Dealing With A Mean Co-worker

As adults we tell our children not to pay attention to someone who is talking badly about them but somehow we forget to apply that advice when it comes to our own happiness. Every now and again some of us find ourselves in a situation of having to deal with a co-worker who is a bully and even though we are a parent or spouse to someone, that adult bully can trigger feelings of frustration and anxiety within us that spill over into our lives at home. Fortunately as adults we are armed with much more information than was available when we were younger. If negativity is around you remove yourself from it. You don’t have to eat meals with an unpleasant co-worker, you don’t have to go to functions with an unpleasant co-worker and you don’t have to have conversations with an unpleasant co-worker unless they are specifically work related. Any adult who takes pleasure in purposefully causing emotional stress to another adult is suffering from a personality disorder and although they are able to function outside of a mental hospital, without their meds they’re a pain in the ass. Don’t despair; there are several options available to protect yourself from them. One area you may want to explore is why you’ve allowed their opinion of you affect your performance. You don’t need their acceptance to be a whole person. If you feel you’re employer is not be able to stop the harassment, file a police report.  This creates a paper trail that cannot be refuted. The power is truly is yours.