1.

A co-worker has the annoying habit of [blank] and you can’t stand
it anymore.

Drama potential: Obsessively clicking pens. Playing music too loudly.

Chewing gum like a cow munching on grass. They may seem like small
habits, but they become unnerving when you have to put up with it all for
eight hours or more on a daily basis. If you keep it all in, you may just lose
it.

How to avoid: Before asking your co-worker to stop a certain behavior,

make sure that you aren’t guilty of something as annoying yourself. This
is a good time to practice gratitude for the things you do like about your
co-worker. This can be hard, but it's a really powerful exercise. Just
thinking of something small that you do like can help you be a little more
compassionate toward them. Sometimes our co-workers are having a bad
day and they fall back into annoying habits. You will probably be in a
similar position someday soon and we want people to be compassionate
with you.  Also, see what you can do block out the habit that annoys you.
Invest in headphones, and try to focus on something else. If you really
can’t put up with, then politely ask your co-worker to refrain. Tell them that
you get easily distracted. Above all, be nice about it.

2. You suspect someone in the office is working against you.

Drama potential: Your paranoia gets the better of you. You’re put in

defensive mode, and you begin actively working against the purported
offender.
How to avoid: While there will always be the hyper-competitive co-
worker, most people are not out to get you. Recognize that, and half the
problem is gone. Dealing with the obnoxiously competitive worker can be
accomplished by simply doing your assigned work the best you can. The
only one who you are really competing against is yourself, and others will
notice when you step up your work goals and accomplishments without
stepping over others.

3. A co-worker tries to engage you in a heated religious or political

conversation.

Drama potential: Politics and religion are almost always a big no-no in

the workplace. Controversial conversations can quickly turn into
animosity. Someone may feel offended and can rightfully complain to
management.

How to avoid: Just don’t talk about religion or politics. If someone asks

for your opinion, try to steer the conversation elsewhere, or laugh it off
and say something neutral.

4. A co-worker or superior makes an inappropriate physical

advance.

Drama potential: Similar to the broken office romance--but with

potentially more nasty consequences--the unwanted pass can spawn
gossip, discomfort, or even personal danger.

How to avoid: This situation needs to be dealt with early and quickly. Do

not ignore sexual advances and assume that they will go away. First, tell
the perpetrator--in private--that you aren’t interested, that you feel
uncomfortable, and that you want his or her behavior to stop. Make sure
he or she knows that you will file an official complaint if the behavior
continues. This will almost always do the trick. If it’s your boss who’s
doing it, consult with HR.

5. A co-worker incites you to participate in nasty office gossip.

Drama potential: Participating in gossip may be tempting, but it’s almost

always ill-advised. The problem with gossip is its potential to hurt others’
feelings and lose others’ trust. When you participate in gossip, you run
the risk of alienating the people with whom you work.

How to avoid: Stay away from notorious gossips. When someone tries to

share office gossip with you, try changing the conversation, or simply tell
them that you don’t like talking about others because you don’t like it
when people talk about you. I also suggest you keep a gratitude journal. It
will help put things in perspective when your anger is boiling over.

6. Someone is stealing your food from the refrigerator.

Drama Potential: The stealing becomes habitual. You decide to let it

slide. You go hungry and resentment builds. Confrontation ensues.

How to avoid: Put your food in some sort of container, and make sure to
label it with your name. If it keeps happening, ask, in a non-accusatory
manner, if anyone has seen your food items. This usually does the trick. If
all else fails, you can always purchase a small personal fridge and keep it
under your desk.

7. It’s the company Christmas party, and you want to enjoy yourself.
Drama potential: You have too much to drink, and you make a fool of
yourself. You offend others, spill secrets, or act inappropriately or
aggressively. You think letting loose during social events can’t hurt? Think
again. An acquaintance of mine actually got fired after an embarrassing
Christmas party incident. Don’t let that be you.

How to avoid: If you can’t hold your alcohol, simply don’t drink, or drink
very slowly.

8. You need a break and want to surf the Internet.

Drama Potential: You begin using your personal e-mail, social

networking sites, and other entertainment sites. Before you know it,
you’re surfing as you would be surfing at home, sending profanity-filled
messages, and watching inappropriate videos.

How to Avoid: Most employers understand the need to take a break, and

it’s probably okay that your computer screen isn’t always reflecting your
work assignments. Still, keep personal Internet surfing to a minimum. You
can also try writing in your journal. It helps calm you, so you are making
good choices instead of letting your emotions push you around. You don’t
want to write emails that you wouldn’t read to the whole office. And
whatever you do, keep it clean. Rule of thumb: If your grade school
teacher would object, then it‘s not okay.

9. A supervisor entrusts you with a secret, and you gab to just one
“trusted” friend.

Drama Potential: You tell one person, and you ask them not to tell
anyone else. Of course, the person you told will do the same--tell one or
two people, thinking the buck will stop there. Well, it never stops, and
that’s how gossip gets so out-of-control in the first place. As with
widespread gossip, telling one little secret has the potential to hurt others,
perpetrate lies, and to make matters worse, you’ll lose your credibility.

How to avoid: If someone tells you something in private, assume it’s

meant to be kept between you two. It may just be that a supervisor is
letting you in to see how well he or she can trust you. Don’t blow it.

10.  You get romantically involved with someone else at work.

Drama potential: The happy couple breaks up, leaving the office

environment tense. People feel forced to take sides, perhaps even
harassment charges are filed.

How to avoid: Try your best not to get involved with someone at the
office. If it does happen, then be professional about it. Hold off on the
PDA until after 5. If your relationship dissolves, do not talk about it openly
with others. Try to be civil during office hours. If you absolutely feel that
you can‘t, ask a supervisor if you can be transferred to a different area of
the office, where you won’t be confronted with the ex. While it can be
difficult to deny an obvious attraction or connection with a co-worker,
most office relationships are simply not worth the drama that they can
cause.

11. Your boss overloads you with tasks that aren’t in your work
description.
Drama potential: At first it starts out with little things, like “Do you mind
doing [insert boss’s task here]?” Eventually, you become your boss’s
slave.

How to avoid: Of course, most employees have a strong desire to please

their superiors. But bosses aren’t perfect, and there’s nothing worse than
having to take on two jobs but getting paid for only one. Sometimes, you
just have to learn to say no. Meet with the boss to review your work
description. If it becomes an ongoing problem, go to HR. You also need
to take breaks. You can go for a walk around the office or go visit a friend.

12. You’re asked to work on a collaborative project with co-workers

with whom you don’t see eye-to-eye.

Drama potential: Group projects can be trying because in order for a

group to work effectively, there needs to be a good mix of leadership,
people willing to take direction, and so on. Most of the time, groups aren’t
formed on such a basis, so there will always be group members butting
heads. Sometimes group disagreement can escalate to extreme levels.

How to avoid: If you know from beforehand that you cannot work with a
certain co-worker, see if you can apportion certain tasks to each person,
then meet only to put the separate parts of the project together.

13. A very significant event occurred in your personal life.

Drama potential: You just got married. Of course, we want to share

significant events with all of those who are close to us, and that includes
people at work. But think before you speak--a small conversation
communicating your excitement can easily turn in to an annoying fixation
such that no one ever wants to hear you talk ever again.

How to avoid: Don’t become the annoyingly solipsistic loudmouth at

work. Keep talk of your personal life to a minimum.

14. You’ve had an argument with a co-worker, and you know you’re
right.

Drama potential: Even though you may be right all of the time, when
there are unresolved issues among co-workers, everyone suffers.
Refusing to apologize after an argument only keeps the cycle of
workplace tension going.

How to avoid: Even if you are right, simply apologize. It is just as

important to keep your boss happy as it is to be able to work well with
your co-workers. Pride does not belong at work. I also suggest thinking
about how silly the situation is. We get so caught up in our ego that we
forget that we all struggle. We need to be able to laugh at the
situation and not take it too seriously.

15. A colleague or supervisor is doing something wrong, and you

want to complain to the company chief.

Drama potential: When something in the workplace is awry, sometimes

your first instinct is to take your complaint to the top of the chain of
command. Corporate hierarchy is the name of the game with most
companies, so if you skip too many levels, you may end up aggravating
many who work above you.
How to avoid: Make complaints only to your direct supervisor, and
address your complaint as a “concern,” especially if the wrongdoing
doesn’t directly involve you. If it is your supervisor who’s at fault, then talk
only to his direct supervisor.

16. Work is tough, and you have a desire to vent.

Drama potential: What starts out as innocent venting about the trials of

work can turn into full-blown complaining. A constant whiner will not only
get a bad reputation at work, but he will also  foster a very negative work
environment. This slows productivity. And people will eventually have only
you to complain about.

How to deal with it: While there’s always a need to vent about your
boss, or about your work assignments, don’t take it too far. It's important
to share with our c0-workers, but we can't let the anger overtake our
thoughts and emotions. You need to practice being aware of these
emotions by understanding and working with your inner dialogue. The
more you practice the easier it gets to be constructive with your
dialogue instead of just unloading on your co-worker.