How to Deal With Troublemakers at Work
Dealing with troublemakers at work is often frustrating, upsetting and aggravating, but you can reduce the impact the person has on your work environment by controlling your response. Troublemakers typically engage in various types of behavior, such as gossiping, bullying and harassment, to disrupt the workplace and receive attention. If you fail to give a work troublemaker the attention he wants, he may stop behaving in a negative way.
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Identify troublemakers in the workplace. You can limit contact with troublemakers as much as possible to avoid a problem, but only if you know who they are.
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Control your reactions. Do not respond to a troublemaker in an emotional way, as this may encourage the person to focus on you. Keep calm when dealing with her and ignore negative remarks or behavior so she knows her tactics do not work on you.
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Keep a list of problems the troublemaker is causing. For example, if his behavior is stalling a group project, note exactly what he is doing that is holding up the work. Keep the list private to avoid attracting attention from the person in question.
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Schedule a meeting with a manager or human resources representative. Go over the problems the worker is causing and your list. Do not insult or use negative terms, such as "jerk," when airing your concerns.
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Follow up with management or human resources if the person is still causing problems. Privately speak to other employees for support if the problem is not addressed. You don't want to gang up on the troublemaker, but you may need other affected employees to speak to management with you if management does not see the problem.
References
Warnings
- Do not confront the troublemaker.
Writer Bio
Anna Assad began writing professionally in 1999 and has published several legal articles for various websites. She has an extensive real estate and criminal legal background. She also tutored in English for nearly eight years, attended Buffalo State College for paralegal studies and accounting, and minored in English literature, receiving a Bachelor of Arts.