It may be back-to-school season, but can you already sense that you’ll be needing some ideas for staying cheery due to a challenging co-worker? Here are some ideas for how to prevent that coworker from ruining your day.
Secret Sticker Chart
Is someone at work being an absolute jerk to you every chance they get? Do you dread seeing them or having to work with them? Here’s one thing that can help: a super secret sticker chart that only you know about. Do NOT tell anyone else at work about it. Here’s how to use it.
- Anytime this particular person is rude to you, in a big or small way, put a sticker on the chart.
- Once you hit a certain number of stickers, you get yourself a little treat. This can be anything from a treat at the coffeeshop, a mani/pedi, or takeout from your favorite restaurant. Bonus if your treat is a form of self-care, like a massage!
- Twist: If you gracefully respond to this person, give yourself another sticker for being awesome!
- Suddenly, you might start looking forward to running into or dealing with this pain-in-the-neck. More run-ins with the annoying one means more goodies for you!
Download your sticker chart here!
Teacher Bullies
Teacher bullies are often successful at work because they know how to put you down with one hand, while sucking up to admin with the other. Trying to stay positive can be difficult, but if that means you are filling up your sticker chart at the end of every single day, so be it. Vent to your family, but don’t let these problems spill out onto your other coworkers. Keep your interactions with them short, and document problematic encounters. If documenting negative encounters is putting you in a bad headspace, take a break, or stop documenting altogether, unless it’s something egregious.
If this person is lying about you or your work, you may want to keep all communication with them in writing for documentation purposes. Bullies are not above lying, gossiping, and taking credit for your work.
Drum It Out
What if someone makes you so upset that you can’t keep it in? We are music teachers, go grab a djembe, and pound out all the horrible things you’d like to say back to that person in rhythm only. Play it, don’t say it, especially when you are steaming mad in the moment. Picked this tip up from a brilliant music teacher friend who shall remain anonymous.
“Remember Your Why”
This phrase get’s twisted around to make teachers work past contract hours. You may have become a teacher because you love kids and teaching music, but let’s remember some other whys. Getting paid, having health insurance, and your retirement. If you truly can’t take it anymore, look into transferring to a new school, or a new job. In the sticker chart above, fill-in your “why” at the top (or a code word for your why). The one in the picture says health insurance!
That being said, my students did make my day on many occasions, especially my afterschool groups. They were so happy to get extra music time, and brought tons of positive energy. It helped to have a group afterschool so that I could go home with a smile.
Stand Up for Yourself
Bullies love picking on people who seem meek. Sometimes, a stern push back can do wonders. I’ve had teachers dress me down for something that I had absolutely nothing to do with, because bullies like to make assumptions and take out their frustrations on others. One day, I fired right back and defended myself. This person never bothered me again, and just seeing the stunned look in their eyes as they retreated was perfection.
In Conclusion
These tips to help prevent that coworker from ruining your day are not meant for coworkers who are outright abusive. These are mainly for those who love to wield any tiny amount of power that they have (real or imagined) over you. The above tips mention ways to assert yourself, or reframe your interactions. Please modify them as you see fit!
P.S. If you would like a more traditional sticker chart, you can find a free one in my shop, here!
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