Has a co-worker ever been mad at you?

Question

Rachelle Enns · Accepted Answer

"Last week, I had a co-worker mad at me. This situation doesn't happen too often since I am easy to get along with, but we had a miscommunication around the work schedule. She was working off the old schedule, and I was working from the new one. She thought that I had not shown up for my shift when, in fact, it was my day off. We worked it out, and each apologized for the communication gap. Together, we asked our manager to put the schedule into a cloud-based program rather than in Word so that changes would appear in real-time, and nobody would be stuck with poor communication over the schedule again."

Rachelle Enns · Answer

The interviewer would like to know more about how you communicate and interact with your co-workers. They also want to know that you can face conflict and resolve disagreements without causing them to escalate. The goal of your response is to show the interviewer that you are a poised professional who understands how to resolve workplace conflict and communicate with team members even if they are displeased with you.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

Be honest with the interviewer, but avoid telling an extreme story-based example that raises red flags. For instance, talking about a time when you knowingly caused a conflict with a co-worker could make the interviewer wonder if you are the type of individual to create chaos in the workplace. Instead, talk about a time when you faced an upset co-worker and introduced a resolution by exercising emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal skills.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

It's a good idea to approach situational interview questions like this one by telling a brief story from the recent past. Using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), try organizing your story to ensure that you provide the interviewer with the right amount of information and detail to form a memorable story-based response.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

Discuss a time when there was a miscommunication. Talk about how you smoothed the situation out, and be sure to mention if your relationship with that co-worker ended up being harmonious in the end. Focus the bulk of your response on how you approached a solution rather than dwelling on the problem. Assure the interviewer that you are a well-equipped professional to handle conflict and promptly problem solve.

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"Some time ago, I worked with an individual who was often upset with me for the speed at which I worked. I am a go-getter and a multi-tasker, and she felt that I was making her look bad since her pace was much slower. I assured her that it was just my personality and that my work speed did not reflect poorly on her. She was insecure about her performance, and it was not my responsibility to make her feel better about her work ethic, but I chose to remain a team player. I continued being my true self, and went about my business, often helping her when she fell behind in her work."

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"As a general manager, I have encountered times when employees are upset with me. These situations might occur when I change the schedule, cut hours back, or terminate those who need to be let go. However, I work hard to maintain harmonious relationships. I am friendly, easy-going, and I deliver clear expectations to my team members. Just last week, one of my team members needed to help a customer after hours, and they were upset with taking on the responsibility. The customer service rep came to me and argued about their schedule. I discussed the situation with her calmly and explained why the customer needed to be cared for at that time. The team member understood the issue and agreed to be available in the future if similar customer needs arose. I am actively communicative and respectful of my team members, and I find these traits to be critical in resolving workplace conflict."

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"In our marketing department, we will come across disagreements on creative direction from time to time. These disagreements rarely amount to a full-blown conflict; however, they can happen when the stakes are high. Last year, upon approaching a significant deadline, I had a co-worker yell at me for not meeting a deadline. It turns out she had missed my email with the attached document that she needed. I stood up for myself and told her that she was not welcome to speak to me like that again. We eventually made up, but it took a few days for her to apologize for inappropriate office behavior. I believe in keeping the utmost professionalism in the workplace, and that includes remaining calm and respectful of others."

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"Earlier in my retail career, I worked with a person who would blatantly steal sales and the attached commissions. It was a toxic work environment, and I was always on edge. I would often bring up concerns with my boss regarding this person's behavior, however, there was no resolution. I left that job when I realized that the environment was not where I wanted to shape my profession. It's important that I get along with my co-workers and feel comfortable in my workspace. I strive to contribute to that positive culture wherever I go."

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"Sales environments can often be stressful, which can create more opportunities for conflict than certain other industries or job types. I recently had a co-worker angry with me when they thought I was poaching their client. This colleague did not realize that I had already added the lead into their Salesforce funnel for them. We worked out the misunderstanding quickly, and I focused on building further trust with that individual."

Rachelle Enns · Answer

"I have never experienced a full-blown conflict with a co-worker, however, my work has always been quite independent. If I experience conflict with a co-worker, I would want to mend the situation as soon as possible. It's essential to maintain a harmonious workplace environment, especially in the education sector."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I'm sure they have. I do my best to keep the peace and distance myself from drama and gossip. In health care, people get stressed and snap sometimes. I never take these things personally. And in the case I snap, I always make it a point to apologize once I have had a chance to calm down."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I have this situation where a co-worker felt bad that I was ignoring her while I was very much consumed with the patient's bedside care. It was another co-worker who told me, so I went and talked to the one who felt bad and told her that I don't ignore people and made it clear to have a conversation when it's not too busy or if I'm not occupied with something."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Yes, I had a co-worker who was upset with me when I accidentally spilled some chemicals on their lab coat. I immediately apologized and offered to have the lab coat cleaned. Despite my efforts, my co-worker was still upset with me for a few days. After some reflection, I realized that I could have communicated more clearly with them about the spill and taken more care in handling the chemicals. I made sure to be more careful in the future and to communicate better with my co-workers, and we were able to work together effectively afterward."

