That’s more than seven hours a week or nine weeks per year!

While there may be times when you have no choice but to reach out to your boss, many coworker quarrels can be avoided or diffused without managerial intervention. Help yourself and your time-strapped supervisor by using these tips to improve your collaborative and conflict-resolution skills:

Be proactive. Simple misunderstandings are often a significant source of tension. If you’re asked to work on a project with someone whom you’ve had trouble communicating with in the past, arrange a meeting at the outset of the assignment to clarify who’s responsible for what. Follow up with a detailed email recapping what was decided. Continue checking in periodically to make sure the two of you are still on the same page. Doing so will go a long way toward avoiding last-second scrambling and finger pointing.

Give people the benefit of the doubt. Did a colleague deliberately delay getting a file to you on time with the specific intention of causing you headaches? Well, it’s possible. But it’s more likely that something less malicious — miscommunication, poor planning or an overwhelming to-do list — led to the missed deadline. Start with the assumption that it’s not personal. Address the matter in objective terms rather than letting your emotions drive the discussion.

Criticize carefully. There’s nothing wrong with respectful disagreements. In fact, going along with a bad idea just to keep the peace is in itself a bad idea. Just make sure your criticism is constructive. Watch what you say — and how you say it. A perfectly valid point will lose its impact and generate ill will if it’s delivered in an insensitive or inappropriate way.

Don’t let problems fester. When you do lock horns with a coworker, try to resolve the situation quickly. Molehills can grow into mountains if you assume things will magically blow over or you stubbornly wait for the other person to make the first move to reconcile the issue. If apologizing or being forgiving will help repair the rift, take the high road and move on. Remember: You don’t need to be best friends with everyone in your office, but you do need to work together in the future.

Accountemps is the world’s first and largest temporary staffing service specializing in the placement of accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The company has more than 360 offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com.

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