Yes! We have all been there. The guy in the cubicle next to us makes vulgar jokes seemingly on a daily timer. One of the girls clearly does not do her part and leeches on the work of others. So on, in any work place, you almost always have at least one person you do not really get along with. With the time we spend at work, having a bad colleague can really hamper your mood over the long haul, as well as your job performance. One of the indicators of a toxic individual's behavior is that they are highly self-centered. You need to look for ways to protect yourself from their wrath.
Here are a few tips on surviving your toxic colleagues
1. Focus on yourself
It is really easy to focus on other people and their behaviour which can take a lot of time and energy. So rather than spending all your energy concerning yourself with the behavior of others, focus on what you can do and make sure you are doing your job as well as you can. During meetings with your toxic colleague and external parties, documentation of discussions is the best way to shield yourself from their drama.
2. Do not take their behaviour personally
Toxic individuals rarely take responsibility for their actions, and instead blame others or circumstances for what happened. The best way to deal with toxic coworkers is to hold them responsible for their own actions. Avoid justifying their behavior and stop taking personal responsibility for their actions. Chances are, they do enough of this themselves.
3. Kill 'em with kindness
Acting out can take the form of bullying, passive aggressiveness, and any number of other behaviors that you find distasteful, which may affect your own reputation. If someone has been short with you, or said something that might have offended you, try being extra pleasant while chit-chatting rather than offering a cold shoulder. Your kindness may very well help them realise and be a little ashamed of their own poor behavior
4. Try avoiding
Finding simple ways to avoid the bothersome colleague is a helpful solution that can possibly nip the problem in the bud without requiring an awkward one-on-one confrontation. A few strategies to consider are
- Move desk/cubicles: If it is your neighbor who is annoying you with their music, smell or constant chit-chats, request a change of desk from your supervisor. You do not need to tell your boss exactly why you are requesting. Only if the supervisor inquires, simply state that there is some conflict between you and a coworker that is hold back your productivity.
- Rearrange your schedule: If issues seem to arise during a certain time of day, you should consider rearranging your schedule a little bit. Maybe you can shift your entire workday by an hour or two
- Ask about working remotely: If you can work from home a couple days per week, or even simply in the coffee shop a couple blocks from your office, that annoying coworker may not be so annoying anymore.
- Change teams: This could be a little extreme, as it could functionally mean changing your job. One way to approach this tactic is to play it off like you have been considering changing teams/departments for a while based on your personal interests/desires
When you spend 8+ hours per day, 40+ hours per week with a whole team of people, it is likely that they are eventually going to rub you the wrong way. Small tics will be magnified and personality differences lead to varying work styles, which can easily turn into conflict. Conflict can even arise from something as simple as you desiring a quiet lunch period, while your coworkers like to socialise. These types of things are simply differences in how you work do not necessarily make your colleagues bad.
References:
http://lifehacker.com/how-to-handle-a-toxic-work-environment-1627385030
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/How-to-Survive-Dysfunctional-and-Difficult-Co-workers
http://fortune.com/2012/02/29/how-to-cope-with-toxic-colleagues-if-you-must/
https://www.thebalance.com/dealing-with-difficult-people-at-work-1917903
