5 Tips For Handling Difficult People At Work

We meet all kinds of people in the workplace. Some of these people can be good to chat with, and others can be seen as mentors that can help you grow in your position.  Then there are some people you try to steer clear of as much as possible because you find them challenging to meaningfully interact with. 

According to a study, difficult co-workers can compel an employee to leave an organization. 

This article will give you some tips on dealing with difficult people, how learning this ability can help you in your personal life and how you can learn this skill.

Benefits Of Learning How To Deal With Difficult People

Learning how to handle difficult situations and people is a life skill. There are also a number of benefits for learning how to deal with difficult people that you should consider. Some of these benefits are: 

    • Better managing the fears that lead you to avoid conversations

    • Interact more effectively with the individual

    • Helps you to prepare for future conversations with the person and others

    • Helps you to be calm and respectful others

    • Improve your ability to listen effectively

    • Learn how and when to end a difficult conversation

    • Promote joint problem-solving around a difficult issue

Tips For Handling Difficult People

More often than not, dealing with a difficult person can leave you agitated and frustrated. This leaves an impact on your work and personal life. The following tips can help you handle a situation in a better manner.

Remain Calm

Of course, this is easier said than done. Remaining calm might be our desire but sometimes it can be challenging to do so. If you are hoping to work collaboratively with members of your team, an angry outburst or a snide response to a difficult person is not the best way to get someone to collaborate with you. 

A calm state of mind shows that a person is in control of themselves and the situation. This might mean preparing yourself mentally before an interaction with them, taking a break, asking more questions, asking a colleague to accompany you or speaking to a trusted individual about how the individual’s behavior is impacting your work. 

Understand Intention

Sometimes the people we find difficult may not be intending to be difficult. 

Similarly, perhaps there may be people who find us difficult who we are not intending to be difficult towards. The issue is that our intentions may be positive but our impact may not be positive. 

The distinction between intention and impact is crucial to understanding why we might perceive others as being difficult even they do not intend to be difficult.  Taking some time to inquire about their intention and being open to their responses might go a long way to help you manage the difficult behavior they are exhibiting. 

Communicate Your Perspective

As you seek to clarify intention and open the lines of communication, it may be useful to share your own perspective. Of course, being tactful and intentional about how you communicate this to others is crucial. This can easily be misconstrued or misrepresented so be careful when sharing our perspective, especially without preparation. 

Build A Connection

If you are looking for ways to deal with a difficult person at work, you have a better chance of getting through to them by building genuine connections with them. This does not require friendship, but the goal is to have a professional relationship where there is enough understanding that productivity is not negatively impacted.  

This will not only help you get your point across but build a better connection with your fellow employees.

Be Respectful

If you want to be treated with respect, it is essential to treat everyone else with respect as well. 

Doing so will help you get through to the person in a better way. Demonstrating disrespect or not being thoughtful about how to demonstrate respect can cause conflicts that can be avoided.

Wrapping Up

According to a study by the CPP, 29% of employees have said that they experience constant conflict at work. 

This type of environment can lead to difficult conversations at work, stress, agitation, and damaged morale. 

The Stitt Feld Handy Group facilitates Dealing With Difficult People Workshops aimed at specifically teaching you these skills. These workshops mix practical and interactive training sessions that can help you understand how to use the skill first-hand and eventually integrate it into your daily interactions.