by Heather Johnson

A job is not just a means to an ends; it’s not just how you make your daily bread but also a way of life. Since you’re likely to be spending most of your waking hours in an office or other occupational location, you must love your job or be miserable each day you go in to work. While your salary and job satisfaction form a major part of wanting to go in to work every day, a significant burden of your office morale rests with your colleagues, the people you interact with day in and day out during the course of your work. Human beings are a motley bunch – you get all kinds; love them or hate them, you have to put up with them. Here are some pointers in dealing with difficult coworkers and maintaining cordial relationships with everyone around you:

· Stay on friendly terms with everyone. Even if you do not like a person or agree with his philosophies and principles, just smile and go your way instead of getting into an argument.

· In an argument between two coworkers, avoid taking sides as much as possible. It’s not wise to rub anyone the wrong way.

· Never shirk responsibility by pushing your work onto someone else, even if he/she’s a junior and can’t complain.

· Avoid gossip around the water cooler – even walls have ears and grapevines are pretty long. You don’t want to create enemies even unknowingly.

· Be ready to help in a pinch but don’t be too obliging or you’ll never be able to refuse a request again. Sometimes people take your concern for granted.

· Avoid people who are bent on causing trouble. If they’re pushing for a fight, be the bigger man and step aside. Don’t get drawn into an argument that you can avoid.

· If your boss is the problem, patience is your best bet. Open antagonism will only have a boomerang effect. If the harassment is too much to take, take up the issue with someone higher in the office hierarchy than your boss and ask to be transferred to another division or branch.

· Do not complain against your supervisor or boss to your colleagues.

· Offer congratulations with a smile when your coworkers are promoted or receive raises.

· Avoid racism of any kind. Be kind and polite to people of other races and cultures and do not make derogatory comments about their religion or way of life.

· While some people welcome curiosity about their family, others are reticent and unwilling to bring the home to the office with them. Assess human nature well enough to know which of your colleagues are chatterboxes and which of them are recluses. Act accordingly.

· Be respectful in dealing with members of the opposite sex and make sure that you are not charged with sexual harassment for inappropriate behavior or comments.

If you make your place of work a second home and your colleagues your second family, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have a fulfilling and satisfying career.

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of human resource manager. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

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