Your office or workplace is where you spend about one-third of your day, sometimes even more. And while most workplaces try to ensure that their employees have a safe and comfortable work environment, problems might crop up. At times, you might wonder how to handle difficult situations at work in case they keep happening frequently.
One thing that makes handling such situations more difficult is that what seems like a problem to one person might not seem an issue to another. Hence, you might not get the help you seek at this point, and you have to handle such things by yourself. And you need to take care of the issues immediately, or else over time, they can lead to additional stress.
While handling difficult situations at work, you must always keep calm and have a professional approach. This will help you think with a clear head, and you will be able to ensure a quick and permanent solution to your problems. Here is what you can do about it.
Bonus Read: Personal Attack at Work- 6 Best Defensive Ways to Handle it
What Kind of Difficult Situations Can You Face at The Workplace And How to Handle Them?
To handle a difficult situation at your workplace, you need to be able to identify it at first. You will find a few scenarios cropping up at your office from time to time. If it keeps happening frequently, this could become a problem, and you need to look into it as quickly as possible.
1. Your Boss Does Not Acknowledge Your Contributions
This can become a pertinent problem because it can have two consequences. First, you will not feel appreciated. When this continues, you will feel demotivated and lose the zeal to do well.
Secondly, when your boss or supervisor continuously keeps ignoring you, you can be sure that it might also be the case when it is time for your appraisal. You might not get the salary hike that you deserve. The issue can become even more problematic when you see that your boss interacts with your colleagues just fine, and the coldness is only directed toward you.
Possible Solution
It would be best if you interacted openly and confidently with your boss to handle this situation. Pick a suitable one when you see that your boss is not overly busy with work and is in a good mood. Ask for your boss’s permission beforehand and personally walk into the cabin to speak to them. Speak about your concern in a calm and composed manner and ask them whether they are happy with the quality of your work.
In some cases, you might feel your boss has a personal grudge against you. It can be a deliberate or just misunderstanding. You can take this opportunity to sort out the problem through a discussion.
Please do not make the mistake of going around your boss and complaining against them to the higher management. You can also make a formal complaint to HR if you feel that your boss is being deliberately discriminatory and misbehaves you.
2. Your Colleague Tries to Take Credit For Your Work
This is a common situation in workplaces with a very competitive environment. You might have put your heart and soul into a project, and suddenly, one of your colleagues from the team tries to take all the credit for it during the final presentation. Or, there are just some people who have a very poor idea of ethics.
Possible Solution
The best way to handle such a situation is to be assertive. You must speak up if you see someone walking away with what was meant for you. One of the best ways to prevent someone from taking credit for your work is not to share all the details of the project for the parts you contributed to.
Unless you are sharing it directly with the manager, you have no compulsion to share the minute details with all the team members. When the time comes for the final presentation, your colleague who tries to steal your limelight will not be able to do so. You can step up and present all the brilliant points yourself, and you can be sure that your employers will notice what is going on and give credit where it is due.
Bonus Read: How to Deal With a Coworker Who is Trying to Get You Fired?
3. Meeting Deadlines
Your office can work on multiple projects, and you could have been invited to be a part of quite a few. However, meeting several deadlines at once can be a problem. While it is okay to expect frequent bursts of work, if this keeps happening continuously, it could ultimately take a toll on your health. It will also adversely impact your work-life balance.
Possible Solution
The best way to handle this situation is to work on your time management skills. You can use software and tools to help you plan your day better. Prioritize the tasks you have to do throughout the day and get them done accordingly, ticking them off the to-do list. This will make you feel better and have accomplished something, giving you enough motivation to move on to the next task.
In addition, if you feel you are being overburdened with work, you might consider speaking to your supervisor. Your supervisor might be assigning additional tasks to you because they think you are a capable candidate and trusts you.
While this is very encouraging, you should also speak to your supervisor about it and ask them to modify the workload for you. Additional stress can lead to mistakes, and you will not want to do that.
4. Setting Boundaries With Other Members
Many juniors have to face the office when many of their seniors try to push their tasks on them. This can be challenging for someone new to the office who wants to make sure they create a favorable impression with their colleagues and superiors.
The problem becomes worse when many superiors also try to make them run their personal errands, and you don’t know how to refuse.
Possible Solution
The best way to address this issue is to take it up with the superior yourself. You have to be careful not to offend the person. Still, it would be best if you also expressed that while you are perfectly capable of handling your share of work, you can’t take on the responsibilities of others as well, especially when it concerns matters outside the office.
Please make sure you speak to the person in private and let some time pass to see whether there is any change in their attitude or not. You might consider talking to them again if there isn’t.
However, if they still refuse to understand, speak to someone from HR. Do not lodge a formal complaint initially, but consult them regarding your options. Chances are that once they know of the matter, they will speak to the person concerned.
Bonus Read: How to Protect Yourself From Toxic Coworkers: 7 Mental Strategies and Tips
5. You Have Made a Mistake
One of the most challenging situations you can be faced with is when you have indeed made a mistake, and now you are told to explain yourself. Depending on the magnitude of the error, it could have affected other people in the office or the project you were working on. This can also be a very embarrassing situation for you.
Possible Solution
The best way to handle this situation is to take responsibility for your actions. And your employers will notice that you can hold yourself accountable when the time comes and appreciate you more. After all, mistakes can happen in a workplace, especially when you have a massive workload. Try to learn from the mistakes and make sure you double-check all your work.
Do not make the mistake of coming up with excuses or trying to hold another colleague accountable unless that is the case. Apologize for the mistake, and any inconvenience caused, and take the matter forward by constructively working on whatever caused the mistake in the first place.
Tips on How to Handle Difficult Situations at The Workplace
Here are some tips that can help you handle any difficult situation at work and manage problems with as much ease as possible.
1. Try to Avoid Emotional Influence
Whatever the problem is, do not let it get into your head. Look at the problem impersonally. Keep your calm and prevent yourself from getting stressed out. No one in the office wants to see you fail. You should look towards your personal growth and see how far you have come, which will motivate you to push through the problems.
Bonus Read: 30 Career Affirmations for Career Success & Growth in 2022
2. Build a Strong Network
Everyone needs help, and you are no exception. When you feel you need assistance, you should be able to ask your colleagues and supervisors for it unflinchingly. To be able to do that, you need to build a strong network from the very beginning. Make friends and help others when you can, and they will also return the favor.
3. Focus on Solutions
Problems will keep rising, but you need to focus on the solutions. Remember how you said in the interview that you are a problem solver? Well, now is the time to prove it, especially to yourself. There is always a solution to every situation, and you need to come up with it by looking at the problem from every angle.
4. Understand You Cannot Make Everyone Happy
Finally, you need to understand that you cannot make everyone happy. What ultimately matters is your growth and your contributions to the team. You can try to make things better as much as you can, but there is always going to be someone in the organization you might disagree with on many matters. Do not let it disturb you; always maintain a professional approach while communicating with the person.
Conclusion
The moment you step into your office every morning, remember that this is a professional environment, and most of the difficult situations you might face throughout the day are primarily circumstantial. If you are a diligent employee, then no one will have a grudge against you or will deliberately try to make things difficult for you.
However, problems do crop up, and you must keep an open mind while handling difficult situations at work. You need to be a team player because you cannot move forward without your teammates. And if you are honest and true, you will always find the help you need.
