Dealing Difficult Co-Workers with Hypnotherapy and NLP

In this week’s post, I talk about how to deal with difficult co-workers. Many of us spend more time at the office than we do with our own families. It would be great if we could get along with all of our co-workers, but it doesn’t always work out that way. Some co-workers are bullies or don’t do their work, or have annoying personal habits. So whether you are having Hypnotherapy at my Harley Street practice or having Online Hypnosis via Skype – these pointers will help you stay calmer at work!

It would be great if we always got along well with our co-workers, but some job situations just don’t turn out that way. You may find yourself sitting across the desk from a bully, someone who won’t do his or her fair share, someone who won’t stop complaining, or someone with any of a million annoying personal traits.

When these situations arise, there are some ways for you to calm the troubled waters so that your workplace doesn’t turn into an undeclared combat zone.

1. Communicate directly.

It can be tempting to avoid the person who is giving you grief, but sometimes this only adds to the trouble. Your co-worker is not a mind reader, after all. If you don’t express yourself in a calm, professional manner, your co-worker may never know what is annoying you. Deliver your message as if you expect the other person to receive it well. For instance, you might say, “As we discussed last week, your part of the report will need to be finished this Friday so that the team can stay on target.”

2. Document.

When one of your co-workers is not reliable, it pays to document every interaction. Email is your best friend because it lets you keep a record of what you communicated to your co-worker and the response you received. If your co-worker neglects his or her job or treats you with extreme disrespect, the documentation will speak for itself so your boss won’t have to sort out a he-said/she-said struggle.

3. Avoid unnecessary interactions.

By all means, communicate clearly with your co-worker about business-related matters, but don’t feel like you have to engage in casual conversation about your plans for the weekend or about the hometown sports team’s win/loss record. You can be pleasant without being chatty.

4. Take responsibility for your part of the problem.

Conflict is rarely the fault of just one person. Even if it’s hard to acknowledge it, you too may be playing a part in the difficulty between you and your co-worker. Take a long, hard look at your

reactions and be prepared to adjust your behaviour accordingly. For instance, you may decide to grin and suck it up when your co-worker starts chewing on his apple too loudly, or you may need to apologise for something you said or did.

5. Steer clear of gossip.

When you’re not fond of someone, it’s easy to get into the habit of complaining about that person to others – to gossiping about him or her, in other words. Gossiping, however, will only increase the animosity between you. It gives your troublesome co-worker the green light to gossip as well. It can also force your other co-workers to take sides in the problem. If one of your other officemates