How To Deal With Hate At Work

It is a known fact that not everyone would like you but some people take the dislike really far.I used to have a colleague that just hated my guts for no reason. She tried to mask it at times by acting like she had my best interest at heart when she sarcastically put down even my best works. She had a problem with what I wore, how I walked, how I talked, how I sneezed, how I sat, just everything. I was worried at first before I realized I wasn’t the one with the problem. So, I stopped taking her comments to heart, matter of fact I pitied her because I couldn’t wrap my head around how someone could walk around filled with so much hate.

Majority of us know someone like my former colleague. That person that finds a reason to remind you your promotion is not by merit but mere protocol. The one that tells you you look like shit when everyone else says you are looking really good. That person that sees you happy and automatically reminds you of the dark clouds splashed in the blue skies.

So how does one deal with that kind of negative energy especially when it is unavoidable like most cases in the work place. If you are caught in such situation, the underlisted points can be useful.

Do your bit: Make sure you are not the colleague that makes it hard to acheive a goal within a team. Keep to time and be very diligent in your work because your attitude to work might be the problem.

Don’t get mad at them: Chances are that person would delight in you losing your cool and acting irrational. You don’t want to bequeath such cheap victory on them. So, no matter what the person says or do, try not to take it to heart and always keep your cool. Try and be courteous around them. you need to be the better person by not repaying negative with negative.

Befriend them: Some people mask their insecurities by hiding behind mean comments and show of hatred. They see themselves as powerful by making other people feel miserable. Get close to the person, offer him/her fruits during break time or strike conversations with them that are totally outside work. The problem might be they see you as a threat or as someone with an attitude because they don’t know you well but helping them access you up close might make such person realise he/she had a wrong impression about you and change the person’s attitude towards you.

Ignore them: I saw this on another website and I think it is quite effective. If you cant get them to like you just do your work and act like they don't exist.This can be hard if you share the same offices or they are your boss but it's your best shot when all fails.

Pray : People don’t set out to be bitter, some just get dealt devastating blows by life that makes it so hard for them to see the good in others. I have shared on this site how I pray about even the minutest things so it is no surprise that I am suggesting prayer as a way to deal with someone like that. I actually prayed about my ex colleague to be able to get over herself or whatever insecurity she had and see that the light at the end of the tunnel is very bright. I also prayed for the intelligence and patience to relate with her.

Have you ever found yourself in such situation? How did you handle it? 

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