Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone could work together and cooperate to get the job done without any drama or conflict? In any organization with more than two people, that's just not going to happen. One big reason for conflict at work is because many people are emotionally immature. They have an inferiority complex that makes them spread gossip to direct people away from their own inadequacies.
If you learn that someone is spreading gossip about you, do not confront them. There's really no need to confront them because everybody knows when a person is a gossip and only the stupid believe what they say. Instead of confronting them, just ignore them. Ignoring what a gossip says about you shows them that you think they, and what they say, is unimportant to you.
Another problem at work is people who refuse to cooperate to get work done. Emotionally immature people may not want to cooperate with you because they feel threatened. They feel that if they help you or reveal any aspect of their job function they may lose job security. You must impress upon them that you are not a threat. That you will not criticize them, nor threaten their job security. Help them understand that cooperation would be mutually advantageous.
If you can't convince a person to cooperate with you to get a job done, You may need to inform your boss, or their boss, or learn how to do the other employee's job yourself, either of these actions will result in a conflict with the other employee.
Other symptoms of emotional immaturity are the inability to accept criticism, feeling that the company should do things the way that makes THEIR job the easiest, and just plain bossiness. Other people's emotional maturity is one of the most difficult things to deal with on the job.
It's also difficult to deal with co-workers who don't have, or don't want to have, the intelligence required to do the job. Sometimes people fain ignorance in order to avoid work or responsibility. Your job may provide your life with meaning and purpose. Professionalism and pride in your work may be important to you. But don't expect everyone to have those same values.
Some people are more focused on friends, family, or other preoccupations outside of work. They come to work primarily to socialize and collect the paycheck. They want to make the least amount of effort required to get the paycheck. They believe we work to live, not live to work. You shouldn't really dislike this type person too much. They just have different values than a person focused on professionalism and the desire to be successful at work.
Sometimes an individual is in a job position that they are not suited for. They just don't have the intelligence or skill to accomplish the work. I put these type of people into two categories, dummy or idiot. A dummy may be stupid, but they know they're stupid and they're willing to learn. You shouldn't really dislike dummies too much.
Then there are the idiots. They too don't have the intelligence or skill to accomplish the work, but unlike the dummy, the idiot thinks they know everything and they're not willing to learn. If you run into a problem at work because of an idiot, do not confront them. That would be a waste of time because idiots are untrainable. You have more important things to do with your time.
The real difficulty in getting alone with people at work comes from differences in emotional maturity, intelligence, and level of dedication to the job. But confronting these people and getting into a conflict never solves the problem. You can't change a person's emotional maturity, intelligence, or work values. The solution is to accept people for what they are and work with them, or try to work around them.
More Success at Work Information:
• Being a Professional
• Five Ways to Create Job Security
• Meeting Assignment Requirements at Work
• Working For a Bad Boss
• Why to Avoid Flirting in the Workplace
• How to Successfully Manage a Difficult or "Bully" Boss
• Techniques - Should You be a "Jack of all trades" or a Specialist?
• Dealing With Stress at Work
• Use the Power of a Negative Attitude to Get Ahead
• Your Boss as Your Mentor