How Should Mr. Madan Handle Unwanted Visits from a Senior Colleague?

Mr. Madan's Dilemma

Mr. Madan, a finance executive at Goodwill Company Ltd., has been working with the company for the last six months. He comes from a foreign management institute with an MBA in Finance. Being young, ambitious, and hard-working, he doesn't want to waste a single minute of his work schedule.

Mr. Kumar's Visits

Mr. Kumar, a senior colleague of Mr. Madan, has been working for the last twenty years at Goodwill Co. Ltd. He is set to retire in six months. Mr. Kumar handles only the payroll and therefore has considerable leisure time. These days, he has started visiting Mr. Madan's cabin too often, without any notice.

Mr. Madan's Concerns

Mr. Madan feels that Mr. Kumar is wasting his time. It is difficult, or rather impossible, for Mr. Madan to tell Mr. Kumar directly that he should not disturb him. Mr. Madan has thought of many alternate solutions but could not decide on anything.

Mr. Kumar shares political stories about the internal environment within the company and gossips while sitting in Mr. Madan's room. Of late, Mr. Madan's colleagues have started teasing him and giving him suspicious looks.

QUESTION:

How would you avoid Mr. Kumar if you were Mr. Madan?

Handling Disruptive Colleagues in the Workplace

It is the habit of some people to wander here and there. In all organizations, we encounter these personalities. When this happens, we can directly tell any employee to avoid gossip. However, it is somewhat difficult to say this to the immediate boss. But we can get rid of this situation:

- Start talking about the job, job-related issues, and ask for their solutions.
- Encourage the boss to share the experience he gained in the past years.
- If required, politely tell the boss that our contribution towards the organization matters.

Slowly, the situation will tend to change in your favor. Furthermore, we cannot avoid such personalities in organizations, but we have to act very positively without harming the sentiments or egos of others. It is up to us how we handle the situations and mold them in our favor and in the interest of the organization.

Regards,
Ramesh Bhardwaj
[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

I could not understand why it is impossible for Mr. Madan to tell Mr. Kumar directly that he should not disturb him. Firstly, if he is not in a position to tell Mr. Kumar directly, then he should not complain. I hope that Mr. Madan is not reporting to Mr. Kumar. In such a case, he can always approach his reporting manager and make his stand clear. What is the big deal that it has to be avoided?

Yes, it was incomplete. However, the same doctrine is applicable in the situation. It is very important that if someone is sitting in your cabin or in front of you making some political stories or gossip, other colleagues will make adverse comments about you.

On the position of Mr. Madan, I would politely say to Mr. Kumar to... as mentioned earlier. Based on our experience, we have learned that such situations become smoother with the passage of time. So, Mr. Madan should not worry. Rather, he must concentrate on his work.

Regards,
RB

I think Mr. Madan should seek help from his fellow workers. He should ask his peers or juniors to enter his cabin with some work requiring Mr. Madan's guidance whenever Mr. Kumar visits Mr. Madan. In due course, Mr. Kumar will feel unwanted there and will stop bothering Mr. Madan.