Happiness at Work; Dealing with Difficult People

There are many factors that can make a day a work hellacious. Dealing with difficult people is probably the worst of those things. You may be tempted to give them a piece of your mind, however, it’s always important to remember your response has a significant impact on the outcome. In this piece, we will address how you can find happiness at work while dealing with difficult people.

First, you need to remember that while their furor is directed at you the problem is not you. What do I mean by that, there are those who are miserable and want everyone else they encounter to be miserable. Life for them is a continuous battle where they can’t seem to get the upper hand.

Second, listen to their complaint without interrupting. This does two things; it shows their issue is important to you and you sincerely want to understand it. In many situations especially with enraged customers, they want to be heard. Too many times in customer service engagements it seems the agent does not really care about the issue they just want to move the customer along.

It’s imperative to make the customer feel the business values them while resolving their problem. In the end, you want that customer to leave with the sense that the business did the right thing.

Third, ask the customer how they would like the issues to be resolved. Here you are making them a key player in the solution. Engaging them in the solution channels the energies that were being directed toward anger and outrage into something productive.

Fourth, do not say “no” or use words like can’t, don’t, or won’t just to name a few. If you can’t solve the situation to the customer’s satisfaction, get someone who can. One negative post on social media will have a greater impact on the business than replacing a product free of charge.

Fifth, get permission to follow up and follow up. Again this is about building the relationship and making the customer feel valued. Following up costs the business nothing, but it expands its network of ambassadors.

While these steps were applied to a customer service scenario, they can easily be applied to a coworker who feels marginalized in an organization.

Keep in mind you have the greatest influence over your happiness at work. Your happiness at work dealing with difficult people is directly shaped by your response to the encounter.