How to Deal with an Aggressive Colleague
Dealing with an aggressive colleague can be extremely stressful. It is important, however, to protect your work and reputation from the actions of such an individual. There are a variety of ways that you may deal with your coworker, depending on the exact situation.
Ignore them
If your colleague is not truly causing harm or affecting your work, then sometimes the best thing to do is ignore them. Sometimes a person will try to push his or her views on everyone else. If it just affects his work, then it might be something that you can just pretend is not occurring. You obviously do not have to do as an aggressive colleague says. Some people think that they are in charge of those who are lateral to them, but obviously this is not the case. You may just want to pretend that they are not there, and go on with your work without paying them any heed.
Talk to them
In many cases, you cannot simply ignore an aggressive colleague It may affect you or the company. If you feel comfortable doing so, then you might want to talk to them. They may not even realize that they are doing it. For instance, let’s say that you work on a team where you are supposed to brainstorm together. One individual is very aggressive and always monopolizes the floor without letting others get their opinions in. You can talk to this person and explain how you feel and what the problem is. Sometimes that will be sufficient.
If you do decide to talk to them, try to be logical, calm and reasonable. It is best not to be accusatory and offensive because someone who is very aggressive may feel defensive. You obviously want things to get better and not worse.
Talk to your superiors
Many people do not want to get someone else in trouble, but sometimes you have no choice. It is not fair if you are feeling bowled over by an aggressive colleague . You can go to your superiors and explain the situation and how it is affecting the company. Explain specific scenarios that have occurred. If you are worried about retaliation then you can ask that your complaint be anonymous. Hopefully they will take the necessary steps to rectify the situation.
Dealing with an aggressive colleague can be difficult, but you deserve a calm and fair work environment. Utilize the above tactics in dealing with your coworker.