10 Tips on How to Deal With Different Personalities at Work
As you progress in your career and move to different departments, offices or even companies one thing will remain constant, you will have to interact with your co-workers, all with their own unique skills, perceptions and of course personalities.
As you interact with colleagues in a working environment, under pressure and under stress friction is found to occur. That friction can turn into a fire and It can happen in an instant.
However tempting it may be to react in a rage and frustration it is in the best interest of both yourself and the company to maintain healthy relationships with these people.
Dealing with conflict constructively encourages good work ethic and workspace productivity. It makes it easier to complete the tasks that are required of you. It has also been proven that when personality conflicts occur in the office, productivity slows down and targets are missed.
So in the spirit of helping workspaces everywhere, here are a few tips to help you cope:
1. Identify who you're dealing with
Speak to your co-workers and find out the type of people they are. It is best to do your research and then handle the situation from there. Never just assume.
2. Avoid the gossip
Do not spread rumours and do not entertain office gossip. You could easily become a victim of it and you could be the blame for the stories going around, so try to be neutral as much as you can when at work.
3. Try not to play the blame game
Another tempting vice for many employees is the blame game. Do not point fingers at work. Always take responsibility for your own actions, acknowledge when you are wrong and have the ability to forgive the next person so that work can continue as normal.
4. Have balance between home and work
Separate your home life from your work life. Work is not a place for drama to unfold. So come with the right frame of mind to the office.
5. Don't play therapist
Do not try to fix or change someone’s personality. Communicate effectively and try to understand things from their point of view.
6. Be an effective communicator
Try to deal with not being unable to understand an instruction by asking a co-worker or speaking to your boss. Complaining brings down the atmosphere in the office and causes everyone to get upset or exhausted.
7. Pick your battles
Try your best to not engage in office conflict. You need to learn to let things go and not let other people’s problems become your problems.
8. Show respect
Respect is always important despite your age. Always respect the people you work with.
9. Provide constructive criticism
When asked for help, give proper, constructive feedback and never take things personally.
10. Work as a team
Appreciate the people you work with. You are all learning things from each other and you all represent the same team.