Your coworkers are supposedly the ones who will help you in your struggles at work. They’re the ones you air out your concerns to. They’re supposed to lighten up your mood in the office, especially when you’re already stressed out. Unfortunately, not all of them are like that.

Whether you’ve only had one job since the beginning or have jumped from one job to another, even paid surveys would agree that there will always be at least one person who will get on your nerves. In some cases, you know he/she intentionally makes it a point to ruin your day. But there are also cases where they don’t have a clue that they’re annoying. It might be a habit of that person or his comments that irritate you. Sometimes, it’s his mere presence that spoils your day.

Of course, resigning from work isn’t the solution. There are other things (that won’t cost you your job) that you can do.

First is to examine where the negative feeling is coming from. You might be surprised to find out that it’s actually your behavior that’s causing the problem. This needs a serious self-check. For instance, you don’t like a co-worker because he consistently tells you to lower the volume of your iPhone, ask yourself, should I hate him because he doesn’t mind his own business or does he have a right to do so because I really play my iPhone too loudly? I know it’s not that easy to accept you’re the one at fault, but we know that goodness in showing such humility.

However irritating a certain coworker is, remember to keep a professional attitude. Yes, even if you feel like smashing the headset in front of that person. Remind yourself that he’s the one that has an annoying act. And if you’re going to level with him, you will also look goofy as well.

The best antidote is to stay away from that person. This is quite easy to do when you’re in a call center. Never mind if he notices it. If it’s unavoidable, keep your encounters with him to a minimum. Let’s say you have a team meeting after your shift. Don’t sit next to him. Don’t be caught alone with him. This will just make an opportunity for the two of you to clash – something you don’t like your team leader or supervisors to see. If he makes a move to get close to you, grab another teammate so there will be three of you.