Is Your Coworker Annoying? Here's the Solution

If you currently work as an employee, whatever your profession, whether on a team or individually, you definitely have coworkers. And wherever we work, there is always a chance we will meet colleagues who are annoying. Coworkers who do whatever they want, are hard to work with, often refuse to help, or speak harshly. It may be one or two people, or many of them.

No matter how well we treat our coworkers, we cannot please everyone. We cannot stop our coworkers from acting annoyingly. We cannot change their hearts, because that is determined by each person's own will.

However, there are several things we can do so that we can still rejoice in our work, produce our best performance, and have a positive influence in the workplace. Here are some principles you can apply:

1. “I Influence Them, Not the Other Way Around.”

Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul gathered to him, and he became their leader. There were about four hundred men with him. – 1 Samuel 22:2

While fleeing from Saul and hiding in the cave of Adullam, David was in a difficult condition. Not only did his family also take refuge there, but hundreds of people who were facing hardship came to him as well.

When people are surrounded by problems, we may assume that some people in this group behaved annoyingly. Yet David was able to work with them. Not only did he become their friend, he was even able to become their leader. That means he became an influence. Under David's leadership, these four hundred men later became mighty warriors.

You may feel angry or irritated when dealing with annoying coworkers. But learn to manage your emotions so that their behavior does not keep affecting you. Instead, be an influence on others, while still doing your best in your work. Prove that even if you are hindered or unsupported, you can still act professionally. In that way, they will be ashamed and change their attitude.

But what if they still do not change and instead become even more annoying?

Be grateful because you are the one who changed. You become more patient, able to work under pressure, and more skillful in your work. In other words, you grow into a stronger and better person.

2. Find Out the Cause

My child, listen and be wise; direct your heart in the right way. – Proverbs 23:19

There are many reasons why a coworker becomes annoying. It could be that one of them is you. That is why you must find out why he acts that way toward you.

I once dealt with a coworker who was very irritating. When given a task, he deliberately would not do it. If asked to go somewhere, something that should have been finished in one hour, he would only return to the office three hours later.

After work, I invited this coworker to eat together and talk privately. It turned out he was upset with me because I had rejected a prospective client's proposal that he had submitted. We quickly resolved this problem, and the next day, his attitude changed for the better. We were able to work together again, and the work atmosphere became comfortable again.

At another time, I also had a problem with another coworker, which I tried to resolve by sitting down together to find a solution. However, that person did not want the problem to be fixed. He refused advice and chose to keep working however he pleased. Slowly but surely, his actions harmed not only me, but also our other coworkers, even the entire company. In the end, this person was fired.

Sometimes, we have to be able to accept coworkers who continue to act annoyingly, even though we have taken the initiative to find out the problem, and even helped them deal with it. Indeed, our coworker may remain the same, but we change to become wiser and to have an even greater fear of God in our hearts.

3.“Change Begins with Me.”

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or worthy of praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:8

Most of other people's responses to us are determined by our attitude toward them. For example, because I woke up late, I did not have time to shower or eat breakfast. I hurriedly changed clothes, then left for work. On the way, I drove fast and nearly had an accident. When I arrived at the office, my heart was irritated. I did not feel like smiling, did not greet my coworkers, and when asked why, I answered sharply.

What do you think your reaction would be when dealing with me? You would definitely feel annoyed, right? So, if we feel that other people are irritating, let us examine ourselves: perhaps we are actually the ones who are irritating in their eyes. This may be seen from the way we speak arrogantly, our body language, the way we treat people, and so on.

Start the change with yourself. Do not demand that other people become friendlier or more patient with us if we ourselves are not willing to change according to the demands we place on them. Let us humbly ask the opinion of people we trust, “In what ways do I need to change?”

The key to dealing with annoying coworkers is to build initiative and keep self-control. We can be a positive influence on annoying coworkers as long as we are willing to find out the reason and try to resolve it. And if it turns out that we are the ones who are annoying to others, this is our opportunity to improve ourselves.

Keep up the spirit, and God bless you! - Church GKDI is currently present in 35 cities. We have Bible Study activities in every area; if you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official: WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official

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