How to deal with 20 tricky office situations, from romances to crying at work
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It's happened to all of us.
We find ourselves dealing with an irritant that makes us dread going to work, whether it's a shouty boss, a judgmental coworker or a mysterious lunch bandit.
But never fear, Entrepreneur is here to help.
We got some advice about negotiating the social and political minefield that an office can turn into from workplace communication expert Janel Anderson; Julie Bauke, the chief career happiness officer at the Bauke Group; Heather Huhman, the founder and president of Come Recommended and Alison Green, the creator of the "Ask a Manager" column.
1. You start crying at work
If you do get reprimanded in front of your fellow colleagues or if you receive some tough personal news and start to get emotional, Anderson recommends extricating yourself from the crowd as quickly and calmly as possible.
"To bring the tears to a stop, get some emotional and physical distance from the person or situation that feels threatening. Go the bathroom, take a minute to settle yourself and then step outside for some deep breaths and a walk." And later, set aside some time "to think through the issue at a time when you are not so emotionally charged by the issue."
2. Someone takes credit for your work
Perhaps you're in a meeting or giving a group presentation and one of your co-workers takes credit for your work. Your first inclination may be to see red and want to set the record straight, but an angry confrontation without concrete proof isn't a good look for anyone. Take a minute to step back and suss out whether you misinterpreted anything.
Huhman says it's important to remember that you won't always get credit for everything you do. And if you ask your coworker why he presented the idea as his own, you may not get the answer you're looking for.
"If you don't say anything, you can still position yourself as the expert on the topic, idea or project," Huhman says. "Be prepared to answer questions in meetings and do a little extra legwork to show managers that you know your stuff and are a valuable member of the team."
3. Judgmental coworkers
If you are losing your temper due to your co-worker's judgement about everything from your decision to not get married or how you arrange your desk, remember that it likely isn't just your habits your colleague has an opinion about.
He or she is probably judgmental about everyone's life choices. "Don't reciprocate their behavior and don't take it personally," says Anderson. "I recommend staying persistently pleasant around them."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider