How to Deal with Difficult Coworkers

Do you have a colleague who constantly interrupts? Or someone who never finishes their tasks on time? Difficult coworkers can create a stressful environment. Working with irritating colleagues while remaining positive and productive isn't always easy. Keep reading to learn how to deal with difficult coworkers and make your (work) life more positive.

"I Love My Job, But I Hate My Coworkers"

Hate is a strong word. But not strong enough! That’s how you can feel when you drive to work, gritting your teeth and chanting the mantra, "I hate my coworkers." You probably don’t hate all of them. And if you do, don’t worry; you’re not alone.

In a survey by Kickresume, 85% say they have experienced an annoying coworker. Working from home surely relieves some of that stress, right? For some yes, but not for all. 53% think remote work makes things easier whereas 20% of people think remote work has increased frustration.

The 12 Types of Difficult Coworkers

Who are these annoying people you work with, and why do you hate them? And more importantly, how do you get rid of… er, how do you deal with difficult coworkers? Here are a few of the most common objects of office annoyance. See if any of them sound familiar.

1. The Conversation Dominator

Sure, they know a lot and have valid points. But they ramble on in every meeting and conversation, repeating their opinions until you can’t hear them over the throbbing in your head.

How to deal with a conversation dominator:

Acknowledge their input but stay confident in your own knowledge and experience. Be polite yet assertive in sharing your own ideas.

• Encourage discussions where everyone's ideas are equally valued.
• Create meeting agendas in advance.
• Set time limits in meetings for everyone to share their opinions.

2. The Dr. Do Little or Nothing

This is that annoying coworker who never seems to be doing anything when they’re at their desk, which is rare. They contribute nothing during meetings, never volunteer to help on projects, and often pass their work off to others.

How to deal with a Dr. Do Little or Nothing:

Document the lack of their completed work and the impact on the team. Have a direct but tactful conversation with the difficult coworker to express your concerns and seek a resolution.

• Set clear expectations and deadlines in writing.
• Offer to help and try to better understand any challenges they might be facing.
• Keep your manager informed about the situation.

3. The Brownie Bragger

They think they’re the manager’s best friend and let everyone know it. They go out of their way to push you under the bus while tooting their own horn to the boss.

How to deal with a brownie bagger:

Maintain a professional attitude and let your work speak for itself. Avoid getting involved in office politics, instead focus on your own goals and tasks.

• Seek opportunities to showcase your skills and achievements to your boss.
• Build a strong relationship with your boss through consistent, high-quality work and open communication.
• Create a supportive team environment where everyone's contributions are recognized and valued.

4. The Idea Stealer-Squasher

A cousin of the Brownie Bragger, this one never agrees with your opinions. They criticize everything you do and then once they’ve beaten you down, take your idea and present it as their own.

How to deal with a stealer-squasher:

Document your contributions and share your ideas in group settings. Politely confront the coworker about their behavior, express your concerns and desire for a resolution.

• Present your ideas in meetings or group emails.
• Schedule regular check-ins with your manager ensuring they are aware of your ideas.
• Use project management tools that track changes and contributions.

5. The Start-From-Scratcher

This is a special annoyance category just for new hires and newly promoted managers. They barrel into their new position like the proverbial bull in a China shop. By the end of day one, they have "fixed" everything from how to generate reports to the relocation of everyone’s desk.

How to deal with a start-from-scratcher:

Try to have a constructive conversation with this difficult colleague to understand their perspective and intentions. Share the benefits and efficiencies of existing processes while being open to potential improvements.

• Propose a trial period for new methods alongside current practices to evaluate effectiveness.
• Allow everyone to voice their opinions and provide insights based on their experiences.
• Document the existing processes and their successes to present a clear case for retaining them.

6. The Make-Over Candidate

The guy who wears the same shirt three days in a row and might be the source of that "fragrance" in the corner where he sits can make you question, "Wow, how do I deal with difficult coworkers?" His counterpart is the woman everyone notices because her wardrobe is mostly neon and sequins, and she reeks of the latest department store perfume.

How to deal with a make-over candidate:

Approach the situation with sensitivity and respect. Have a private conversation, express your concerns gently and offer supportive suggestions for personal hygiene.

• Suggest company-wide initiatives on personal hygiene to address the issue indirectly.
• Provide access to grooming products in a communal area.
• Suggest your workplace implements fragrance guidelines that encourage the use of mild or unscented products.

7. The Noisemaker

Whistling, humming, pencil tapping, and having private conversations that nearby satellites can pick up. Everyone is annoyed at the Noisemaker, but no one does anything.

How to deal with a noisemaker:

Politely address the issue with them directly. Express how the noise impacts your concentration and work. If the noise persists, use noise-canceling headphones or earplugs to minimize distractions.

• Suggest creating a designated quiet area in the office.
• Propose a schedule for noisy activities to limit disruptions during times you need to focus.
• Use a white noise machine to help drown out background noise.

8. The Over-Sharer

You know about the Over-Sharer’s cat’s litter box habits, what they had for dinner last night and the night before, and every minor detail of their divorce decree.

How to deal with an over-sharer:

Gently steer conversations back to work-related topics by asking questions about upcoming projects or current tasks. If the over-sharing continues, address your concerns and explain how their behavior affects your productivity.

• Set boundaries by politely expressing you prefer to focus on work during office hours.
• Suggest scheduling a separate time for casual conversations to distinguish between work and personal chat.
• Use non-verbal cues, such as not engaging deeply in personal conversations, to signal your preference for work-focused discussions.

9. The Virtually Annoying

Remote work has created some new reasons to ask the question, "How do I deal with difficult coworkers?" Among the most annoying remote coworkers are people who breach virtual meeting etiquette by not muting when there’s background noise, interrupting, eating on camera, and having an unprofessional background on video calls.

How to deal with the virtually annoying:

Establish clear boundaries by politely but firmly communicating your availability and preferred methods of communication. Use 'do not disturb' functions during focused work periods to minimize interruptions.

• Schedule regular check-ins to address any ongoing issues.
• Use software and tools effectively to streamline communication and reduce misunderstandings.
• Agree upon a shared set of communication norms with your team.

10. The Sabotaging Coworker

This coworker deliberately undermines your effort and success. They may spread false information or obstruct tasks and projects. Their actions are often motivated by jealousy, competitiveness, or a desire for personal gain.

How to deal with a sabotaging coworker:

If you can, don't let your coworker's anger or frustration get to you. Your coworker's hostility doesn't have to undermine your positive self-image or job performance.

• Make an effort to communicate with your coworker and try to see where they are coming from.
• Approach the situation with logic, not emotion.
• Try to find the humor, if any, in the situation.

11. The Toxic Coworker

The negative energy of these coworkers is like poison to you and to the organization’s ecosystem. This makes it quite challenging to maintain your own well-being, professionalism, and collaborative spirit when you’re exposed to them. No wonder you’re questioning how to deal with this difficult coworker.

How to deal with a toxic coworker:

Don’t contribute your negativity to the noise. Instead, be friendly and keep conversations light with this person. In other words, keep their negativity contained by limiting your exposure to it.

• When you must interact with this person, keep your interactions brief so you don’t risk poking the bear.
• Don’t give in to the negativity.
• Counteract the negative with a healthy dose of the positive

12. The Backstabbing Coworker

A backstabbing colleague is someone who undermines their coworkers or superiors by acting deceitfully and maliciously. They often spread rumors, gossip, or false information to damage your reputation.

How to deal with a backstabbing coworker:

By no means should you corner the suspect at the water cooler and start an angry confrontation but try to have a conversation with them. Giving your colleague a chance to explain their actions may sometimes help resolve the problem.

• Don’t react in the heat of the moment.
• Collect evidence.
• Speak in private.

How Annoying Coworkers Can Affect Your (Work) Life

Having strong negative reactions to a coworker can affect your health, productivity, and career prospects. The more energy you expend on active hate, the more at risk you are for headaches, digestive issues, and stress that causes high blood pressure. The more time you spend staring at them and seething, the less work you’ll complete.

It’s important to take action to deal with your feelings before they pile up and the volcano of your wrath explodes. It’s especially unfortunate if you lose your composure during a meeting with higher-ups or have a meltdown when the rest of the office is ominously silent.

Employees who say, "I hate my coworkers" too often can even become an annoyance themselves. Yes, we know you hate Bill. Yes, we know his gum chewing annoys you. No, we don’t want to get involved. If you don’t deal with it, you might become the one who’s hated. Or worse, you might be seen as a toxic employee or drama diva, causing you to lose out on a promotion or reference.

11 Tips: How to Deal with Difficult Coworkers

It’s normal to feel like you don’t know what to do when you can't stand a coworker. But think about this: While you’re churning, doing the dance of loathing, and interrupting your coworkers’ Zen, the only person your distaste may not affect is the coworker you hate. They just go on humming, criticizing, unmuting, and interrupting, oblivious to the effect they have on you.

There are lots of ways of to deal with difficult coworkers. Here are 11:

1. Step Back

If you’re constantly trying to figure out how to deal with difficult coworkers, get serious with yourself. Do you dislike all of the people you work with? Are there a few you can tolerate or perhaps even like? Who exactly is getting under your skin? And why?

