COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Dealing with Difficult Co-Workers course. This program will equip you with the practical communication techniques, behavioural strategies, and emotional intelligence skills needed to navigate challenging interpersonal dynamics in the workplace. You will explore how to manage tensions professionally, how to de-escalate conflict, how to encourage productive dialogue, and how to protect your own wellbeing while maintaining constructive working relationships. This course also addresses how to intervene appropriately when difficult behaviour affects team morale, organisational culture, or psychological safety.

This course begins by examining the benefits of correctly dealing with difficult co-workers and the top imperatives of communicating with difficult people. You will explore how to deal with unfriendly co-workers using clear, respectful statements—and which statements to avoid because they escalate emotion or defensiveness. This section also examines how to deal with co-workers who withhold information or cooperation, how to use the if-then structure to encourage accountability, and how to apply the reverse if-then structure to reinforce expectations and consequences.

The next learning area focuses on petty and gossipy behaviour. You will explore what to do when an employee makes a personal assault on another employee, when name-calling occurs, when an employee quotes another’s disparaging remarks, or when someone relies on rumour to justify their position. This section also examines how to respond when an employee alludes negatively to another’s personality, or makes faces and negative sounds—even when the target is present. These strategies ensure that inappropriate behaviour is addressed promptly, firmly, and professionally.

A further section explores how to deal with argumentative co-workers. You will learn how to get control of a discussion before it starts, how to move the discussion in a productive direction when it becomes derailed, and how to reinforce, restate, or repeat your conclusion so the conversation returns to focus and clarity. You will also explore how to deal with loud and obnoxious co-workers and why it is important to let colleagues know you have their wellbeing and interests in mind when addressing their behaviour.

The program then examines how to respond to inappropriate or harmful behaviour. You will explore what to do if co-workers make inappropriate sexual comments or racial slurs, and what to do if a co-worker embarrasses you or someone else in the room. This section emphasises the need for professionalism, documentation, and escalation when necessary, ensuring psychological safety and compliance with workplace standards.

The next learning area focuses on negative co-workers. You will explore how to deal with persistently negative colleagues, how to help them find positive perspectives themselves, and how to use “up” and future-oriented words and statements to model constructive thinking. You will also examine how to deal with co-workers who complain nonstop or who constantly respond with objections and negativity, balancing empathy with the need to maintain productivity and morale.

The final section turns inward, addressing what to do if the negative, angry, or difficult employee is you. You will explore the signs of negative thoughts—including catastrophic thinking, “what-if” thinking, and “I-can’t-take-it” thinking—and how these patterns influence your behaviour and interactions. This section provides strategies for self-reflection, emotional regulation, and mindset improvement to ensure you contribute positively to your workplace environment.

By the end of this course you will be able to communicate assertively and respectfully with difficult co-workers, intervene in harmful behaviour, maintain control of challenging conversations, shift negativity toward constructive thinking, and strengthen your own resilience and professionalism in the face of workplace conflict.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• The benefits of correctly dealing difficult co-workers
• The top imperatives of communicating with difficult people
• How to deal with unfriendly co-workers?
• The statements that you should use and avoid
• How to deal with co-workers who withhold?
• How to use the if-then structure?
• How to use the if-then structure in reverse?
• How to deal with petty and gossipy co-workers ?
• What to do when an employee makes a personal assault on another employee?
• What to do when an employee calls another employee names?
• What to do when one employee quotes another’s disparaging remarks?
• What to do when an employee relies on rumour to assert his or her position?
• What to do when one employee alludes to another’s personality in a negative and disparaging way?
• What to do when an employee makes faces or negative sounds even when the object of the insults is in the room?
• How to deal with argumentative people?
• How to get control of a discussion before it starts?
• How to move the discussion in a productive direction if it gets derailed?
• How to reinforce, restate, or repeat your conclusion?
• How to deal with loud and obnoxious co-workers?
• Why let your co-workers know that you have their well-being and interests in mind?
• What to do if co-workers make inappropriate sexual comments or racial slurs?
• What to do if a co-workers embarrass you or someone else in the room?
• How to deal with negative co-workers?
• How to get negative people to find positive perspectives themselves?
• How to use “up” and future-oriented words and statements?
• How to deal with co-workers complain nonstop?
• How to deal with co-workers constantly respond with objections or negativity?
• What you should do if that negative, angry, or difficult employee is you?
• The signs of negative thoughts such as; catastrophic thinking, the what-if thinking and the I-can’t-take-it thinking

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.