Don't let personal conflicts weigh down the whole office. No matter whom you don't get along with, rest assured that your fellow colleagues would like to participate in a working environment in which productivity and respect are dominant. Don't feel discouraged, for these occurrences can be dealt with in confidence as long as you know how to approach the situation.

Try your best to deal with the situation calmly, and with the least possible disruption to the work environment. Your ability to think and reason above and beyond your feelings towards the conflict will be an important asset towards solving the problem. Hence, you may want to refrain from addressing an issue while you are upset.

Before confronting a colleague, be sure to know what is bothering you specifically. Be clear in the way you express yourself by using simple direct language.

When confronting a situation with a colleague, remember to keep an open mind. It is a good idea to put yourself in the other person's shoes. Even though you may not be getting along with a colleague for a particular reason, the colleague is still human, and is prone to make mistakes. Furthermore, people appreciate being addressed with respect and dignity, so no matter how trivial or heated the conflict, keep in mind to be respectful of your co-worker. The tone you use will set the mood for the conversation and could diffuse a confrontation.

Confronting your boss should be done with the same care, yet the tone of your dissatisfaction should take a different spin. Instead of making a personal plea for change, the requested change should involve the business at hand.

An example may be: "I would like to speak with you for a minute. When you delegate the majority of the work to me to finish on a deadline, I feel rushed and it affects the outcome and my performance on the job. Can we talk about a compromise?"

Knowing what the problem is in advance will provide you with time to formulate solutions on how you would better react in situations like the previous example. By going to your boss with solutions instead of problems, you become part of affecting change. Your boss will appreciate this, and see you as a concerned and valuable employee.

As always, remember to treat those the way you would like to be treated in return. The worst thing you can do is let a bad relationship fester. The faster they are solved the faster your relationship with your boss, and co-workers will flourish.