Difficult people at work are coworkers or bosses who can be difficult to work for or with. These are people who are prone to anger or whose expectations are too high. This can also be people who insist on getting their way and fail to cooperate with others. This can also be people whose personal life finds its way into the office and maybe creates stress there and keeps them from being effective workers.
It is best to avoid these people as often as possible but when forced to deal with them one should focus on doing the best work possible and being as positive as possible. If the difficult person is your boss you want to give that person as little to be angry about as possible. If it is a coworker you want to avoid interaction when possible and when forced to interact with someone of this nature you should be clear and concise.
I have worked for difficult bosses and it is never enjoyable. It is best to determine what makes this person difficult and how best to avoid, e.g. if this person appreciates speed, you should try and work as quickly as possible. If the person is detailed oriented you too must be detail oriented. It is important to adapt to this person and try your best to please them.
This RichardStep Marketing survey was designed to get a better understanding of what really gets under the skin of those folks out there dealing with difficult people at work. Read over the awesome answers below and see how you can tailor your business to address the frustrations of the people most relevant to your business niche market. Want more? Read the 125 other topics in the ‘Frustrations’ survey category by clicking here.
The following list are uncut and raw responses of the things this group found most frustrating in their daily lives.
Difficult People at Work
- At work we had a 300 people conference for three days straight. I had to make sure our lobby stayed clean and it was soooo frustrating picking up trash after grown people older then me (34). I was like if my mother was alive she would be pulling ears and pooping people up side the head. NO HOME TRAINING!!!!!
- For me, it is hard to get scrutinized by a new administrator at work when I do my job (and do it well). There are people that everyone knows including administrators that do not do there job, and nobody scrutinizes them. It’s not fair. I get paid the same as they do, but work four times as hard, because I want to know that I did my best.
- Go to work. One of the owners of the company is in Jail and the partners are in the process of taking over. There are people in the office that will have to fired soon and I will have to be the one that does it. I wish I could fire them right now but we have to wait for the process and that is frustrating as I don’t enjoy smiling in someones face.
- Having to juggle many different personal situations whilst starting a new job and having to be at the top of my game. Although I have told the people close to me that right now I just need some space to get through the next few weeks, they tend to be even more needy.
- I am a recovering workaholic, so the need to deal with other people’s need to fix me is incredibly frustrating. They seem to believe they have the solution to my issues, and yet do not take time to understand what is going on and that maybe I do understand what is at the root of this better than they do since they haven’t bothered to just talk to me before throwing out answers.
- I am frustrated at the fact that money is such a big factor in pursuing my passions. If everyone had the opportunity to do what they are good at and passionate about instead of just having a job to pay the bills then we might all be a happier and more cohesive community. I am also frustrated that the people who want to improve the quality and sustainability of our communities are hit by so many road blocks.
- I don’t really know, I don’t get easily frustated. I get desappointed but I don’t see the point in putting so much energy in being frustated. So I’d just be sad or gloomy in the following moment but I will eventually just move on. On the other hand, I get frustated while interacting with people sometimes. The other day, doing lab work, my partner would look over my shoulder and read the report I was writting. That kind of things bothers me a lot.
- I had to do house work, which I don’t enjoy because it is repetitive and almost useless as it all needs doing again within a short time. I mainly don’t like it because it means I don’t have enough work. I love to work as I work with people which gives me great satisfaction. I also love the income that comes with it. Unfortunately, if I don’t have enough work, I can’t effort a cleaning lady to do the house work.
- I was in a meeting at work and I became extremely frustrated because people had no idea what they were talking about but still felt the need to speak and add their input. This was frustrating because I felt that it was a waste of time and no progress was being made.
- I would like to bring my happiness, joy, fun, motivatin to life, and the people I work with. I feel I don’t make a big enough positive difference or imapct with the people I work with. I would like to create a motivated happy enviroment, make a differnce adn get people fired up about life while I have fun doing it and learning abut others cultures and lives and seeing the progession. At the end of the day I want to feel my hard work is appreaciated as well. Relish in the sucesses.
- Important questions in mind; 1) There are so many opportunities around to learn and earn money but why people including me dosen’t extend courage to implement them even though knowing that success lies in who take the decision 2) Is that a fear of loosing the crux of the problem? 3) Can’t decide what I enjoy and which truly gives me pleasure. When I am at home I think of work and other things, when I am at work I think of home and relationship. When I am into relationship with other woman and I am with her, I want to go home. When I am at home, I want to meet her. What’s going on? I don’t know which situation makes me really happy. The most frustrating experience I had is last bidding I did at work knowing that we are not qualified or have enough papers and we can’t be competitive. I tried to convince the management but they were adamant. With great difficulties I managed to get our company qualified but the financial bid was as expected not competitive at all and we lost the bid.
- Most frustrating thing I had to deal with lately was the fact that the people at work wrote me up because of a mixed up schedule they presented to me. They said I failed to show up but it show up at the time I copied down as my schedule. So I feel they lied on their part but I overlooked the situation
- My birthday week-end in Lisbon with a good friend: Facing her way to manage the trip with her luggage, in restaurants/taxi/people in the street etc… I work in tourism field and travel oftently (minium 4 times for business or pleasure per year). I took time to tell her before departure, to take some comfortable clothes/baskets (easy way to go anywhere at anytime) because we will walk a lot and go in parties etc.. = living it as the most authentic/local way possible. I asked her to always be carefull to have coins and no more than a 20’Eur bills as money. She tooks “ballet shoes” and “pretty baskets” = Blisters. Most part of the time she had 50eur bills so guys asked for coins. Her reaction: “This is unacceptable, they must have coin”s. And the worst for me was: she asked in all restaurant to eat “Typical portuguese food” when I choose restaurants with my knowledge and my feelings of the city. This was frustrating because she didn’t care about what I advised due to my experience and my self-developement. She’s my friend and would know my way to live and trust in me to avoid for her and the others some misunderstandings.
- Taking care of other peoples mess and results of their actions. I am not comfortable with either working under a person who do not listen to my opinion and therefore proceed with actions I feel is wrong , or living with a person who constantly have no sense of order att all. I want to do things my own way.
- The most frustrating thing about my current job is that the company hired to many people during the holiday season, and did not cut any of them after Christmas. My promised 20 hours a week when I was hired has now turned into 5-10 hours a week. All employees are only given one shift a week.
- The most frustrating thing I had to do in my life is to find a baby sitter. It’s frustrating because there are so few people that I know that can watch my child, and when I do find someone, they let me down in the end, and bail, leaving me baby-sitterless. It’s difficult going through the work in finding a new one, going through the process, contacting the payment agency, and filing out the paper work, but once I get everything together, and go through the obstacles, I know I’ll get relief after getting everything in place.
- The most frustrating thing I’ve had to deal with in in the last few days is working with others to accomplish starting a nonprofit organization. It’s frustrating because it appears that everyone is waiting on me to make decisions and we all have to play a part of making decisions. I explained that during the meeting prior to the board convening. It is only four of us and there is a lot we don’t know but we just have to research and figure it out together. But I think because it is my vision people feel that I should be the one to figure it out.
- Watching that the news report and learning that my city is still having problems with electing officials that can get their job done without breaking the law. It’s frustrating because it should be the easiest task of the day. This is something our parents drilled into our minds since first grade! Come on people!!
- When people come into my work five mintues before we are closed and expect us to work hard to please them and be exceedingly friendly. It is very rude to make us stay late after close after an eight hour shift. I would love to help them in a curcumstance when they aren’t being so inconsiderate.