Personality Conflicts in the Workplace
Are you 'on the outs' with a co-worker? It can be disappointing and stressful to get past your differences, especially when pride or principle is at stake.
As much as you may dislike office politics, we all must admit there's more to a job than just doing the work. The nature of work has become more team oriented. Brief workplace conflicts are normal and expected, but people are also expected to settle their differences quickly. Prolonged feuds or chronic outbursts can become a career-limiting issue.
Wise people also read the signs themselves. If you often find yourself with a chip on your shoulder(寻衅/好斗的态度,恶劣的情绪), well, why? What is the source of your unhappiness? Here's where a session with a counsellor from your Employee Assistance Program can help. Together, you can discuss your personal relationships, your job satisfaction, your financial position, your health and other factors that may be making you dissatisfied with life.
Discussions with an EAP counsellor are often a voyage of discovery for people who don't often focus on themselves. It can act like a 'reset button' for people to focus again on their goals and priorities.
For more information about personality conflicts in the workplace, read these Warren Shepell HealthQuest newsletters:
CorRective Action Personality Conflict.
Personality conflicts are perhaps one of the most challenging areas of corrective action. It is not uncommon to have employees who simply don't get along well with one another or to have one employee who doesn't seem able to get along with anyone, including yourself. It is critical to understand that you cannot discipline or terminate someone simply because of a "bad attitude" or "poor personality." Define the personality or attitude in terms of behavior and address the behaviors that need improvement. All courses of action that you take need to be focused on behavioral objectives. The following suggestions explain how to maintain that necessary focus.
Suggested actions
Define the personality problem as a behavioral problem that is affecting job performance:
Change: "I don't like your attitude and your personality isn't a good fit for here."
To: "The language you used in yesterday's meeting was inappropriate. It is also inappropriate to roll your eyes at other staff members. These behaviors prevent us from openly discussing things in team meetings which is affecting our performance."
After defining the problem as a specific inappropriate behavior or series of inappropriate behaviors, follow the suggestions set out in the inappropriate behavior section.
If the inappropriate behavior still exists after you have redefined the situation as a specific behavior issue and have taken the actions outlined in the inappropriate behavior section then begin the progressive discipline process.
