Andrea A. Nielsen M.ED. Brigham Young University 2013

Steps to getting along with your Coworkers Bring suggested solutions with the problems to the meeting table Don't ever play the blame game Your verbal and nonverbal communication matters Never blind side a coworker, boss, or reporting staff person Keep your commitments Share credit for accomplishments, ideas, and contributions Help other employees find their greatness

Bring suggested solutions with the problems to the meeting table Don’t spend your time identifying problems Think of solutions that might improve those problems Remember to be respectful and professional

Don't ever play the blame game You might need to identify those involved in a problem. However, do not call them out publically Remember that you need allies at work

Allies at Work Open the lines of communication Sometimes you just need a listening and understanding ear Respect others point of view Treat them as equals no matter what job they have Never participate in gossip Be available to spend time with them Be willing to do the extra jobs Always put forth your best effort when working together Choose your battles Keep your promises Resolve the conflict as soon as you can Support your colleagues Never blind side or back stab

Your verbal and nonverbal communication matters The way that you treat other employees will be monitored at work by others. It is never okay to demean others.

Nonverbal Body language Facial Expressions Postures Eye Contact Gestures Signs Clothes and other objects Office Décor Tone of voice Touch Physical Space

Never blind side a coworker, boss, or reporting staff person If the first time a coworker hears about a problem is in a staff meeting or from an sent to his supervisor, you have blind sided the coworker. Always discuss problems, first, with the people directly involved who "own" the work system. Don’t jump over their heads to the supervisor.

Keep your commitments If you say you will do something, you need to follow through. Life sometimes gets in the way but make sure that you do your best to fill in that gap. Your fellow teachers are relying on you.

Share credit for accomplishments, ideas, and contributions Take the time to acknowledge them Expend the extra energy Show your thanks Reward their accomplishments Recognize and specify contributions of the people who help you succeed

Dealing with Negativity Avoid spending too much time with negative coworkers. Do not provide a sympathetic audience for negativity. Do not argue. Know your response to a conflict before you address it. You may have to discuss it with a supervisor.

Unprofessional Coworker I was fired about 9 months after the unprofessional boss was made medical director. Items were taken from my desk without my knowledge and put in her office! I spent hours looking for them, knowing I had left them on my desk! I was also told to rewrite a procedure manual and it was also removed from my office! I got it back and her associate came and took it away again! After being on vacation for a week, I came back to a pile of work (nobody helped when I was gone so I'd be swamped when I returned)AND an that this manual had to be finished the following Monday! My mother then became seriously ill and we had an inspection that went badly because I didn't have the time to get everything done. I was even told I could not close my office door when it was noisy!(my job is very tedious and one mistake can land you in court)I was fired after getting paperwork for FMLA for alleged "rude comments.” What would you do?

Narcissistic Coworker I just try and ignore her. She is not my boss. I had to set boundaries with her when I first started my job. She was calling in everyday, not coming to work because she had a new boyfriend. She kept asking me to "cover for her." My boss does not know how to handle confrontation so I had to deal with this one myself. I told my boss that I felt the office protocol should be that when anyone was sick or not coming to work I would feel more comfortable with them calling him and not me, to which he agreed. As she kept calling me, I kept telling her that she needed to call our boss not me. One day she came in and in a loud voice tried to boss me around. I stood up and in a louder voice I told her, she was to call our boss not me because that was the way he wanted it. She no longer calls me. What would you do?

Constant Negative CoWorker She complains about her work load, yet she never accepts help, she will eavesdrop on conversations while pretending to look through paperwork and then inquire about the conversation she overheard. If you are on the phone and transfer to another employee, she'll want to know who was calling, who they wanted to speak with in our office and what they wanted. If someone calls and asks for her, 9 out of 10 calls, she will make some rude comment, more often than not, it's the "S" word. she thinks that she has to be informed on certain things even when it doesn't pertain to her, when asking her for information, she will not divulge it, she constantly complains about getting "thrown under the bus" yet she does it to everyone else. Not once have I or anyone else heard this individual say anything positive. There is SO MUCH more and I could go on, but not enough space in this box! How can I confront her when I am NOT the confrontational type of person! PLEASE SOMEONE HELP! I have spoken with my office manager but all that was said was, "Oh, that is just the way she is"... What would you do?