Anonymous User · Answer

"workplace, communication, conflict, UMD"

Anonymous User · Answer

"Yes, one time my coworker got mad at me for not following proper software protocols. However, I deliberately ignored those protocols because the team leads and I decided it was not worth pursuing at the moment. I politely said to him that the team leads and I did agree to shelve this issue for another time.

I also acknowledged that he was mad at me because he assumed I was lazy so I informed him he should contact me about an issue beforehand before assuming bad intentions. He was civil about the matter and acknowledged fostering better communication."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Yes, once we had a disagreement about how an upset customer should have been handled. We were able to discuss the situation and were able to come to an agreement on the best way to resolve the customer's payment issues using both of our ideas."

Anonymous User · Answer

"This has happened to me once when I was working on the NOC shift, generally, the noc shifts are 7AM to 4PM and 10AM to 7PM. One day we both came together at 7AM in the morning and there was a miscommunication in the schedule. We both worked it out, by me taking a 3-hour break in-between the noc shift with permission from my manager and I was able to cover the late shift. We also suggested the manager to create a Microsoft teams calendar so we could sync the schedule over there and decide who would cover the NOC during the week."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I have had a co-worker get upset with me before, generally, I am easy to get along with and don't struggle with this often. Recently I had performed a rematch in my section of the store, I did this early one morning and bit off more than I could chew. I needed the additional help from the rest of my co-workers to finish before we opened, and they couldn't accomplish their normal duties. Naturally, this made them unhappy with me. We finished and I took responsibility for my mistake and made sure they knew I appreciated the help, I also helped catch them up on their duties. There were no hard feelings, and I work every day and have a great relationship with my co-workers today."

Anonymous User · Answer

"As a manager, I have had these situations a couple of times, I have had harmonious relationships, for the most part. I am friendly, easy-going, and deliver clear expectations to my team members, but I will not sacrifice the good of the company just to be popular.One day one of my coordinators needed to see a patient after hours and was upset to work after hours. The coordinator came to me and argued about the schedule. I discussed with her in a calm manner and explained the situation that the patient can not come during regular office hours and we don't have any choice but to see this patient. The coordinator understood the issue and agreed to work on this schedule."

Anonymous User · Answer

"As a supervisor of a team, I have had to make some unpopular choices that may have caused people to be upset with me. It is my job as the leader to then discuss with the person why the decision I made makes the most sense for the department and the company as a whole."

Anonymous User · Answer

"There was a couple of times in the last year when my co-workers were mad at me. This happened due to a deadline coming up very soon and I was working on multiple projects. I was not able to contribute properly to the project in which my co-worker was leading. I met with my co-worker and explained to him the works that I am already doing in another project. Both of us discussed the remaining tasks in his project. Both of us agreed on a reasonable deadline for the new tasks. I was able to complete his tasks on the new schedule. In future projects, I discussed with my co-workers and my advisor before taking up a new project others are leading. This helped me to avoid such situations in the future."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I'm pretty easy to get along with, and I do make an effort to keep a positive work environment intact by being friendly, helpful and responsive. I can remember a time when a co-worker asked me to cover a shift, and I wasn't able to accommodate him due to a prior commitment. He seemed mad or annoyed because I said no. I apologized that I couldn't be more helpful, and he walked away. Later, he apologized for his reaction, and we metaphorically shook hands and went about our day."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I can't remember a time when any of my coworkers were mad at me. I've always had a good working relationship with my manager and team members. It's important that I get along with my co-workers, and I feel comfortable in my workspace. I strive to contribute to that positive culture wherever I go."

Anonymous User · Answer

"Animal Technicians' environments can often be stressful, which can create more opportunities for conflict than other industries or job types. I recently had a co-worker angry with me when they thought I was trying to take control of their study. What this colleague did not realize was that I was just trying to help them, and I didn't want them to fail or make a mistake that could have been caught. We worked out the misunderstanding quickly, and now my colleagues and I have better commutation skills; instead of just doing something, we ask what their thoughts are on the subject."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I do not recall a situation where a co-worker was mad at me. But I can recall a co-worker being frustrated with me. While on the project, I was reviewing the team member's codes, and one newly added team member wasn't providing a good quality code so after having a bit of miscommunication in the comments to the code he agreed to the call and sounded somewhat frustrated that I wasn't approving it. I had to point him to the code from other team members and explain why we are doing things this way. After that, frustration disappeared, and he fixed the code."

Anonymous User · Answer

"As Shift Supervisor, I had to make some unpopular choices that caused some of my workers to be upset with me. To resolve the matter, I would discuss with them why my decision made the most sense for the department and the squadron as a whole."

Anonymous User · Answer

"I have had a worker be upset with me because they felt I wouldn't pay attention to them. Since I worked in sterilization, it was my job to collect the dental trays for sterilization and remove trash from the room. I was often put in a position where multiple people would finish at the same time, and I could only clean one room at a time. One person felt that I prioritized cleaning other worker's rooms first. I explained to them that I was just cleaning the room of whoever I saw first, but from then on, I made a point to specifically look out for their room to avoid any future conflict."

Has a co-worker ever been mad at you?

How to Answer: Has a co-worker ever been mad at you?

23. Has a co-worker ever been mad at you?

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