Topics Work & school

Is it normal to hate coworkers?

Mostly.Normal for most people

Yes—it's normal to strongly dislike some coworkers, especially when you spend a lot of time together or deal with irritating behavior. What matters is how you handle the feeling and whether it’s making work miserable for you.

Work puts a bunch of different personalities in close quarters, often under stress, so it’s pretty common to have a coworker who gets under your skin—or even to feel like you can’t stand the whole bunch some days. You don’t have to like the people you work with to be professional around them.

If the feeling is constant, try to pin down what’s driving it: a specific behavior, a clash in styles, or a workplace problem that’s bigger than one person. Keeping interactions polite and focused, and setting reasonable boundaries, can help. If someone is bullying or mistreating you, that’s more than ordinary coworker irritation, and it may be worth seeking support at work.

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