Sometimes, it can be really difficult to listen to your partner talk about their problems without being able to help. Reddit user Coffeegorilla shared a story about his girlfriend—now wife—who had to deal with a lazy, obnoxious coworker making her tough job absolutely miserable.
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This colleague dodged her responsibilities and turned every shift into a source of stress and frustration. Things got even worse when she got engaged. So, the Redditor developed a plan for how to get back at the lady. A plan rooted in love, sparkle, and just the right amount of petty.
This guy was listening to his partner complain about her coworker so much that he decided to do something about it
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels (not the actual photo)
And he wasn't afraid to spend a lot of money on his plan
Image credits: Coffeegorilla
Loud, disruptive coworkers can really take a toll on us
According to a report by Robert Half, which surveyed over 1,000 employees, loud talking (40%) and gossip (39%) are the most irritating pet peeves in the workplace.
"Some annoyances come and go, but ... [these two] are disruptive and can really hinder your focus, productivity, and relationships at work," says Dawn Fay, operational president at Robert Half. "They're not just distractions, they're dangerous habits that can cause turmoil for your career."
If you can't just ignore or reason with them, it might be a good idea to inform your boss or HR about the problems you're having. Instead of focusing on personal differences, you should try to keep these conversations professional, and say things like, "I could really use your help because a lot of the work I have requires focus or some degree of privacy, and this particular individual is really preventing me from being able to accomplish that," and "I've tried other methods, and none have worked, so if there’s any help or guidance you can offer, I’d really appreciate it."
But we should try our best to keep our cool
Image credits: RDNE Stock project/Pexels (not the actual photo)
However, there are no guarantees they will take care of the situation, either. Amy Morin, who is a psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do, says, "It can be tempting to invest a lot of energy into hoping that your team leader would suddenly become more supportive or that your coworker would stop rambling in meetings, but you can't control what other people do. And wishful thinking will only drain you of time and energy."
The key is to put your energy into taking positive action. "Have you ever come home from work and spent the entire evening rehashing a conversation you had with your coworker? Or spend half of Sunday worrying about having to deal with it again on Monday? If so, you're allowing difficult coworkers to invade your personal time," Morin adds.
"If you catch yourself doing this, take action immediately—clean the house, call a friend to talk about something different, or take a walk. Do anything else that will change the channel in your brain."
Even when you establish healthy boundaries with difficult coworkers (or your partner finds a way to shut them down), they can still drain your mental strength. So, in the end, we should practice healthy coping skills that will help you stay strong.
"Experiment with a variety of coping skills ... to discover what works best for you. Take good care of your health as well. It's impossible to stay mentally strong."
People were glad she finally got what was coming to her
