Q&A for How to Deal With a Difficult Co‐worker

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How do you deal with an aggressive coworker?

Meredith Walters, MBA
Certified Career Coach
Meredith Walters is a Certified Career Coach based in Decatur, Georgia. Meredith's coaching program helps people develop the skills they need to find meaningful, fulfilling work. Meredith has over 12 years of career and life coaching experience, including conducting training at Emory University's Goizueta School of Business and the US Peace Corps. She is a former Member of the Board of Directors of ICF-Georgia. She earned her coaching credentials from New Ventures West. She received a BA in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Meredith Walters, MBA

Certified Career Coach

Expert Answer

The best way to handle a tough coworker is to talk to them privately about their behavior. Try to be empathetic and compassionate, and just ask them why they're being aggressive toward you. It may not have anything to do with you at all; there may be something going in your coworker's personal life that's triggering their behavior. Regardless of the reason, you won't know what's really going on until you talk to them about it.

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Question

What do you do when a coworker hates you?

Meredith Walters, MBA
Certified Career Coach
Meredith Walters is a Certified Career Coach based in Decatur, Georgia. Meredith's coaching program helps people develop the skills they need to find meaningful, fulfilling work. Meredith has over 12 years of career and life coaching experience, including conducting training at Emory University's Goizueta School of Business and the US Peace Corps. She is a former Member of the Board of Directors of ICF-Georgia. She earned her coaching credentials from New Ventures West. She received a BA in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Meredith Walters, MBA

Certified Career Coach

Expert Answer

View your coworkers with compassion. Keep in mind that whatever the other person is responding to about you, it's not necessarily because you're doing wrong. In most cases, it's more about them. Try having a conversation with them where you try to get an idea of what they're reacting to and why. Often, if you can do that without becoming defensive, you can navigate the situation and work together.

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Question

How do you handle conflict at work?

Meredith Walters, MBA
Certified Career Coach
Meredith Walters is a Certified Career Coach based in Decatur, Georgia. Meredith's coaching program helps people develop the skills they need to find meaningful, fulfilling work. Meredith has over 12 years of career and life coaching experience, including conducting training at Emory University's Goizueta School of Business and the US Peace Corps. She is a former Member of the Board of Directors of ICF-Georgia. She earned her coaching credentials from New Ventures West. She received a BA in English Literature from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco.

Meredith Walters, MBA

Certified Career Coach

Expert Answer

Remember not to take things personally. Typically, people aren't actually acting against you at work; they're just trying to advocate for what they believe. If someone makes you upset, take deep breaths and give yourself a moment to calm back down.

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Question

What if my coworker won't respond to me?

Community Answer

Just leave it and walk away. If he is not your subordinate, then let it go, but if he is your subordinate, try to know what is the issue and try to get it resolved.

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How do I deal with someone who always looks at the negative?

Community Answer

Try to point out the positives to him, or else just ignore him.

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How do I respond when a co-worker goes over my head from the beginning?

Community Answer

Try having a polite conversation with them, asking them to please come to you directly when they have a problem so that you can try to solve it. If that doesn't help, all you can really do is do your job to the best of your abilities so that they don't have any reason to complain about you.

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