Working with Unbearable Bosses and Complicated Coworkers

The ability to have effective working relationships on your job is a major factor of career success. However, what do you do when you have to work with problem bosses or coworkers?

By Annabelle Reitman, Ed.D, Career Management Consultant

The ability to work effectively with people is a major determining factor of success in the workplace. Having good interpersonal relationship skills ? working well with others ? is an important ingredient of job satisfaction and promotion opportunities. However, what do you do when your boss is impossible, difficult or unbearable? How do you work with colleagues who are uncooperative, temperamental, or competitive?

Bob Wall in Working Relationships: The simple truth about getting along with friends and foes at work states, "Professional relationships exist for one purpose and one purpose only ? to get the job done. The company is depending on us to be able to work together to make that happen." Although everyone would like to go to work, get their job done, and also enjoy themselves, when you have a problem boss or colleague, your situation is one of stress, frustration, and inefficiency. Knowing how to handle a problem boss or coworker is essential to your survival in the workplace and to keeping your job.

Unbearable Bosses

Usually problem bosses are essentially poor managers. Some common poor management skills and steps you can do to take control and make the situation work for you include:

• Micromanages - Set specific deadlines for all outcomes that are your responsibility as well as a time to review the status of your work. Write a memo, reconfirming your responsibilities, deadlines and next meeting.
• No feedback or rewards - Keep written documentation of all your work and accomplishments. After completion of a project, initiate some quick feedback. At performance review time, bring all evidence of your successes.
• Unrealistic workload delegation - Ask about priorities, deadlines and other information to be comfortable so that you can do the work. Take this opportunity to show off your competencies.

Complicated Coworkers

People with difficult personalities are not good team players. Some common difficult personalities and ways to deal with them to get the job done include:

• Dominant player - Clarify how leadership and decisions will be made. Address issues and concerns straightforwardly and without attacking the individual e.g., "Are there additional suggestions?"
• Information withholder - Make your request tactfully, calmly, and acknowledge their contribution. Ask them to confirm your conclusions or facts you've gathered.
• Conflict in personalities - Take a deep breath and count to ten. Be direct, firm, and nonconfrontational, but on your own terms. Discuss options.

RESOURCES

• Working with Difficult People, Working Relationships: The simple truth about getting along with friends and foes at work
  Gives some guidelines to help you work with these types. Most importantly, helps you put problem people in proper perspective without expect difficult people to change.

Looking to make a career move?  Create a free Thingamajob account and gain access to a wide spectrum of job opportunities from Allegis Group's diverse family of staffing companies including TEKsystems and Aerotek.