9 Best tips for dealing with difficult people

Office Advice: 9 Best tips for dealing with difficult people

Angela Goh

22 Jun 2016

1/9
Don’t lose your cool
Whatever happens, you should always try your best to stay calm and in control. Letting your emotions fire up when you're faced with a co-worker who is being particularly difficult will only create a toxic work environment. By remaining cool and collected, there will be less of a chance of you saying or doing something you will later regret. Also, if you are known as a person who is less likely to lose their cool at work, others will find you approachable and will want to get along with you.
2/9
Don’t trap yourself by reacting
You might have a colleague who is capable of riling up some negative emotions. You have a choice not to react to the things they say and do. It's easy to want to get angry or annoyed, but use your energy for productive discussions with that person, instead of breaking into pointless arguments.
3/9
Keep interaction to a minimum
It might not be the easiest thing to do, but if you can afford to keep your interactions with this person to a minimum, do so. That's not to say you should actively be avoiding them all the time, because this can also end up becoming a hindrance and impacting on your usual way of life. If it is necessary to communicate with them for work, do so with civility, and then move on.
4/9
Only interact when other people are around
With other people, the both of you will be less likely to cause a scene. If your co-workers know that there is bad blood between the two of you, they might be more prepared to handle the situation and diffuse any tension. Also, having a third party around might lend a more objective perspective.
5/9
Don’t take it personally
Everything they say might seem like a deliberate personal attack to you. Just remember that if they are out to cause you constant headaches and make your life difficult, you can choose not to play their game and ignore their dramatic antics.
6/9
Always show kindness and respect
Make yourself the bigger person - don’t stoop to the level of a retaliator. Resonating compassion may even lead you to see that the person you are dealing with might have some unforeseen personal issues that require attention. Respond to the difficult person reflectively rather than reactively - this way you will be able to interact with a higher level of consciousness. A little bit of respect goes a long way to making your life easer.
7/9
Humour helps
The easiest way to diffuse a tense situation is to inject a bit of light-hearted humour into your interactions. Of course, not everyone will appreciate your efforts of cracking a joke or making light of a situation when it is uncalled for, so always judge a situation before you try to make anyone laugh.
8/9
Put yourself in their shoes for a moment
There may be a reason why this person is acting the way they are - perhaps you might be able to shed some light on the situation by asking yourself what it would feel like if you were in their shoes. And once you have put yourself in their spot, you might be able to more easily sway them and change their perspective.
9/9
Be open to their suggestions
Don’t immediately shut out their ideas or clamp a lid on their suggestions. Always be willing to compromise, or at least listen to what they have to say before you go on about your own ideas.

Got someone prickly you have to deal with at work? Be the bigger person and learn a few of these tricks.

If you work a full-time job with a bunch of other people, chances are you’ve stumbled upon someone who doesn’t quite share your views on a certain topic or, really, any of your views in general. This person might be a superior, a colleague, or someone from a different department entirely. Whoever they are, they don’t seem to like you and they don’t seem to want to make your life easy.

If their existence causes you to want to tip-toe around them whenever they come into view, it might be time to practice our top tips on dealing with difficult people. Head up to the gallery to check out the golden rules of going head-to-head with your antagonist.

Angela Goh

Photos: Getty Images

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