Do you love your job but hate your coworkers? If you’re pulling your hair out or plotting out ways to bludgeon your coworker (without getting caught) with a paper weight read on.

Unfortunately, your first thought might be to resign from your current position. That is not always necessary. Sure it might be easiest to cut and run when facing difficult or unruly coworkers, but is it the right move? If the job is worth it, you do have other options rather than leaving. It will take some work and maybe a different outlook, but if this is the job of a lifetime it is probably worth the effort.

So what do you do if you find yourself caught up in a situation wrought with complications, problems, and conflict? Know that there are definitely steps for you to take. By taking these key steps, it is possible that you will be able to keep your job and retain your income. You will probably love that, right?

There are a lot of ways to deal with difficult coworkers. Planning and taking the right steps can make all the difference - clearly these steps are for those careerists who can and want to handle these matters on their own. This is your career (and your personal decision) so use your own best judgment because it’s essential.

Assess the situation and examine the ways that you might be able to handle or deal with your coworker. Take all circumstances into consideration. Remember that a small conflict might be something you can handle on your own but serious problems call for other actions. You have to decide what type of conflict this is – small or serious. That in mind, ask yourself if you able to speak calmly and reasonably with your coworker privately.

It is important that you be able to speak carefully with your coworker. Clearly you will want to be pleasant and friendly. If you feel you are able to speak with your coworker (and s/he would be receptive), it would be essential that you remain professional in tone and in action and of course approach them with no attitude. Some people don’t even realize that even a bit of tone or attitude can actually make matters worse.

Let’s say you’re having difficulties with a coworker who can’t complete projects on time, an approach that might work well would be to offer to help by creating a timeline or a schedule. If your coworker wears perfume or cologne that actually triggers migraines, you could preface the conversation with an explanation about complications that arise due to the scent. What is important is that you have to decide if this is the right course of action.

Keeping the lines of communication open is usually an approach that works. However, as mentioned in the above, it is essential that you remember that there can be extenuating circumstances and those should always be taken into consideration. You decide what is best in your situation.

Clearly you would not want to come to any harm - if you feel it is necessary at any time involve your supervisor. And, if you have already communicated with your coworker and have not seen any positive change, you might want to take the issue to your supervisor. Again, this is your job and your decision, so when doing something like this you will always want to use your best judgment.

The abovementioned steps are just a couple that you can take if you’re having difficulties with your coworkers. One last reminder though is to exercise sound judgment when handling situations with your coworkers. The hope here is that you will be able to keep your hair, keep your job and avoid bludgeoning anyone!

Making a career move can be intimidating. Patricia Erickson discusses the ins and outs of career change at length in her new book entitled Career Management Guide: A Practical Approach To Career Change In Any Economy.