Difficult Colleagues

Do you have a problem with difficult people at work? Do you have a colleague who is always late, who is always criticizing your work or who can never decide anything? Recent research suggests that you are not alone. Many managers say that they are spending more and more time dealing with difficult people and trying to stop confrontations at work.

Katerina Gerhardt, a leading management consultant, has spent over three years looking into the problem of conflicts in the office or on the factory floor. Her report lists some of the commonest types of “difficult” people.

Mr Angry. This person finds it almost impossible to control his emotions at work. If there is a problem at work he becomes aggressive, and shouts and screams until he gets his way. This behaviour can be very intimidating for other people and can lead to serious problems in a department or in a company.

Ms Indecisive. She is completely unable to make a decision. She prefers a wait-and-see approach. Even the most trivial questions take weeks or months to decide. Katerina Gerhardt gives several examples of cases where slow decision making has led to losses of important contracts and millions of dollars in revenue.

Mr Rumour. He is normally an insecure person who feels threatened by colleagues. He may feel that people dislike him or think that his work is poor. His reaction is to talk about people behind their backs and spread rumours about them. This usually creates a bad working atmosphere and can even affect productivity in extreme cases.

Mr Right. He is convinced that his, and only his, opinions are correct and that his decisions are the right ones. Katerina Gerhardt says that Mr Right is very common in senior management positions. He is only interested in himself. He dismisses his colleagues’ contributions and will only listen to his own opinions. He is usually the worst kind of team leader.

For some people being difficult is a full time job. This can make life impossible for colleagues and can even lead to people leaving the company.

So what’s the solution? Katerina Gerhardt says that some types of behaviour are so difficult that no satisfactory solution can be given. However, she does suggest some ways for managers to deal with problem people.

• First to arrange a meeting with the difficult person. Make sure that you meet somewhere quiet and not in the middle of a busy office with phones ringing and visitors arriving.

• Listen to his or her opinion. Don’t give the impression that you are not interested in the reasons for the problem. Try to find some points you can agree on if possible. Emphasize that you are interested in finding a solution to the problem.

• Don’t listen to rumour or opinion. Concentrate on the facts of the case. Turn the conversation to specific cases of “difficult” behaviour. Don’t repeat vague accusations or second-hand stories from colleagues in your department.

Exercise 2

Read the article again and mark the sentences true or false.

1. In most companies there are some difficult people.

2. Dr Gerhardt studied difficult people in three companies.

3. Mr Angry is usually very relaxed at work.

4. It could be very expensive for a company to employ Ms Indecisive.

5. Mr Right is normally a good listener and a popular boss.

6. Ms Gerhardt thinks that all problems with difficult colleagues can be solved.

7. It is a good idea to invite a difficult colleague to a restaurant to discuss the problem.

8. You should agree with everything the difficult person says.

Exercise 3

Read and translate.