Working with someone obnoxious...

oldbag

oldbag

oldbag

Soldato
Joined
14 Oct 2003
Posts
7,831
If you work with someone obnoxious day-to-day what are your techniques of dealing with it? E.g:

1. Don't speak to them unless you have to, ignore their rude outbursts.
2. Be affable with them and ignore their outbursts.
3. Be affable but call them up on their outbursts.
4. Seek employment elsewhere.
5. Raise it with management.

Ta.
 
Try working with power grabbing, back stabbing suck ups who don't know how to do their job anyway.

Eee lad, I used to dream of working with obnoxious people, it would be better than a holiday in Skegness.
 
Last edited:
I work with a colleague like this, i have nothing to do with him unless it is directly related to the task at hand. He asked me one day if i disliked him..... I just walked off without replying, think that made it clear where we stand.
 
oldbag said:
If you work with someone obnoxious day-to-day what are your techniques of dealing with it? E.g:

1. Don't speak to them unless you have to, ignore their rude outbursts.
2. Be affable with them and ignore their outbursts.
3. Be affable but call them up on their outbursts.
4. Seek employment elsewhere.
5. Raise it with management.

Ta.
Click to expand...

1, 3 & 5 to be honest, when one particular person who i work with comes into the office, everyone puts in their earphones before they have even got to the desk, as they are that obnoxious sometimes.

Usually point 1 is used the most, ignore and the rants then simmer down, on occasion i and others have brought it to the attention of the said person, or on some occasions its been escalated to management, as it can also be disruptive and counter-productive.

Does anything get done, not really, you slowly over time just get used to the outbursts and tantrums and shouting, trying to blank it out as much as possible, just try not to let it spoil the day, but in my case earphones to physically block it out is the best course of action :)
 
It ultimately comes down to how much it bothers you, in terms of both frequency and the degree to which it bothers you when it does happen.

Do you work physically close to this person? Are they avoidable at any parts of the day?

Do they have any redeeming features that you can focus on, so at least for some of the day you can say to yourself "yes, this person is a pain in the backside, but they are not entirely bad and since I am a bigger and better person I can get on, and adapt".

I've had to do that countless times.
 
3, 5, 1, look for another job.

My wife works with a woman who is a religious nut, she's been told off countless times for trying to force her beliefs on others, she can barely string a sentence together and her work has to be double checked by colleagues before being sent out due to how poor it is. This involves people paid 10K less than her checking her grammar and spelling, replacing clearly incorrect information and removing religious references from official documentation.

She also has a habit of signing her e-mails "love, Jesus" and has in the past told my wife she was going to hell for being pregnant.

I've no idea how they haven't sacked her, but I have a feeling it's the race card.
 
Last edited:
6. Internalise your anger at your inability to act like an adult to another adult and eventually write a passive-aggressive note which you leave on their desk when no one is looking. Feel smug because you took ~action~ but then worry that you took ~action~. Remove note from desk before anyone sees and spend the rest of the day in a deep funk due to your utter neck-beardedness and general emotional turbulence. Wish everyone was really a computer or a robot as that would be much easier to deal with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom