Passive aggressive types in the office: How to deal with them

Who doesn’t know what I’m talking about? Those ever so slight YET noticeable eye rolls. The sarcastic self-validated negative remarks; these are the hallmarks of a seemingly ever present passive aggressive colleague. This is the person that stuck their nose up at you on your first day, then a week later muttered something like, ‘Lord, if IDIOTS could fly this place would be an airport’ Rather than suffer away in silence from the negativity or go in all guns blazing and confront the conflict head on, follow these tips to maintain your composure and keep cool; 1. Don’t respond to negativity: If your knee kick reaction is to call this person out, take just a second to think. Biting back with an accusing tone will start a fight where you possibly could implicate yourself 2. Counter with Positivity: Disarm them with a positive response. It’s key to respond to content not context. If they say “Ohhh cheers” in a sarcastic tone, simply reply with “you’re welcome! 3. Assertiveness: If you are dead set on confronting this colleague, be smart about it. “Use “I” rather than “you” - this way you aren’t attacking them, and they are forced to empathise with you.

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