Getting Along with Difficult Co-Workers

When you get back from military engagement, you have to be prepared for some negative reaction to your time in the military from fellow co-workers.  Since the Vietnam War, there is a growing number of dissenters to any military engagement.  Even if the war is “popular,” you will find people who do not necessarily take kindly to your military experience, even if you did not serve directly in the war.  It can make for a very rough work experience.  Military Discussion Perhaps military involvement more than any other issue inspires the most heated dialogue.  As a serviceman or woman you know everything that military service entails, and it can be insulting to hear such indignation and anger thrown in your direction.  This is even true if you agree with some of the debater’s point of view.  Not everyone in the military is in favor of every military operation in which they participate.  Even so, a lot of the vitriol against the military is directed at the military on the whole, rather than one particular operation and it would be unsurprising if you took issue with that.   There’s debate and then there’s outright fighting.  It can be one of the hardest things in the world to hold your tongue.  You may feel like your betraying your fellow personnel, and even going against your sense of duty.  But at times creating tension in the workplace can do more harm than good.   It depends in part on who is causing the most friction.  Obviously, you don’t want to cause too much trouble with your boss.  Actually, if this becomes too much of an ongoing issue, you may have to look for other employment.  Hopefully in your initial job interview you’ll get a sense if your employer is military-friendly or not.  Holding your tongue day-in/day-out can be a trial in itself, while arguing with your boss can cause other problems.  If it’s a very unhealthy work situation, you might think of moving on, as hard as that might seem to do.   This is the case if you have to deal with unfriendly top-level management.  Before quitting your job prematurely, listen to your employer’s position on the subject.  Explain in detail just what your job in the military entailed and perhaps how much you gained from the experience.  Begin the dialogue with “I understand your position,” rather than an explosive rant defending your position.  This can be as difficult as not saying anything at all, but it’s necessary.  Ideally, cooler minds will prevail.  While you might not convince anyone of your point of view, you will change the dynamic of your relationship and the amount of negativity coming your way.  Fighting with Other Co-Workers Really, when dealing with your colleagues, the same steps apply.  While a co-worker can’t necessarily fire you, it still can make for a very unhealthy work relationship.  You don’t want to make your daily life at work a trial.  The general rule is to not yell your position, but to respond in an even-handed tone.  As time goes on, this will become much easier.   This essay is just for those difficult work situations.  They are by no means inevitable and in many work environments you could find the exact opposite response: widespread praise instead of judgment.  It depends on the type of industry you choose to pursue.  The above issues may most often occur in office environments where military personnel don’t often find employment.   Comments (0) Show/Hide comments Write comment Show/Hide comment form Name Email Website Title Comment Add Comment