Dealing with idiot coworkers...
I have encountered more than my fair share of stupid co workers. Those who have made my work life difficult by simply sharing my air. Those who made me feel the tinge of brain cell loss with every passing comment or racist tangent they would spout off during the 8 hours at work. I'm sure you are already picturing the person at your job who has made you feel the same way. Regardless of their work relationship to you or title within the company, interacting with your work idiot may cause anxiety, frustration, or down right anger.
Since working is a necessary evil in life, managing your relationships and keeping your cool is super important. There are several ways to manage the inner rage that may occur hearing your ICW breathe during the day.
1. Try to find the humor in their existence
I am a firm believer in the fact that ICW's do not in fact know they are stupid. The idea that they are disliked by most and have habits that could make the Pope want to close line them is completely foreign. In one of my most recent positions, I had a coworker who really believed his political opinions needed to be shared with the world. He could not help but spout off nonsense at anyone who was in earshot, this included people from other departments and even with potential clients. Every issue in the world was directly due to our President's actions and people's race. The only way I could manage to endure 40 hours a week was to just treat him like everything he said was a joke. After every comment he made, I followed it with a hahahaha omg, you are so funny! It actually really irritated him but it made my day so much easier and my sane co workers got a kick out of it too.
2. Stay the hell away from them
Now you want to be careful when using this tactic as you don't want to get in trouble with your boss and make it seem like you're not working. You can use any reasonable excuse to get away from them during the day. Because you cannot control what others do or say you will have to try to limit the time you're exposed to the stupid. I happen to enjoy sitting on the toilet and browsing Facebook and Instagram. But if you find them going off on something ridiculous, leave the area. If they're in the break room eating their lunch, take yours outside. If they walk up to the watercooler while you're speaking to others, stay a moment but then glance at your phone and excuse yourself. Simply removing yourself from the negative atmosphere is a quick way to end the torture.
3. Do small things to irritate them
*Disclaimer* This is not recommended, but it's hilarious to put into action. Putting this into motion will definitely take some skill, but it'll make your day a little brighter. You definitely do not want to get in trouble with your boss or reported to HR for harassment. But by keeping your pranks subtle, you'll be able to get under their skin by making their day slightly inconvenient. My favorites are, laughing a little too loud, moving things ever so slightly on their desk when no one is around, humming catchy but irritating songs, and my favorite - put one penny on their desk every day. That last one seems insignificant, but it really messes with their head. Day 1: Ooooo look, a penny! Day 2: Another penny? I thought I took this home. Day 3: Did I leave another one here? Day 4: Ok WTF IS GOING ON!?!?!?!??
4. Kill them with kindness
This has always been something that I have struggled with, but the few times I have been able to put this into motion it really did work. 2 jobs ago I worked with this woman was a pathological liar. She constantly changed her story when talking to different people, she would create different scenarios, and report the everyone at work to higher ups for random things. It got to the point where our bosses were scrambling trying to find ways to let her go without a huge blowout because they were incredibly scared of her. I was at my wit's end with her and could avoid her because she was just EVERYWHERE. So I had to shift my thinking and I decided to give into my mom's advice. I started be VERY nice to her. A cheery good morning every day, asking her how things were all the time, little inexpensive gifts, and pretty soon she was trying to get away from me! It was actually pretty hilarious. I guess the thrill of torturing me wore off after I didn't run from her.
Regardless of how you choose to deal with your idiot coworker, make sure you don't put your job or your sanity in jeopardy. Keep it calm and just try to make light of the situation.
What are some ways you have dealt with an idiot coworker? Tell me in the comments below!
