Apply diplomacy to workplace annoyances

Everyone has had one of those days when it seems like your tasks are getting longer and longer as the day gets shorter. And just when you think you’re having some success because you are halfway through some particularly difficult task, a co-worker stops by your desk/office to catch up.

The problem is, this co-worker never seems to get the hint that your time is running out even when you pointedly look at your watch. A five-minute chat turns into a 30 minute monologue at best while your tasks, sadly, remain untouched.

Your time and space

The office, being the centre of tact and diplomacy dictates that you cannot just blurt out to a co-worker, “You’re wasting my time.” So how do you deal with this kind of inconsiderate behaviour without making enemies?

As much as you have an open door policy, it is imperative that people respect your time.

Slacking

When someone stops to chat and the conversation does not seem to be going anywhere, politely say that you have a call in a few minutes or a report that’s already due and you have to get back to the grind. If the person really needs more time, schedule to have lunch together on a different day over which you can catch up.

If you share office space with other people and they have the habit of carrying out loud conversations, sometimes there’s not much you can do about it. Find a quiet place where you can work uninterrupted but make sure your supervisor knows where to reach you if they need to.

Even if you always come into work early and use all your time effectively, it is unlikely that if someone else drops the ball, it won’t affect you. This is especially the case when working on projects where someone else’s output is your input. Other than paralysing you, a slacker’s inefficiency could affect your project outcome and in the long term portray you as a slacker too.

So how do you handle this? At the start of every project, and as soon as all the tasks are assigned, ensure that all parties clearly understand both their deliverables and target dates. Just to affirm this, send out an email to your superiors to ensure that you have covered your end.

TIPS

— Deal with colleague-related interruptions by being firm about your time. Your colleagues may not like this but they will respect it.

— Have a system of scheduling tasks so that everyone can easily see what they’re responsible for and by when they need to deliver.