When you’re working with a group of people, arguments are inevitable. At almost any workplace, you will run into “problems” with co-workers for varied reasons — be it about menial tasks, group projects or adjusting the A/C. So, the question is – how do we deal with them?
Even in you do not think of your co-workers as close friends, the fact is that we spend more time with people at work than we do with our own family and friends! We can’t stretch out arguments or disagreements just for ego’s sake as there’s so much more at stake- the work environment, your professional image and the overall tone of the workplace.
If you ever find yourself arguing with a co-worker and are wondering how to come to a truce, here are 3 easy ways to handle it professionally:
Instead of gossiping, address the conflict:
Venting to your work wife may feel amazing in the moment — but office gossip has the potential to backfire (real bad). Don’t go rushing to people, instead sit by yourself and analyze why the fight happened. Once you’re clear in your own head, go and talk to the co-worker about the issue. Make sure you let them know your thoughts and stress on where you think you went wrong, not them.
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Keep an open mind and try to find a common ground:
Whenever having a discussion with a co-worker, remember that you are a part of the argument and both parties are somewhere at fault. Listen to what they have to say and what they feel about the entire argument.
Involve a third party only when needed:
Don’t go around involving other people in the mess you’ve created! Behaving like a first grader won’t help. Only involve a senior if you feel the two of you are not able to reach a consensus.
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Learn from the experience:
While you and your co-worker may never become best buddies, it’ll be a big relief when both of you finally reach a détente. Patching up with one colleague doesn’t mean that you’ll never have co-worker drama again, so it’s always good to introspect on what caused the conflict to be with and what was most (and least) helpful lesson you learnt during the entire fight and resolution.
