How to Deal with Different Types of Difficult Co-Workers

There are lots of ways to deal with a difficult colleague as an athletic trainer, but the strategies differ depending on the person. Here are 5 types of difficult coworkers and how to handle them.

1. The sloth

People generally think this person is a slacker. They finish their work, but just barely, and work hard to do the bare minimum. They’re usually slow, or late getting paperwork done. It’s especially annoying when your own work depends on theirs.

The solution: Be kind and respectful. Talk to them privately. Find out when their work will be done and politely ask for an explanation. Maybe they have personal issues you don’t know about. You might get them to work faster if you tell them how their tardiness affects your work.

Keep track of your attempts to fix it. Conflict resolution can be helped by your manager or human resources department if you fail several times.

2. The bellyacher

We all need to let off steam from time to time. But when a coworker keeps complaining, it’s exhausting. Coworkers like these focus on problems and rarely offer solutions. Negativity gets old after a while. Eventually, it can make you more unhappy with your job, even if you love it.