Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
A demanding boss, difficult clients, obstructive colleagues – the workplace can be fraught with problems. So what should you do next time you’re faced with a difficult situation? We asked the career experts for their advice.
1. You clash with a colleague
You are not paid to like everyone at work – but you are paid to work constructively with them, says Corinne Mills, Managing Director of Personal Career Management. ‘Remain professional and adult, focusing on the workplace issues that are being discussed, not the personality. It may be that you have a different communication style – perhaps one of you is a more logical thinker, while the other is more intuitive. Think about how you could make adjustments to make your communication together more effective.’
2. The boss is too demanding
If your boss’s demands are causing you serious stress, then you either need to tackle it or find another job, says Corinne. ’Arrange a meeting with your boss to discuss their priorities and what they would like from you. ’This is your opportunity to talk about what you may not be able to deliver. Far better to have this conversation proactively rather than after a project or task has failed.’
3. A senior colleague steals the credit for your work
In this case, prevention is better than cure, says Clare Whitmell, who blogs on careers at www.JobMarketSuccess.com. ‘Make sure you cc other people on your progress updates and results. This is often easier in a smaller company where you interact with people in other departments more frequently, but you can also use a new project as an excuse to get your name known to people across the company by emailing them at the start or half-way through a project, and asking for their contributions or feedback as appropriate. That way, your name becomes associated with that piece of work.’
4. The client/boss makes new demands on a daily basis – and the brief gets ever bigger
If you’ve been assigned a client from your line manager, let them know and ask for advice in prioritising tasks or on how best to manage that client’s expectations, suggests Clare. ‘If it’s your own manager who’s increasing your workload, you’ll need to manage upwards. Let your manager know what other projects you’re working on, and ask them to prioritise your increased workload. Don’t settle for a “it’s all a priority” type reply. Go prepared with a daily or weekly overview of your activities, with percentage of time spent on each activity, client or project, and ask for advice on how to recalibrate your workload.’
5. The promised bonus or promotion never comes
This could be for all sorts of reasons – not all of them sinister. If the company or sector is performing badly, you might need to wait, for example, says Clare. “But you might also be perceived as underperforming. Weigh your results against your targets. Have you met or exceeded them? You’ll need to make sure there is a valid reason for the company to reward you. If there is, ask for a meeting with your boss and put forward your case. If your manager refuses, ask what you need to do to get the bonus or promotion, and within what timeframe.’
6. An important client is difficult to work with and often rude
Sometimes client relationships are all about managing rudeness in order to get a result, according to career coach John Lees. ‘Look at the economics of the relationship. Is being ground down worth the time you spend grovelling? If 20 minutes with one client reduces your sales performance for the following half day, you’re probably investing time in the wrong place. If the client takes liberties but provides continued good business, the level of difficulty is the price you have to pay. Sometimes you can shock or educate clients into a more human response, but usually they just like abusing the buyer-seller relationship. If the client is unpleasant, buys little and rarely, and is a poor payer, move on.’
7. You’ve been promoted and your team mates are turning up late and taking liberties
When someone is promoted from the ranks it’s natural to test boundaries, so don’t take it too personally, says John. ‘Yes, of course they will assume that you are going to turn a blind eye or find it difficult to exert discipline. If the liberties taken are not acceptable to your organisation, they’re not acceptable to you. Throwing the rule book at someone makes it difficult to get on with them on an everyday basis. So don’t lay down the law or be the big boss, but do two things. First, refer to the behaviour or incident and say that as it’s a first occasion you won’t do anything about it, but as it’s now your job to notice these things and do something about them, can they do you a modest favour and turn up on time? Explaining that they need to help you to do your job properly will go down better than reading the riot act.’