How to Manage Work Relationships with Your Peers

With every new job will come a new set of people you need to get to know in order to work with them effectively. Let’s look at a few basic types of people and how you can handle each one.

The workaholic: Every office or place of employment has a workaholic and they are the hardest people to measure up too. They are always working, they never stop and they hardly ever sleep. Bosses love the workaholic and every co-worker wishes they could be like them. So how can you handle a workaholic? Work with them! The best way to understand how the workaholic gets all that work done is to join them. Ask your boss to pair the two of you up so you can learn a few tricks of the trade and get brownie points for wanting to get the job done, too.

Time Waster: The flip side from the workaholic is the time waster. He will drive you insane with his endless junk of chatter, stories and of course excuses as to why he can’t do the work he wants you to take on. Everyone hates a time waster simply because it means more work for everyone else. Beat him at his own game, stop taking his calls, stop listening to his stories and stop taking his excuses. Let him fall flat on his face when his work is not done and shine when your work is.

Complainer: This co-worker is filled with a lot of negative energy. Being around a co-worker like this can cause you to literally hate your job in 30 seconds or less, even when you are having a great day. This co-worker will complain about everything from your boss, to wages, to the sun shinning to brightly. Negative energy is contagious so be careful not to be sucked in to their horrible place. You should try to avoid this person like the plague. If you get stuck working with this co-worker try to find things to talk about that they like, such as her new dress, his kids or anything that can stay on a positive track until you can run the other way.

Big Bully: This is the guy who always wants to be in the spot light all the time and be a part of everything. The key to dealing with the bully of the office (or job) is to let him win certain things. These things should be the ones that are not important, so that he feels he has won and you have gotten rid of him for the moment. Remember to be assertive when talking to the bully, never avoid eye contact because if he thinks he can bully you he will, bottom line.

The workplace is similar to high school. Instead of being one of these people, just be yourself. Be a hard worker but remember there are other people who want to work too. Be positive and up lifting, it’s easier to work in a positive environment. Also remember that at the end of the day you can leave all these people behind until the next time you work.

For more information on career management, to receive a free job hunting report and download a copy of Claim That Job - The Ultimate Career Management Guide. Visit Claim That Job at www.claimthatjob.com.