is very disarming. They will notice that your objective is a support rather than a threat, and due to this you might start resembling them as an ally rather than an adversary
Talk about Expectations
Choose an instance and discuss with your peers about their expectations from you, and sort out ways on how you can work for the best with each other. Discuss openly your do’s and don’ts, plan realistic timeframes, and also schedule a system for dealing on-hand with urgent issues. Sorting this matter ahead of time will provide a rational conversation about what is important, rather than a heated argument and getting a panic attack during the last minute. These are my methods for dealing with difficult employees at the workplace. Drop us your thoughts in the line of comments for The HR Digest on how would you prefer dealing with such troublemakers in your organization.