Five Ways To Work With A Hated Co-worker

AMIT GARG WAS GIVEN THE RESPONSIBILITY to head a team of 30 people in a Gurgaon-based consulting firm. Little did he know that within months of joining the new organisation, he would be one of its least liked co-workers. He was having a tough time handling his team, until someone made him aware that his short fuse was to blame. According to HR experts, the next time you start hating a colleague at your workplace, try and help him instead of avoiding him. Here’s how to make things work with someone you hate in the office, says Mahima Puri.

Help create buddies
It is the responsibility of the peer group to help fellow colleagues make friends, says Umesh Dhal, head of HR &MS at LG Electronics. HR can too play an important role in this if such feedback is received from a team. “Sit with the team and check acceptability status of the concerned person. Get help from some specially designed activities that can gauge if the person has problems with social behaviour,” he says.

Offer personal counselling
One of the ways to deal with the situation could also be to offer the colleague personal counselling. The HR department can do this job after receiving feedback from the irksome employee’s peers.

Find areas of mutual interest
As colleagues, one can identify areas of interest that you and the concerned person may share. For instance, if cricket is an area of mutual interest, colleagues can sit together and watch or discuss cricket. This helps in breaking the ice and making the person more acceptable at the workplace.

Give feedback
You have to make your colleague aware of his behaviour that is making him the least acceptable in the office environment. “Give positive feedback and try and explain things instead of complaining. Most of the time, colleagues can be rude or short-tempered but they may not realise this. Be gentle in your approach,” says Gagan Adlakha, founder of HR consulting firm Vyaktitva.

Talk to peers
Another solution could also be to send the person to an open programme, wherein management and behavioural training is provided. “Feedback from the peer group may not work always. Sometimes, it is advisable to get feedback from a third party. The person may be more open to this,” says Mr Adlakha. He adds that this helps the person see himself in new light, without feeling that his peer group is biased.