The last time Allison Russo, a pharmacy technician from Tobyhanna, Pa., asked her co-worker for help, she got yelled at. It wasn't the first time.

'I'm not sure why she acts the way she does. I think that she may feel threatened that I'm going to take her job,' says Ms. Russo, whose supervisor didn't want to get involved in what he thought was a personality clash.

So instead of retreating to the restroom to cry, which is something she has done a few times, Ms. Russo stood up for herself. 'When I responded more strongly, she seemed to back down as if she suddenly realized that she was out of line. It's still not easy, but now I don't feel as stepped on.'

Nothing can make you appreciate a good co-worker more than having to deal with a bad one. Bad attitudes and incompetence can sink department morale and damage professional reputations. That's why experts say it is important to act fast. You want to actively deal with bad co-workers before the problem becomes entrenched. But you need to determine if you're contributing to the problem by ignoring solvable performance issues, being confrontational or enabling the bad behavior.

'By not responding to inappropriate behavior or communication, you're reinforcing that behavior. You're actually telling that person that it is OK to communicate with you in that manner. You should address issues as they happen,' says Beth Sears, president of Workplace Communication, a consulting firm in Scottsville, N.Y., who recommends examining how you communicate across all channels including email, instant messages, memos and social media.

A bad attitude can also stem from ignorance. A often-cited Cornell University study published in 1999 by Justin Kruger and David Dunning found that below-average employees tend to be unaware of their own shortcomings and will often overestimate their abilities. They may not even understand why you are dissatisfied with their work so may take criticism as a personal attack.

Offer to help a co-worker improve on specific tasks or suggest that both of you take classes to refresh your skills. You can also try renegotiating shared workloads so the split favors the strengths of the problem co-worker, says Dave Logan, who teaches leadership and management at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. 'Find what they're good at and let them do it.'

You may end up taking on more work, but the extra effort can save your reputation and be spun as a benefit at your next performancereview or future job interviews with other companies. Just be subtle about letting others know who is handling what.

Weigh the political costs of dragging your boss or human-resources department into the conflict, warns Mr. Logan. Try to resolve the problem one-on-one if you can. Negotiate a truce that focuses on the matters that affect you both.

Be discreet. Even if the problem merits third-party involvement, don't air grievances in meetings or with other co-workers. Complaining about the performance of another employee, especially if he or she is well liked by others, can negatively impact your other office relationships.

DENNIS NISHI

• personality [,pə:sə´næliti]   n.人；个性；人品；人物   (初中英语单词)
• strongly [´strɔŋli]   ad.强烈地；强有力地   (初中英语单词)
• appreciate [ə´pri:ʃieit]   v.评价；珍惜；感激   (初中英语单词)
• professional [prə´feʃənəl]   a.职业的 n.自由职业   (初中英语单词)
• performance [pə´fɔ:məns]   n.履行；行为；工作   (初中英语单词)
• communication [kə,mju:ni´keiʃən]   n.通信；通讯联系   (初中英语单词)
• actually [´æktʃuəli]   ad.事实上；实际上   (初中英语单词)
• instant [´instənt]   a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间   (初中英语单词)
• ignorance [´ignərəns]   n.无知，愚昧   (初中英语单词)
• criticism [´kritisizəm]   n.批评；评论(文)   (初中英语单词)
• management [´mænidʒmənt]   n.管理；处理；经营   (初中英语单词)
• review [ri´vju:]   v.&n.复习；回顾；检查   (初中英语单词)
• conflict [´kɔnflikt, kən´flikt]   n.&vi.战斗；抵触   (初中英语单词)
• resolve [ri´zɔlv]   v.决心 n.决心；刚毅   (初中英语单词)
• affect [ə´fekt]   vt.影响；感动；假装   (初中英语单词)
• behavior [bi´heiviə]   n.举止，行为   (高中英语单词)
• communicate [kə´mju:nikeit]   vi.通讯；传达；传播   (高中英语单词)
• specific [spi´sifik]   a.具体的；特有的   (高中英语单词)
• refresh [ri´freʃ]   v.使清新；使更新   (高中英语单词)
• leadership [´li:dəʃip]   n.领导(能力)   (高中英语单词)
• actively [´æktivli]   ad.活跃地，积极地   (英语四级单词)
• unaware [,ʌnə´weə]   a.不知道的；不觉察的   (英语四级单词)
• reputation [repju´teiʃən]   n.名誉；名声；信誉   (英语四级单词)
• negotiate [ni´gəuʃieit]   v.谈判；解决；转让   (英语四级单词)
• supervisor [´su:pəvaizə, ´sju:-]   n.管理人；监督人   (英语六级单词)
• dissatisfied [´dis,sætis´fækʃən]   a.不满的；显出不满的   (英语六级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ]   a.迷人的 n.捕获物   (英语六级单词)
• discreet [di´skri:t]   a.谨慎的，考虑周到的   (英语六级单词)
• impact [´impækt]   n.影响，作用；冲击   (英语六级单词)