How to handle difficult people You Meet at Work!

The workplace, like anyplace you bring a bunch of people together, is a jumble of many different personalities. In addition to coworkers who are easy to work with, you will also find difficult people at work. What sets the workplace apart from many other places is that everyone, even the difficult people must cooperate in order to be productive.

Here are five types of difficult people you may meet at work and advice for getting along with each one.

The Chatterbox

This person’s incessant talking is just keeping you from concentrating on your work. Rather than risk insulting your colleague, put the blame on yourself. Tell your coworker you have trouble concentrating while you are listening to her very engaging stories. You'd love to hear them at some other time, just not while you're working.

The Gossip

The gossip seems to know everything about everyone and he wants to share it. Listen to your gossipy coworker quietly. Don't become a gossip too. However, if the gossip being shared is of a very personal nature, for example he shares with you news of another coworker's marital problems, change the subject or say that you don't feel right discussing someone behind his back.

The Complainer

There's always one person in a group who can never find anything about which to be happy. Of course, some of her complaints may be legitimate, but the incessant whining is getting on your nerves. Change the subject whenever the bellyaching begins. Your colleague should get the hint after you do this repeatedly.

The Delagator

We're not talking about those who have a legitimate reason to delegate work to others, for example managers or team leaders. if managers are the only ones who have the authority to delegate and you already have your hands full, then you have to turn down the request. Tell your coworker you have your own work with which to deal.

The Credit Grabber

The credit grabber does not acknowledge any help she receives from others. She accepts all the praise for a project without mentioning that she didn't do it alone. The first time this happens, consider it a mistake. Mention it to your colleague and ask her to let others know about your participation. If she doesn't, or if this happens again, make sure you let others know about the role you played in getting a project done. Then, unless you are mandated to work with this person, refuse to help out again.

Ref: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/bosscoworkers/a/difficultpeople.htm