Steven Robbins here and welcome to the Get It Done guys quick and dirty tips to work less and do more.

What do you do when someone at work? A difficult coworker walks all over you. Brian wrote in saying,

My coworker is getting snarky in a business setting. I express an idea and he says, I know you like to do it that way, but I want to do what's best for the team.

Then he won't let me finish his sentence during the so-called dialogue.

Is it ever okay to say, this isn't productive and get up and walk away from a meeting,

or does being professional mean being a dormant?

I believe it's always professional to stand up for yourself and ask for respect as long as you

demonstrate respect when making that request. If they say,

Neh, yeah, nya, nya, you, I was a silly head, we don't have to listen to you. You do not

respond using chants or words like, nia, nia. You do not point out that

their taunt is juvenile and would be much more effective and memorable if they made it rhyme.

The third graders used to tell me, pencil geek, pencil geek, you're a dork and you are weak.

I still remember this valuable lesson in how rhyming makes memory work even better.

My therapist and I are working on it.

Before we go any further, I must give you a warning.

In theory, your company is full of people committed to your mutual success.

Your boss is a reasonable person committed to helping people grow and develop.

And the culture at your organization is one of shared achievement. But if the reality is that the snarky person has blackmail on your boss, or if they're romantically involved, or if your company is just a hotbed of politics driven by greed and petty power games, then all bets are off. Tattoo welcome on your forehead and enjoy being a doormat.

Mature people address conflicts head-on. Unfortunately, your snarker has already shown that maturity

isn't high on the list. Start by waiting. Treat your snarker nicely, with respect. Maybe the problem will go away. That sounds

passive, but it isn't. Because while you're waiting, you're calling everyone in your address book,

chatting happily about all the exciting things you're doing on the job. You're sharing your thoughts

...