A work group that successfully collaborates on a project is analogous to an orchestra: Each musician in an orchestra produces a distinct, vital sound that harmoniously fuses with those of his fellow musicians into a symphony. Likewise, each member of an effective team produces a distinct, vital contribution that harmoniously integrates with those of his colleagues into an impressive final product. But just as one out-of-tune musician may cause a symphony to disintegrate into discordant tones, an uncooperative colleague can doom a team’s group project (Whiteman, 2015). Hence, you need to learn how to deal with uncooperative co-workers anytime one comes your way. One thing I will always emphasize is that no matter the level of negativity, it is not worth losing your sanity over; all you need to do is to be calm and apply the right principles. Here are some proven ways to rely on in order to perfectly work with uncooperative colleagues:
Be introspective. Ask yourself if you’re unwittingly doing anything to exacerbate the situation while taking into account your particular work culture. In a predominantly Asian work environment for instance, being outspoken or speaking out of turn may not be looked kindly upon. So if you’re used to speaking your mind, you might need to rein it in or learn to catch opportune moments to offer your opinion. Sometimes, it’s all about giving yourself a bit of time to adapt to a new or different work culture (Half, 2018). Another form of introspection you need to do is to reevaluate if they are really the problem in terms of their workloads and responsibilities. Perhaps, for example, your colleague’s tardiness or subpar work is a fluke or an everyday human error that should be overlooked. Or perhaps your colleague’s project responsibilities are more demanding than they appear to be—and so he actually is doing his fair share for the project (Whiteman, 2015). Sometimes, what we tag as uncooperativeness is simply our own act of negligence which is in turn backfiring.
Don’t take their actions personally. For many people, change can be immensely stressful and bewildering. It could be that your colleagues already have an established “clique” and aren’t quite sure how to react when a new person (you!) joins their team. Their unfriendly demeanor could be a result of them reacting to the situation rather than you as a person, so try not to take it personally if they don’t take to you immediately. It might take them a little while to come to terms with the fact that you won’t pose a “threat” to them or their positions within the company (Half, 2018).
Make them look good to their boss. Making people feel important and appreciated is incredibly powerful. But you can also help your teammates get ahead in their careers, simply by making them look good in front of the rest of the team. A simple shout-out in the team chat room, or an email with the teammate’s manager CC’ed, can often be enough to activate the impressive power of reciprocity in getting people to help you (Markidan, 2015).
Make them feel important. While you get emails from customers all day, it’s easy to forget that many of your teammates rarely get to hear from the people that their work makes an impact on. We all feel good when we see how important our work actually is. As the gatekeeper of customer feedback, you have a change – a responsibility, even – to show your teammates how much of an impact their work has (Markidan, 2015). Once they discover that you are not taking them seriously or not appreciating their efforts through this sole action, they can be intentionally uncooperative towards you.
Seek guidance. If you believe a coworker is going above and beyond to make your life a misery and there is no apparent solution, the next step would be to seek counsel from either a manager you report to or your HR department. Asking for guidance, or if necessary, formally reporting the issue is a step to take to ensure the situation is recognized and dealt with (Half, 2018).
Bring a “peace offering”. No, you don’t have to go out of your way or bend over backwards to win them over. This won’t just drain your energy, but it may also have the opposite effect on hostile coworkers, making them suspicious about your intentions. However, little gestures such as buying breakfast or coffee for your colleagues every once in a while will go a long way in showing that you’re sincere about establishing a good working relationship with your team (Half, 2018). This is an irresistible invitation that you really want to work with them and if they allow you, things will move progressively for the benefits of all in the establishment.
Once you seriously suspect that your teammate may be a team-wrecker, start documenting his negligence. This is important because no matter how offensively unforgettable your colleague’s uncooperativeness may seem when you’re grappling with it, you may soon forget its specifics. Print emails that reflect your specific concerns. Record the dates and details of troublesome encounters, missed meetings and ignored deadlines. Make appointments with him electronically instead of just verbally, and keep copies of shoddy work he produces and your improvements to it. Also, work to identify your colleague’s true intentions by meeting with him about the project status. During the meeting, clearly delineate the lines of responsibility and define the timeline for expected milestones and deadlines. If you feel uncomfortable about initiating such a discussion, prepare by role-playing with trusted advisors. And keep reminding yourself that whatever discomfort this discussion may cause, it will pale compared to the discomfort and anger you will feel if your colleague’s negligence continues to create extra work for you over the long haul or if you are blamed for low quality of late work that was actually his fault. What’s more, if your colleague is intentionally taking advantage of you, he will probably continue to do so as long as you unintentionally tacitly enable him by failing to assert yourself. During your discussion with your colleague, keep your tone non-accusatory collegial, friendly and polite. Only address the project at hand, not his personal shortcomings. If appropriate, follow-up your discussion with an email to your colleague that reviews project expectations that you mutually established during your discussion (Whiteman, 2015).
References
Half, R (2018). Dealing with Hostile Co-workers the Smart Way. Retrieved from https://www.roberthalf.com.sg/blog/employers/dealing-hostile-coworkers-smart-way
Markidan, L (2015). How to Deal with Uncooperative Co-workers. Retrieved from https://www.groovehq.com/support/dealing-with-uncooperative-coworkers
Whiteman, L (2015). Uncooperative Teammates and How to Deal with Them. Retrieved from http://careermatters.federaltimes.com/2015/04/01/uncooperative-teammates-and-how-to-deal-with-them/
Images are from: www.freepik.com
(C) 2021, Alan Elangovan, All Copy Rights Reserved.