Office Pains
Don’t let coworkers derail your day
Many of us spend our days indoors surrounded by small cubicles, windowless walls, and florescent lighting.
When the walls around us are not irritating it is the people that step in and take their place. The jokesters, know it alls, nitpickers, smart asses, and the idiots that make you wonder how they got so far in life.
Hollywood, for example, has made multiple movies on how the workplace sucks and the characters that inhabit these areas. There have been hit sitcoms highlighting the naivety of a manger and his relationship with his employees, and a movie about how to rip off your company one penny at a time all while keeping the idiot in the basement with his red stapler wishing he could have a slice of cake.
Some weeks we see our work family more than our actual own. In these situations it is hard not for us to lose our patience or develop the workday blues.
There are ways to handle the office politics so that you don’t make enemies and enjoy your work atmosphere; you just have to know the right way to handle the situations and the people that surround you.
The Jokester
Lets start with jokesters. Jokesters usually are just trying to provide entertainment and lightheartedness to the workday.
They do not see that they may be obscene with their comments or alienating certain ethnicities by their jokes. After all, “One Eyed Purple People Eaters” are people too.
This type of personality also tends to get off task the most and become a distraction to the office and reduce productivity. The initial encouragement comes from obtaining laughs at their follies and comments, which then feeds their desire to continue.
They like being the center of attention and having outlets for their creativity. So how do you refocus that energy without looking like a killjoy or better yet Dwight from “The Office”?
You can start with questions to redirect their attention back to the work task.
The infamous… “Oh hey, is that your phone ringing?” Or “ by the way did that guy ever email you back?”
If this does not work you will have to start ignoring these outbursts or simply direct them to tell their jokes after work at the local pub where they will be better received.
You could also threaten sensitivity training as well that would take place on a Saturday starting at 6 a.m. and ending around 5 that afternoon.
The Know It All
Onto the infamous know it alls, and because they usually carry the same offenses, we will include the nitpickers, and perfectionists.
I would say they’re your typical pocket protector group but since they are currently the ones making millions in this economy with their gadgets, software companies and web apps we will assume these are the people who are spending so much time worrying about others, that they are not successful in their own job.
While it is human nature to curb this behavior by highlighting the faults of these so called “Know It Alls”… that only fuels the fire for them to watch over you more closely.
You need to understand that these types of individuals have low self esteem and do not feel that they have job security. So the old saying of turn the other cheek really applies here and by merely highlighting what good they are doing and providing positive feedback you will then in turn move their attention away from you and they will move on to their next victim, which is likely “The Jokester.”
The Tattler
The tattle tellers. Yes they exist outside of kindergarten, and they are also the ones who told the boss that he saw you in the stands on the ESPN highlight reels last Thursday when you were out “Sick.”
Having this type of person on your team creates trust issues within the workplace, which will lead to tension and overall productivity loss.
So some ways to curb this type of behavior is to keep things close to the chest as they say, don’t provide ammo for this guy. Make sure that you are working above your expectations at work.
If you have always received good performance reports the managers will not take notice or give merit to the Tattle Teller. If you are a manager of such type of person… well give them so much work to do that they don’t have time to be a snitch.
The Idiot
Now to the infamous idiots. I find it funny when you Google how to deal with idiots all the response you get are what you need to change about your approach to them and not what you can instill in the idiot.
Most of the suggestions I have provided have been aimed at redirecting the behavior of the offender, as I believe that the best way to curb habits or to incite change is to be the catalyst, hold people accountable and provide the redirection.
So why shouldn’t idiots be treated the same way?
The best way to handle an Idiot is show them how not to be one. For example: they are standing at the copy machine that has been flashing load paper for 20 minutes and they are unsure of how to fix it. Don’t just jump in and load the paper. Produce the manual and tell them to read it.
If they send an email that is requesting the same information they asked yesterday in another email to which you responded to … redirect them to that email… don’t just answer it again.
If they are licking glue or coming in with their shirt inside out… well there is just only so much help one person can give and it may take the village to help out.
If you find that after following these suggestions your issues have not been resolved, you can always take it to your HR department and have it addressed or you can search within and make sure that you are in the right place for you and that the company you work for aligns with your goals and morals.
If you are thinking to yourself that you don’t have these types of people at your work or have any work issues then a) I applaud you for your positive, glass-half-full attitude, or b) You are one of these people and just don’t know it.
I really only highlighted the most common types of issues in a work place, but if you have something more specific or an issue that you would like some perspective or feedback on please do not hesitate to email me at – etiquetteinsider@dailyfunder.com.
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