5 Simple Tips On How To Work With Colleagues You Don’t Like

5 Simple Tips On How To Work With Colleagues You Don’t Like

By Michelle Wanjiku

I was having a conversation with my colleague the other day and she was telling me about how she never liked a former colleague of hers. “I could not stand her she was annoying and I didn’t like how she talked to me,” she explained.

But there was nothing she could really do about it because they were in the same department and needed to work together on quite a number of projects.

You won’t always like everyone you work with and that’s okay because people are different and you won’t be able to see eye to eye with everyone.

This, however, doesn’t mean that it has to affect your job because sadly at work, you cannot avoid someone you don’t like forever.

So how do you manage to work with someone you don’t get along with?

1. Accept that you won’t like everyone

You won’t like everyone you meet and that’s okay, you cannot like all your colleagues but this doesn’t mean that you should quit your job.

You don’t need to be friends with everyone you work with, you just have to ensure that you respect everyone at the workplace on a professional level even if you do not respect at a personal level. This will help reduce conflicts at work.

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2. Rise above the pettiness

Just because a colleague said something negative about you doesn’t mean you should say something negative back.

Doing so will only make you look like a trouble maker and escalate the issue.This is not to say that you shouldn’t get angry or annoyed, but you don’t have to engage the person. Take some time and let go of those feelings because not doing so could turn you into a negative person. Holding on the negative feelings could also affect your productivity at work.

Sometimes all you need to do is smile and nod. There’s no need to engage.

3. Don’t take everything personally

A good way to avoid losing your temper when dealing with someone you don’t like at work is to never take everything they say or do personally.

Just assume that what they do or say is because of them and has nothing to do with you.

For example, if the person disagrees with your ideas for a project, don’t take it as them disagreeing with you as an individual.

The same goes for you when you don’t agree with this person’s ideas ensure it’s because of the ideas themselves and not because of your dislike towards them.

4. Pick your battles

You don’t have to react to everything because not everything is worth your time and attention.

Before you decide to get into an argument about something, weigh the benefits and if it’s really something you want to spend time and energy arguing about.

Ask yourself if you have more to lose than win if you engage the person. This will help you avoid unnecessary conflict.

5. Set boundaries

Another great way to deal with working with someone you don’t like is to set clear boundaries with the person.

You can set boundaries that determine when and how you associate with this person.

A good example would be to make it clear that you are not going to talk about anything personal with this person.

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In conclusion,

Unlike social situations where you can avoid people you don’t like, the workplace is a completely different environment and you should never let your personal feelings affect your work.

So you need to remember that you are also not perfect and there are some things other people also don’t like about you.

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