WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER: Someone at Work Drives You Nuts? Do THIS.

Working man hammers at computer out of anger or frustration.

Is there someone you work with, whom you totally have trouble dealing with? Well, if it’s a long-standing feud, you might just want to avoid the person, and keep your head down.

However, if you think it’s a working relationship that’s fixable, here are four steps – from Ryan Morris, at Zippia – to handle it yourself:

1. Start with empathy. Be open to the idea that YOU might be part of the problem. But even if it really is all their fault, think about what’s causing it. We’ve all had a stressful year, and things might be going on behind the scenes, which you don’t know about.

2. Decide if you should confront, directly. Some people respond well to it, and some don’t. So, before you try to fix anything, figure out how direct you want to be.

3. Look for things you have in common. Anything, even if it’s just a show you both like. Or try to include the person in something, like drinks after work. Sometimes extending an olive branch can turn things around, fast.

4. If it’s a hopeless situation, make friends with everyone else. It’s a lot harder for that person to make YOUR life difficult, if everyone else at work likes YOU.

Of course, if someone really harassing you, you should go to Human Resources (HR) or your superior.

More resources are waiting for you, here: (Zippia)