Related Sponsors

How should I handle these peers?

Home » Human Resources » Dealing With Difficult People: Your Peers » How should I handle these peers?

To ward off Bad-Mouth Bob: Don�t give fuel to his fire. Limit the amount of contact you have with him, to avoid giving him more information for him to spread. Spreading your own negative information about him, or arguing with him about what he�s doing, won�t work. You have to just step it up and prove to your boss and your peers that you are capable, and that what Bob says isn�t true, through your job performance and actions.

Cut Chatty Patty off at the pass. If you have an office door, by all means, shut it! If not, try to create a private work area by arranging your desk with your back to the entrance to your cubicle. Give short yes and no answers, and don�t encourage more conversation. If you don�t participate in the conversation, she�ll be more likely to go elsewhere to find a willing participant. And don�t be afraid to simply say, �Not now, Patty. I�m really busy. We can chat at lunch, if you�d like.�

No-Limits Lilly needs limits, and you�re the one to set them, at least for your relationship with her. When she brings up a subject you�d prefer not to discuss, tell her, �I�m not really comfortable talking about that, especially in the office.� Then change the subject. If she asks you a personal question, use humor to ward her off. Or, just try Ann Landers� trick: Ask the person why ever would he or she want to know that? And if that fails: Kindly, mind your own business.

Again, just as you did with Bad-Mouth Bob, it�s best to limit your conversations with Steal-em Steve, so he has less material of yours to steal. Calling foul on him will just make you look whiny; keep your ideas to yourself, make them known directly to your superiors or in writing in order to earn credit for those ideas.

Next Page: Should I talk to my boss about a difficult peer?

Related Dealing With Difficult People: Your Peers Articles