Following on from our recent blog on culture, we thought it would be fitting to provide some advice on something that can be detrimental to a happy company culture – difficult colleagues.

It can be tempting to lash out when dealing with annoying people at work. But a new piece in the Harvard Business Review offers tips on building empathy as a way of tackling this “issue”.

Do:

• Make a concerted effort to understand your colleague’s perspective and feelings.
• Engage in acts of kindness and compassion toward your annoying colleague.
• Learn to recognize clues that you’re having a negative emotional reaction toward your colleague. Take deep breaths and stay calm.

Don’t:

• Take your colleague’s behaviour personally and lash out. Instead, look inward and ask yourself: What’s causing me to react this way?
• Focus on the differences between you and your colleague. Rather, concentrate on similarities and things you share in common.
• Shy away from having a conversation with your colleague about how you can best work together. If they drive you crazy, it’s likely that you drive them crazy, too.

For more on this: https://hbr.org/2018/04/how-to-develop-empathy-for-someone-who-annoys-you#