Nasty colleagues

Being a banker, economic analyst and most importantly, a dutiful citizen of this country, I share my thoughts and research with the public. I write about issues like infrastructure, remittance, the monetary policy and so on. Each time an article is published I receive a few e-mails from some of the readers.
However, recently I wrote a piece titled "Boss Matters”, which discussed how a 'boss' in an organisation is an institution by himself and the profound impact the management style of the boss might have on the subordinates. The day after it was published, I opened my mailbox and saw 32 emails and over a period of one week, the numbers crossed more than 100. It seems that people can relate more with the softer issues impacting our day-to-day lives. The article you are reading now is another endeavour of mine (suggested by a lady reader of mine) to shed light on another issue that we are compelled to face every day dealing with nasty colleagues.
A nasty colleague could be anyone a domineering manager, a difficult peer or an unruly team member. They are people at work who make you feel inadequate, unworthy, or just plain miserable. It does not necessarily involve discrimination. It involves marginalisation, hitting below the belt and refusal to appreciate and nurture the talent of others.
If a colleague is not pleased with your performance, he or she can either choose to talk about it behind your back or hold an open and honest discussion with you. The latter will result in figuring out a constructive solution. Choosing the former makes a nasty colleague.
Sometimes a colleague may get envious of your success. And out of sheer resentment, that individual may start spreading word in the office grapevine that you owe your fast success to a “very special relationship with the boss”. That is also a sign of a nasty colleague.
Another trait that makes one a nasty colleague is having no understanding of the work-life balance of others and being indifferent to fellow co-workers' personal issues. A manager who is apathetic and does not voluntarily shoulder the sadness, frustration, bitterness, and anger that are endemic to the organisational life of fellow colleagues is quite an unpleasant person to work with indeed.
Colleagues who are difficult to work with sap both your morale and energy, and can make it difficult to do your own job to the best of your ability. Often, the difficult coworker is counterproductive and makes work strenuous for the entire team, causes delays or inefficiencies in the project, and may even cause some team members to leave the company altogether, not to talk about the ultimate impact of the franchise.
Difficult people exist at work as in all facets of life, and they come in every conceivable variety. Some talk constantly and never listen. Others must always have the last word. Some engage in nasty office gossip. Some coworkers fail to keep commitments. Others criticize anything that they did not create. Difficult coworkers compete with you for power, privilege and the spotlight, some go way too far in courting the boss's positive opinion to your diminishment. Some coworkers attempt to undermine you (like some family members in Bangladesh) and you constantly feel as if you need to watch your back.
When faced with such nasty colleagues, it is best to address the issue. Otherwise, necessary conflict simmers just below and often erupts counterproductively above the surface at work.
However, the question you should first ask yourself is -- “Are you the difficult one?”
The answer to this question requires a level of introspection, which is unaccustomed by many people. It is you who has to make the attitude adjustment. Many top career advisors note that many difficult people, who complain about their coworkers, actually cause many of their own problems.
The first step is therefore an honest self-appraisal of your own behaviour. If you plan on doing something about your nasty colleague, you are going to have to be specific about just what the problem is, and how it is hampering your efficiency. This means, identifying the specific behavior you object to. This process may also help you determine just how serious the problem really is. The information will aid you in deciding on how to go about responding to the problem.
The next step is to have an open discussion with the nasty colleague. This part is the most challenging but sometimes a frank discussion can relieve an overall tense situation. The discussion should not aim at personal attacks but rather focus on figuring out a sensible and practical way out of the predicament. Even if the colleague recognises the flaws in his or her behaviour or attitude, changing them is a long and gradual process. And it's unlikely that the person will fully acknowledge such problems. The best you can hope for is that the person understands how their behaviour is damaging to the team's goals and consciously attempts to change it.
Escalation to senior managers about the nasty colleague should be considered the very last resort.
Workplace specialists are increasingly discovering that for many workers, the "happiness factor" depends not on tangible rewards, such as a good salary and generous benefits, but on intangibles such as respect, care, trust, and fairness of fellow employees.
In our current market-based and knowledge-driven world, success is a function of great ideas, which of course springs from intelligent, energised, and emotionally involved people. But great ideas dry up when people are hurt or when they are focused on dysfunction within the organisation. It is therefore our moral obligation to be an ideal colleague to our coworkers and also try to resolve all issues with our nasty colleagues for the greater good of the organisation and the customers, for whom we work day and night.
The writer is a banker and economic analyst. E mail:[email protected]