How To Deal With Stupid People At Work

It’s impossible to avoid stupid people. They’re everywhere, including school, the streets, and family events. Sometimes, the stupid ones are us. There’s nothing more challenging than trying to deal with stupid people at work. Calling a co-worker or anyone stupid isn’t fair in most cases. There is likely a deeper issue that’s much more complex. On the other hand, sometimes that co-worker is just a dumb person. Thus, calling a co-worker stupid is a last resort. 

If you have a problem with a co-worker, insulting them or trying to get them fired is fairly extreme. There is likely a much more productive and nicer way to deal with a co-worker. It’s important to remember that someone doing things differently doesn’t make them stupid. Also, people make mistakes. It happens to the best of us. Still, it might be challenging to work with a co-worker that’s arrogant, narcissistic, or annoying. We don’t get to pick the people we call our co-workers, so here are some ways to deal with any stupid co-workers you might encounter. 

How To Deal With Stupid People At Work

1. Stay Calm

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It might be difficult and require a lot of meditation, but staying calm with a stupid co-worker is always essential. It’s easy to let stupidity get to us, losing our temper and attacking a printer with a baseball bat like in Office Space.

Losing your temper is just as stupid. A smart person will keep their cool and approach their co-worker with an open mind. Remaining calm allows us to listen and communicate better. This way you can work with the co-worker to solve the issue. 

2. Understand Each Other

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With a calm and open mind, try to communicate with the stupid person. Both sides must listen and open up the lines of communication. Now you can get to the root of the problem. It’s the first step to resolving any issues that might exist. They might have a valid reason for appearing to be stupid. Perhaps they’re having a difficult time with a specific task but are afraid to speak up at the risk of losing their job.

At the same time, the problem might actually be on you. Maybe you’re not being a good teacher and need to work on your communication skills. It’s not your responsibility to train the stupid person, but if a co-worker is struggling with their job and needs some help, a friendly face might be just what they need. Before jumping to conclusions and calling them stupid, see if you can help them get better at their job.

3. Understand You Might Have Different Styles

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In the hit sitcom The Office, polar opposites Jim Halpert and Dwight Schrute didn’t choose to be desk mates. They annoy each other but also work well together. Like many co-workers, people have different work experiences and ways of doing things. Instead of dismissing each other, co-workers should try to learn from each other.

4. Ask an Experienced Co-Worker for Help

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It’s a good idea to ask an experienced co-worker for another point of view. Everyone has worked with someone they consider “dumb” at some point. They can offer up some helpful advice and insight in dealing with this issue. It’s worth noting if the experienced co-worker finds the dumb co-worker stupid also. If not, the stupid co-worker could be you. 

5. Speak With Human Resources 

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Managers and bosses can offer some great advice in dealing with this co-worker. Human resources frequently deal with co-workers not getting along. It’s one of their responsibilities to mediate and monitor issues with employees, so chatting with them could be a good solution. 

6. Good Judgement, Bad Communication Skills

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It’s common for co-workers to get off on the wrong foot. Miscommunication often happens in the workplace. It’s important to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. For instance, the stupid person may be very good at their job but terrible communicators. There are several reasons they are bad at communicating, from their upbringing, nervousness, or stress.

7. Work Stress

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Sometimes people act funny if they feel like they could get fired at a moment’s notice. They might make simple mistakes or say annoying stuff. The added pressure from outside forces could be bleeding into your co-worker relationship. This is another chance for you to act as a mentor and offer guidance. 

8. Treat Them With Respect 

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The simplest solution is to treat co-workers respectfully instead of calling them stupid. In fact, try to get to know them. Take the co-worker out for lunch and try to form a bond. It’ll help you both understand each other better. 

9. What if They Have a Problem With You?

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It might be shocking to hear this, but maybe your dumb co-worker thinks you’re the stupid one. Perhaps, they believe you are arrogant or stubborn. They won’t back down from an argument or fight. Let’s face it, calling them stupid doesn’t help. It’s essential to recognize that the problem is 50/50. The first step is to admit your role in the poor working relationship. 

10. Choose Your Battles 

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One of the best ways to deal with a stupid co-worker is to choose your battles. Not every disagreement needs to turn into a huge argument. Sometimes the best action is to walk away and let them have the last word. 

11. Use Humor

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When all else fails, use humor to deal with their stupidity. You don’t want to humiliate or embarrass them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t joke with co-workers about everyone’s stupidity and mistakes. Also, dumb people have a way of hanging onto jobs, so sometimes the only way to handle the situation is to joke about it and laugh.