2. Isolate the Behavior

The first step in coping with an annoying coworker is to try to separate the person from the bothersome behavior. If you find yourself saying, "I just don’t like him. He’s trouble." look deeper.

If his loud phone conversations break your concentration, that’s valid. But it might be that they remind you of someone you’ve locked horns with in the past. Even worse, they might remind you of… yourself.

The uncomfortable truth is we often hate others because they display the traits we hate in ourselves. That’s why experts say if you want to improve yourself, you should study people you hate.

3. Connect With Them

Empathy is powerful. You never know what someone is going through that can affect their behavior. Maybe the loud talker has a hearing problem. The interrupter might be in a marriage where they can never get a word in edgewise anywhere but work. The hummer could be trying to block out the voices in her head (joking, not joking).

Try to turn "I hate my coworkers" into "I don’t like my coworkers but I empathize with them." This is a great first step in figuring out how to deal with difficult coworkers.

4. Determine if a Coworker’s Behavior Is Annoying or Egregious

Showing you pictures of fluffy modeling the latest cat fashion may make you want to hide under your desk. Stealing your client and their million-dollar contract crosses the line. But a coworker’s bad behavior does not give you a license to disrupt the office. Takes things into perspective.

5. Keep Your Hate to Yourself

While it may give you some relief to talk about someone who gets on your nerves, especially if others feel the same way, just don’t. It’s not going to stop their annoying behavior and it may make you look unprofessional. Don’t buy into gossip about someone before you’ve had issues with them yourself.

Jerry may be the office laughingstock, but perhaps it’s only because someone said something to someone and so on and so on. Get to know Jerry yourself to see if he really stores his fingernail clipping in his desk drawer.

6. Learn How to Avoid a Coworker You Don't Like

Sometimes the only way you learn how to get along with coworkers is to find ways to avoid them. This won’t work if they’re your boss or subordinate. Otherwise, figure out how to avoid a coworker you don't like so you won’t see them during the day, especially one-on-one:

• Don’t volunteer to work on projects where your cooperation is essential.
• Decline invitations to extracurricular activities you know they will attend.
• Rehearse small talk that will allow you to quickly leave the scene if you’re corned in the office kitchen.

7. If You Can’t Avoid Them, Then Set Boundaries

Sometimes figuring out how to work with people you don’t like is about setting boundaries. If it’s a noise problem, see if you can move your desk or wear noise-cancelling headphones.

Fake a phone call when cat-lady starts heading your way, or simply tell her you’re in the middle of something and will try to look at the latest photo session later. Schedule any essential meetings with them right before other meetings, so there’s a firm endpoint to your conversation.

8. Create a Before-and-After Ritual

Take a couple of deep breaths before going into a meeting they’ll be in. Have a I-hate-my-coworkers routine. Do something pleasurable before seeing them, perhaps have a piece of candy, listen to a song you love, or glance at a picture of your loved one.

Then find a ritual you can do after an interaction to help you to cope. Maybe go to your car, drive out of sight of the office, and heave a good hearty primal scream. Or just head across the street to your favorite café and grab a well-earned latte – you deserve it after dealing with that difficult coworker.

9. Ask Yourself if You Could Be the Problem

This is a tough one. Is the person’s bad habit really that bad, or are you being overly sensitive? Do they trigger a bad memory? If you hate everyone in your workplace, and you think they don’t like you, maybe it’s because of your bad habit or behavior.

10. Manage Your Reaction

You can’t control someone’s behavior, but you have complete authority over how you respond. Making a scene is not helpful. If you decide it’s time to say something to the person, do it professionally, respectfully, and in private.

For example, you could say, "John, I know you disagree with my approach to XYZ, but I was uncomfortable when you criticized me in that meeting. Do you have some time to meet to see if we can reach a compromise?"

11. Decide if You Should Involve Your Manager or HR

If you witness a coworker doing something unethical or harmful rather than just annoying, your best decision might be to let your boss or HR handle it. If it’s a personal issue between you and the coworker, think about whether it’s significant to bring to your boss. You may put them in an uncomfortable situation if they have to talk to a team member about hygiene or loud eating habits. As with most problems, try to go into that discussion with a possible solution to offer.

Ditch the Difficult Coworkers with Monster

Sick of dealing with that difficult coworker? Turn things around: apply to new jobs with better coworkers. Create a Monster profile to let recruiters and hiring managers know you’re looking. Then, use your profile to apply directly to new jobs posted on Monster. If you want, we’ll send the latest job postings right to your inbox, so your next lunch with the coworker who microwaves leftover fish is your last.