A difficult coworker can make a good job miserable. You can't control how they behave, but you can control your response, your professionalism, and your paper trail. Keep the high ground and it usually works in your favour.

First, manage yourself

  • Stay professional even when they don't — it protects your reputation.
  • Don't get pulled into gossip or drama; it makes you look part of the problem.
  • Depersonalise it where you can — difficult people are usually like that with everyone.

Address it directly (once)

If it's affecting your work, a calm one-to-one often helps. Use an “I” statement and stick to specifics:

“When feedback comes in front of the team like that, it's hard for me to act on it. Could we do those one-to-one?”

Escalate the right way

  • Document specific incidents — dates, what happened, impact.
  • If it continues or crosses a line, raise it with your manager or HR with those facts.
  • Frame it around work impact, not personal dislike.
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Related

The core skill here is responding to criticism and setting boundaries without heat.