With reference to a particular person X at work, do you frequently
- Wake up in the morning and immediately think ‘Oh no, I’ve got to face X again today’?
- Store anger throughout the day about X?
- Find yourself frequently in conflict with X?
- Experience jealousy about others‘ ability to get on with X?
- Back away from confrontations with X and then get angry at
yourself because of your inability to act appropriately?
- Disagree or have arguments with your boss, who unfortunately is X?
The person, X, referred to above could be your boss, a workmate, a regular customer or even a visitor to your workplace. Whoever X is, if you are storing up strong negative emotions about this person, then your worklife could well be in torment.
Research studies have found that in any work team of ten or more people, there is a high probability that there will be at least one problem person. A problem person can be defined for present purposes as an individual who consistently causes upset and possible dissension amongst the group. The causes of the distress can often be trivial, but the emotional effects upon the other group members can be significant.
The presence of a problem person in a work group has been found to create increased absenteeism, decreased motivation in the work team, decreased productivity and increased staff turnover. If the problem person is the boss of the work team, these negative effects are considerably increased.
This addresses the issue of how to deal with the problem person at work. As people are complex and their relationships even more complicated, a brief mini-psychology about personalities and their effect at the workplace will be presented first. Following this, several approaches to working with a problem person will be discussed, including: practical confrontation skills; resolving workplace problems; and increasing your own likeability (in case you are a problem person).
Workplace personalities
A leading psychological theorist, Eysenck, proposed that personality is based upon heredity and can be presented as two dimensions: 1, Extroversion—Introversion; and 2, Neurosis (or Emotionalism)—Stability.
The two intersecting dimensions form four quadrants. Let’s look at each of the four quadrants and see what types of personalities are represented.
A Stable extrovert
These people tend to be outgoing, carefree and assertive individuals who might manifest an unusual trust that everything will work out alright. They socialise readily and carry an aura of casualness about the workings of the firm. This apparent optimistic and carefree approach can be misinterpreted by others as being a lack of genuine commitment and concern for the welfare of the group or firm. The stable extrovert is often a risk-taker and can make a valuable contribution to the organisation in the form of new ideas, new approaches.
B Stable introvert
The stable introvert can be seen as a loner, a person who thrives on the challenge and stimulation of the job. They are often persistent, conscientious and technically minded. They may prefer to work in research and development situations where there is little interference from others and minimum bother with socialising concerns. They can appear to lack communication skills, but may just prefer to avoid others.
C Emotional introvert
The emotional introvert is a shy and reserved person who avoids risks and favours conformity in the work setting. Job security is a major concern for these people and they tend to enter the organisation, persist and retire, often with little movement to other jobs outside the firm. While they can be self-sufficient, they do tend to doubt their own abilities, thus avoiding any risk taking activity.
D Emotional extrovert
The emotional extrovert is a highly energetic person who is often seen as being aggressive and impulsive. While these people can be irritating, especially when stress is high, their exuberance and impulsiveness can shake sleepy workplaces into new directions. The emotional extrovert can be very temperamental and given to explosive outbursts. Their instability and proneness to excesses can be balanced by their ability to innovate.
You might have identified various people with whom you work from the brief synopses above. Hopefully, not all of these people will be problem people for you. As problem people can cause much tension and turmoil at work, what can you do about these people and the psychological distress which they generate?
Before describing the interpersonal strategies which might be used, it is important to say that problem people are major sources of stress at work. If you are stressed daily from encounters with a problem person, it is imperative that you look after your physical and emotional fitness very carefully. Be certain to eat well, sleep well, and get a good physical workout (just 30 minutes of brisk walking will do) three to five times per week. Being healthy and fit and feeling positive and confident about yourself will make the stress of the problem person less traumatic. Now, let’s turn to some interpersonal strategies which might help you sort out the difficulty with the problem person.
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