If you work in an office, there’s a good chance you’ve had to deal with at least one rude person. It’s challenging to work with them. However, it is essential to learn how to deal with a rude coworkers.
It can be plain mean or someone who likes to suck up all the oxygen in the room. Unprofessional behavior can spread quickly and pose significant problems for your team.
How To Deal With Rude Coworkers – 10 Sound Tips
Rude behavior can be different things to different people. If your coworker is making jokes about your weight or looks, it may not seem like a big deal.
But, if their marks are demeaning or disrespectful, it’s completely unacceptable! Here are general 20 tips for dealing with a rude colleague:
1. Set Your Ground Rules From The Start:
When you first meet a new colleague, tell them your boundaries right away. Let them know how you prefer people treat you and what kind of behavior you expect.
Communicate your expectations to any other employees who work with this person. They can manage their professional interactions too. Ground rules can be:
– Be professional and appropriate
– Be cordial and respectful
– No bullying or gossiping
2. Be Aware Of Your Responses: How To Deal With Rude Coworkers
When we feel disrespected, we often feel angry or stressed. We may even take that anger or stress out on another colleague instead of just the rude one!
That’s why it’s essential to watch for our emotional reactions before taking action. Notice when you’re feeling upset and ask yourself if it’s because of someone else.
Decide if there was a better response you could have given in that moment. You never know how someone else may feel and what’s happening in your coworker’s personal life.
3. How To Deal With A Rude Coworker – Address The Behavior Right Away:
If the coworker’s behavior makes you uncomfortable, address it right away. Calmly tell them how their behavior makes you feel and that you want things to stop or change.
Assertively stand your ground. If the rude behavior continues, then let management know about it.
If you’re uncomfortable speaking with this person, having someone else present helps. It also shows them they needed support for this conversation to happen.
4. Give Them A Chance To Apologize: How To Deal With Rude Co Workers
After setting boundaries and asserting yourself, give this colleague a chance to apologize. But make sure they are sorry for their actions.
People often say hurtful things because they are unaware of how others feel. They might be trying to be funny and didn’t think before speaking.
Try to see it from their perspective and give them a chance to apologize. Please do not assume the worst about them. Apology accepted? Good.
You should also let another manager or HR know about the incident to be safe.
5. How To Deal With A Rude Coworker – Be The Better Person:
Rather than getting into an argument with this person, you can always opt for kindness. Show them how things would work better if everyone were polite rather than rude.
Remember that your energy is contagious! If you’re being kind, others will be too.
Therefore, you can also help break the cycle of rudeness by being kind to yourself. It can be like: “if they are kind to me, I will be kind to my coworker.” – karma.
6. Distance Yourself If Necessary:
Sometimes the best course of action is to distance yourself from someone who has a bad attitude.
If you are cordial and professional, but the rude behavior continues, stay away from them. You can do things like move yourself to another part of the room when they enter.
Go on a break when they are working, or avoid them altogether. Distance is suitable for your emotional well-being.
It also shows them that their behavior is offensive and inappropriate.
7. Give Them An Example:
Sometimes it may be necessary to give a rude person an example of acceptable behavior. If they continue with their offensive remarks, ask them to stop or try a different approach.
If you’re feeling up to it, you can explain why their approach is the wrong way to go about things. For example, you might say:
“When I hear a joke like that, it makes me feel uncomfortable.” Avoid saying: “That’s not funny or appropriate!”
8. How To Deal With A Rude Coworker – Know When To Walk Away:
In some cases, this person’s rude behavior may not change no matter what you do or say. There are situations where speaking up has more negative consequences than silence.
In these cases, the best course of action may be to walk away from them and remove yourself from their company.
Walking away is not giving up—it can be a powerful form of self-care. When you’re feeling drained because of the coworker’s behavior, remove yourself from their presence. Give yourself a break.
9. Get Help If Necessary:
If you have a particularly difficult or aggressive colleague, get help early on. Try speaking with this person alone in a calm and controlled manner.
If that doesn’t work and they continue to be mean-spirited— speak with your manager or HR right away.
Don’t worry about coming across as “sensitive” when safety is at risk. Make sure you follow up in writing (which you should do every time).
Requesting help will protect you from physical assaults. It will also save you if the person complains that they “can’t work with you anymore.”
10. How To Deal With A Rude Coworker – Practice Some Perspective:
The best trick for dealing with a rude coworker is to take some time and perspective. Remind yourself what’s important in life by using these tips:
– Imagine how your loved ones would feel if someone treated them this way. Would they want you to confront or walk away? How would you want them to deal with the situation?
– Take one minute and think about ten things you’re grateful for (gratitude journaling works well!). From your health, family, friends, pets—to even small things, clean running water!
– Be mindful of how you’re feeling and try to determine if this person is worth those feelings. If they are, use the techniques on this list to deal with them.
If not, remind yourself that their bad attitude doesn’t affect all your days, and there will be good ones!
Who Is A Rude Coworker?; 11 Signs
A rude coworker is the one who annoys and disrespects you. Here are eleven symptoms that you should never take from them. It is time to take action if they are rude in this way:
1. They Take Advantage Of You:
A rude person takes advantage of you for personal gain. They ask you to do something but will never thank you or even admit that it was them who invited you in the first place.
Taking advantage at work means they do not even acknowledge or appreciate when you do your job.
2. They Make You Feel Stupid:
You need not connect with a rude person. They make you feel stupid, which can estrange your relationship. It is pretty simple, don’t try to work with such people.
If necessary, inform someone about it and move on. Otherwise, stay away from these types. If nothing changes, things might worsen, and there is nobody to help when it’s too late!
3. Deal With A Rude Coworker – They Think The World Owes Them Something:
When a guy has an attitude problem, it’s only suitable for him to think the world owes them something.
They believe they are perfect and better than others, so the world must bow down to their feet.
If you have a coworker who thinks they are always right, this person might have an attitude problem.
4. They Are Inconsiderate:
If your colleague is not considerate about how you feel or what you need, do not befriend them. Some people may want to please everyone.
But if f your coworker does not look out for your best interest, it will be challenging working with that person!
5. They Talk Behind Your Back:
When someone talks behind our back, they cannot speak face to face. Rude coworker says negative things because they are afraid of you.
If that person is talking behind your back, then there’s no chance for you to come up with a solution!
6. Deal With A Rude Coworker – They Try To Control You:
A control freak man will try to control everyone around him whether he realizes it or not.
He may not know it, but he will demand you do things they want even if it is not essential for work. This behavior of a coworker can be challenging at times!
7. They Disrespect You:
When dealing with a coworker with an attitude problem, you need to be careful when they disrespect you. A rude person will not be respectful of your feelings or emotions.
They can result in putting their needs first. This type of behavior is unacceptable!
Disrespect can be in many forms, like speaking loudly, talking down on you, or ignoring what you are saying.
8. They Belittle Others:
Do not expect any respect from an attitude problem man because they cannot care for others. They belittle everyone in The circle.
They think they are the boss and others are subordinates. It can be yelling, complaining, or saying negative things about colleagues.
If your coworker does this, you should keep calm and resolve it rather than fight with them!
9. Deal With A Rude Coworker – They Don’t Work Well With Others:
Rude people are not good at working with others. They cannot work in a team and expect everything to be on their terms.
These guys do not see the big picture; they think they can do it alone and don’t want help from anyone.
If your colleague is rude, disrespectful, and disorganized, look elsewhere!
10. They Threaten To Cause Problems:
If your coworker threatens you with performance or productivity, keep your distance from him. There’s no point in having such a person in the workplace.
It cannot collaborate with others and brings up problems all the time. It can be anything like:
– Causing trouble for everyone else
– Not doing their part of work!
11. They Argue With You:
It is pretty easy to determine if your colleague has an attitude problem. They argue with others and always try to prove them wrong.
They will never accept they were wrong and instead discuss with you what was wrong before.
If this happens, there is nothing much you can do about it. You should try and walk away from the situation instead of fueling up your coworker’s fire!
Conclusion:
It is challenging to deal with a rude coworker, but it will be rewarding for both of you if you can do so. Everyone has their problems and issues but being rude is not the answer!
Handling a coworker with an attitude problem can be challenging. However, it’s better for those who wish to make things work than having someone like this in the workplace.
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