One of my classes is giving presentations this week, and I am struck by the topics they have chosen. The assignment directs students to choose a topic that is relevant to a large number of people in a typical workplace and design a training program to improve worker’s skills relevant to that topic. Interestingly, 2 of the 4 groups have chosen dealing with coworkers specifically, and at least 1 and maybe both of the other groups indirectly deal with relations with those people around you in the workplace. As I counsel students and former students about workplaces, something that I find very striking is that most of their comments about problems can be traced back to the people with whom they work. I think that dealing with others in the workplace may be at the root of most workplace woes. So what can you do about this? Perhaps one of the most important things is to recognize that you cannot change people. You can only change yourself, and that includes how you react to people. Think about how you react to that difficult coworker or boss in your office. Do you get defensive? Do you gossip about his or her actions? How can you respond to that person more positively?
Filed under: Conflict | Tagged: annoying coworkers, coworker relations, Dealing with Difficult People, workplace conflict, Workplace Relations
