Successfully Handling Your Co-workers Biggest Peeves

Jackie Edwards 2m 527 #peeves

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

Getting on well with your colleagues improves job satisfaction, according to studies. But having good relationships in the workplace isn’t always easy. 90% of US workers say they have a colleague that gets on their nerves. But what are the worst workplace colleague peeves and how do you effectively deal with them?

Co-workers that interrupt

A recent Quality Logo survey found that co-workers who interrupt are the worst kind. 48% of people said it was their biggest issue at work. Thankfully, there are lots of ways to tackle this problem. First of all, don’t take it personally. A difference in cultures or nerves could be to blame. If the problem persists, speak to the worker directly. Explain how it makes you feel and that you’d appreciate being given time to finish talking. 68% of workers say they’ve had to confront a colleague about their behavior. But if this isn’t something you feel comfortable doing, consider a group discussion. Discuss how effectively you work together, what does and doesn’t work well, and similar. This will give everyone the chance to voice their peeves without directly singling anyone out.

Annoying personality traits

Two traits that workers don’t like in their co-workers are oversharing (45%) and arrogance (41%). Remote working is one way around this and is much more accepted these days. Working from home involves setting up an area to work from, such as your living room. You’ll need to integrate natural light, maximize your storage space, separate your home and work life, and personalize your work area to ensure it’s a success. Remote work won’t get you away from your annoying colleagues for good, though. Many remote workers follow a hybrid working model and spend one to two days per week in the office. Remote workers often use a virtual office too, so getting away isn’t an option. If a co-worker is sharing too much or being too arrogant, speak to them about it. You could also ask their line manager or HR to have a word with them. Don’t get involved in heated debates with the individual. It’s best to keep things professional at all times. This will avoid giving them power and help you to stay calm.

Credit where credit’s due

47% of workers say that the thing that annoys them the most is when co-workers take credit for someone else’s work. It’s all too easy to lose your cool and rant that it was you that did all the hard work. But, the best thing to do is to take time to calm down and regain your composure so you can sort the situation out properly and professionally. First, talk to your colleague and give them the opportunity to put things right. If this doesn’t work out, have a chat with your line manager. Point out that you want to avoid conflict in the workplace and that you feel addressing this issue is in everyone’s interests.

When you work closely with people from different backgrounds, there will be times when they do things that get to you. Rather than shy away from these individuals, do all you can to resolve these peeves so that everyone in the workplace benefits.

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