4 Effective Tips to Help You Work with a Difficult Co-Worker

There are many times when you may be in the company of a co-worker who is garrulous, obnoxious or just a downright jerk. At such times you feel completely trapped and frustrated with the atmosphere at the workplace. You need not despair however, because you can manage the situation with a little tact if you follow the right advice. Check out the following few tips which will help you tackle the worst of the situations:

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1. Cut Down the Frills and Give It Straight - Tell the person that you want to talk to him/her and without mincing any words - but being as objective as you can - tell the co-worker what you do not like about his/her behavior and request that he/she abstain from doing things that are annoying. This works very well sometimes, especially if you tell them in an objective manner.
    
2. Use the Positive Behavior Enforcement Method - This will take some time, but it is worth trying especially if you are a person who does not like conflict. Start by making a list of all the nice things about this person; then make it a point to praise and appreciate these things genuinely. People love to be appreciated - and in most cases these types of people do not have too many friends. Therefore, if you do this, he will likely try to mold himself in such a way that you will remain his friend.
    
3. Warn about Consequences - Have a frank discussion with this co-worker and explain that work will suffer if he does not cooperate. Tell him frankly what you do not like or what annoys you or interferes with your ability to work and request him to cooperate. Try to note down instances with a date, time and the actual incident in case you need to escalate the problem to the authorities. If after repeated requests things continue in the same manner, inform the co-worker that you will approach the higher authorities with a complaint. This normally should work. If not, do approach the authorities and give the details of the incidents requesting them to take necessary action.
   
   
   
    
4. Cut Interaction to the Minimum Necessary - If possible, try cutting off interaction to the minimum necessary and always be courteous and fair. With minimum interaction you can often keep the irritation to a minimum as well. The downside here is that you might end up doing more than your share of work, but if you like your peace of mind, this is often a small price to pay.

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