151 Quick Ideas to Deal With Difficult People

91Challenge the Chronic Complainer

The chronic complainers are the conspiracy theorists of the office. They see negativity everywhere. While employees generally have plenty to gripe about, the chronic complainers carry the grousing to an extreme. In their eyes, they are the only people who do good work or show commitment or integrity. They constantly look for confirmation of those beliefs and they discount any facts that challenge their philosophy on life.

I parted ways with a long-time friend at work because of her toxic ways. She savaged so many people behind their backs, including some people for whom I have the highest respect. I challenged her notion of universal incompetence at work by pointing out some good work someone had done. She minimized ...