5 ways to deal with toxic colleagues

"You can choose your friends but you can't choose your family." - Harper Lee,To Kill a Mockingbird

Try as we might, we can't choose the family we belong to. In the workplace, unless you are the one in charge of hiring personnel, you can't choose who you work with either.

Some workplaces are heaven in that there is harmony amongst the employees"”everyone gets along with everyone and there is respect and cooperation within the team. In this kind of environment, colleagues consider each other as friends and actually look forward to going to work every day. Count yourself lucky if you find yourself in that kind of setting.

The reality however is that in most workplaces there is that one (or more!) person who doesn't quite get along with the group. They are destructive, argumentative and just plain rude towards their officemates. There are also those who always have a dark cloud hanging over their heads and bring nothing but misery everywhere they go.

Don't let these toxic people ruin work for you! Learn to deal with these workplace Dementors and save yourself from going insane from their antics.

1. Deal with yourself first and the rest will follow.

Just as you can't choose who you work with, you can't also control another person's actions either. What you can control however is how you react to the happenings around you. It may take some extra effort from you but it is you who will come out as mature and professional in the end. For example, when dealing with a hot-headed co-worker, just calm yourself down, take deep breaths and avoid this person if you can. He/she is not worth losing your mind over.

2. Kindness goes a long way.

This goes beyond the "keep calm and avoid the harmful person" technique mentioned in the first item. There are times where you cannot completely avoid your dreaded colleague and ducking out to hide in another place just won't do. During these instances where you have to actually communicate with your co-worker, always keep a level head and keep it up all throughout. When confronted with aggression, respond in a cool and collected manner. Give a smile for every smirk or snide remark thrown your way. Show them you are not easily affected by their behavior"”it might just make them think twice about treating you bad the next time around.

3. Set a good example and stay professional.

There is a tendency for workmates to adopt a pack mentality around a rude colleague, where they may engage in destructive behavior themselves like spreading gossip about the offender. Rules of professionalism and good taste dictate that you should not join the herd. It may be tempting to do so but it would only bring in more negativity to the workplace. What you should do instead is to set a good example and not let yourself get affected by the drama.

4. Talk it out one-on-one.

There will come a time when you have to speak to your problematic officemate about his/her behavior, especially if it's affecting your productivity. As always, approach this conversation with professionalism and decorum. Make it known to your colleague that this is not just a personal issue but is also something that affects the business of the company. Start by asking for some time off to go somewhere private to do this meeting. Julie Jansen, career coach and author of You Want Me to Work With Who? Eleven Keys to a Stress-Free, Satisfying and Successful Work Life"¦No Matter Who You Work With advises that you approach this meeting as a professional engagement to keep unwanted emotions at bay. Get to the root of the problem right away, say that their behavior is affecting you and listen to what they have to say about it. You might be surprised by the reasons behind their behavior and from there make an agreement to be civil with each other.

5. Bring the issue to your boss.

Have you already talked to your colleague but didn't notice any change in his/her behavior? It's time to escalate the matter to your boss. You can only do so much about your officemate's behavior so leave it out for people in authority (your supervisor or HR personnel) to deal with the matter. Talk to this person in private and seek out their advice for this issue.

About JobStreet.com

JobStreet.com is a leading online job board presently covering the employment markets in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. JobStreet.com currently services over 230,000 corporate hirers and over 15 million jobseekers in its database.

About SEEK Asia

JobStreet.com and jobsDB are part of SEEK Asia, which is the leading online employment market place in Asia. SEEK Asia covers 7 countries namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

SEEK Asia is the extension of the Australian Securities Exchange listed company called SEEK. The company's purpose is to help improve people's lives through a better career. SEEK Asia's database consist of over 500,000 corporate hirers and over 24 million candidates.

For more information about this article, or to schedule an interview with JobStreet.com Philippines, please call Mark Nichol Turija, Content Marketing Specialist, at 286-6222.