Nasty, rude behavior, back biting, bullying can make the workplace miserable. But running away from it doesn’t help. You might find it at some other workplace too. Nor is it always possible to change such behavior. Yet simply enduring is not a happy option either. The only way to deal with such workplace behavior is to devise smart tactics to handle the creeps who indulge in it. The bright side is that most bullies, whether male or female are usually not very bright and are definitely insecure which is the reason they resort to such behavior in order to hide their own limitations. So, with a little intelligence, a lot of calm and the ideas given below, you can wipe the floor with them.
1. Kill them with kindness. Be nice, be courteous, return their nastiness with sweetness. (Of course, cursing their black hearts all the while.) Pretend you just can’t believe they really mean to be rude or nasty. One colleague I knew wrote simply horrible e-mails. At first, I was aghast. Then I began replying to such mails by telling him I didn’t believe he really meant to say all that or asking him whether the work was getting him down, why was he sounding so stressed and could I help? It took some effort, but after a while he stopped.
2. Ask questions. The moment you find some person or a group of persons making snide comments or acting rude, ignore what they said and start asking them questions. Ask anything. Where did you get that shirt? When is Rupa getting married? How is Mona’s baby? What does Coalgate mean? Humans are conditioned to reply to questions. The bullies will have to do a mental shift to answer your questions and thereby you avoid a situation.
3. Never be rude. Not ever. The moment you begin to indulge in similar behavior, you leave yourself wide open to other people behaving the same with you. Although it is true that one bad apple may ruin the basket, yet decency is contagious too.
4. Ask for Help .It is always a good idea to approach management for a solution. If no help is forthcoming, stand up for yourself. Point out to the person/s who are bullying you or being rude to you, that you do not like bit. Make sure they realize that you are not going to run away from them, (which is what they want) but will fight to the bitter end to deal with them. Bullies are cowards. The moment they see your determination, they'll have their tails between their legs..
5. Keep yourself busy. You are at the office to do a job. Immerse yourself in it. Take your lunch out of the office. Take walks in your break time. Talk to cheerful people. This will help take your mind off the negativity.
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