Ways in which Nurses Deal with Difficult Co-workers
Regardless of where you work, there consistently are by all accounts those co-workers who are hard to manage. We’ve all dealt with challenging colleagues—that person who frustrates you so much that you feel like you want to pull your hair out. The key is learning to deal with them in a way that benefits both you and the organization.
Difficult people are found in every single workplace. Difficult people come in every variety that you can imagine. But, how difficult a person is for you to deal with depends a lot on such factors as your self-esteem, your self-confidence, how closely you must work with them on a daily basis, and your professional courage.
Dealing with difficult people is easier when the person is just generally obnoxious or when the behavior affects more than one person. You can team together to address the behavior or inform management and Human Resources staff to get help addressing the employee issue before it spirals into negativity.
Now and then, that coworker even transforms into a bully, and that can influence your work execution and confidence when all you need to do is get along and take care of business. On the off chance that you let it go, you can end up losing your temper, and that could affect you professionally. Be that as it may, there are a few different ways you can get along or defuse the circumstance to make life simpler at work. Nurses feel uncomfortable being around colleagues and start to avoid interacting with them. This in turn creates distrust in the workplace. These negative interactions can lead nurses to misinterpret behavioral cues and personalize information as harmful, causing even more anxiety and distraction from patient care.
Here are a couple of tips that can help:
Tips to Help Nurses Deal with Co-workers
1) Identify the issue
Is the issue with the associate a mix of you and them, or is the issue exclusively their duty? On the off chance that the associate is ‘poisonous’ in any capacity, figure out how to perceive what their identity is, the thing that circumstances set off their undesirable conduct and in what ways you can try not to take the issue further.
2) Be the greater individual
Transcending a hazardous circumstance is difficult to do, yet basic at work. As disappointing as a circumstance and coworker might be, hold your feelings and activities under wraps. You would prefer not to be the individual at work that is known for going ballistic or getting disturbed, so attempt and transcend issues with associates and be the greater individual.
3) Be prepared
Do issues consistently emerge when you work on activities? When you’re in gatherings with the associate? Perceive the circumstances where issues emerge and are intellectually ready for the issues. Setting yourself up for these circumstances can keep you from an upheaval or following up on your feelings. You can’t handle the coworker, yet you can handle yourself and your capacity to deal with the circumstance.
4) Address the issue
Despite the fact that it very well might be awkward, if issues continue long enough that the quality or efficiency of your work is influenced, you need to address the issue. Moving toward them outside of the contention or issue when there isn’t feeling included will no doubt get the best outcome. Talk smoothly and express how you feel and how their conduct at work is meddling with yours.
5) Involve a third party
In the event that 1-4 have ceaselessly fizzled and issues with your colleague actually exist, address your supervisor about it. Maybe you can be moved to another group, an alternate region of the structure or your supervisor can help address the issue.
- Have an Exit Strategy
Having a reason to move away from a troublesome associate can help. Regardless of whether concocting a call, you need to make, work you need to do immediately, or another reason, invest as meager energy with the harmful coworker as could be expected. At the point when individuals acknowledge they aren’t being tuned in to, they surrender.
- Keep Your Co-Worker’s, Problem Hidden
You don’t need your character addressed, so keep up your cool when confronted with an issue associate. Griping to others in the workplace may get you marked as difficult yourself, so hold any grumbling down to those in your family or a dear companion outside the workplace. Opening up to the world about complaints is consistently an impractical notion.
- A Friend Can’t Be an Enemy
While it doesn’t work in all cases, being inviting however not excessively amicable to a troublesome associate can create positive outcomes. On the off chance that the issue is tattle, having a neighborly discussion can sort things out. On the off chance that, then again, the colleague is attempting to assume praise for work you have done, you can tell your manager in advance that you are chipping away at a specific part of a task, so you will get the credit.
- Communicate Honestly, Openly, and Privately
Whenever possible, communicate directly with your challenging colleague. Have this conversation in an appropriate place and time—not, for example, at a patient’s bedside or busy nursing station.
When talking with the person, remain calm, open-minded, and curious. Take the view that you are approaching this conversation with two main goals:
- To express how their behavior affects you, and
- To understand where they are coming from.
Avoid assuming bad intent—many of us simply aren’t aware of the impact or impression we’re making on others. This person may be more open to productive and constructive feedback than you may think, especially if it’s delivered in a direct yet non-accusatory way.
Self-care may be essential here. Rehearse the conversation in your mind, practice some deep breathing beforehand, and ultimately take care of your own mental and physical well-being. It’ll make you a better communicator as well as a better colleague.
- Communicate With Appropriate People When Necessary
If a rude co-worker is affecting patient care it’s time to speak up. This is certainly one of the biggest ways how to deal with rude co-workers as a nurse. Nothing should impact patient care. If this happens, speak with the rude co-worker, or if you aren’t comfortable speak with a supervisor.
- Don’t Gossip
Gossiping is one of the quickest ways you can make a tough situation worse. Instead of digging a deep hole, be proactive in finding a solution. Playing the gossip game can cause further division between coworkers. While it’s certainly okay to let off some steam, make sure you do it during an appropriate time and place.
- Stay Focused
If you ever become distracted by a negative co-worker, “snap out of it.” It can be very easy to become distracted but stay focused on your job at hand. Spend your energy toward performing your duties, not worrying about rude co-workers.
- Surround Yourself With Good People. You’ve might have heard that like attracts like. This means that similar-minded people gravitate to each other. Surround yourself with similar people to you. Fill your time up with positive people. You will see over time that positive people will be seeking you.
- Have A Strong Mindset. Bring a positive perspective to work. Negativity is always out there. But if you strengthen your mindset you can change how you react to negativity. There are ways you can bring a strong mindset to work such as journaling or meditating. Find out what works for you. One way to deal with a rude coworker is to shift your perspective. Sure, negativity will always be there, but if you change how you respond to it- you’ll find it has much less of an effect on you. To do this, you may need to start with some self-growth exercises. Modalities such as meditation, journaling, affirmations, or subliminal message tapes can help you focus more on the positive. With practice, over time, you will notice that your reaction to these unpleasant colleagues will start to change. In fact, you might even be able to stand up to them (in a respectful way, of course).
Having a difficult co-worker is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be a career killer. You can learn a lot about yourself by how you end up handling a very challenging situation for millions of workers, in every industry across the country. You aren’t alone, and you won’t be the last person to deal with it, so do your best for yourself and for those you are caring for. Figuring out how to deal with troublesome working environment circumstances, for example, annoying associate can train you a great deal about yourself and what conditions you work best in. On the off chance that a colleague is meddling with your capacity to function admirably, follow the above means to help settle the issues.
