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When a Foe Asks for a Favor

Because the need to exchange information is constant in an office, sooner or later a nemesis will ask for your help. Retrieving the information may be easy. Deciding whether to share it is another thing.

Here’s a good rule of thumb: If the information the person requests will help him or her do her job, then share it. Professionally, you want to be seen as a facilitator not an obstructionist, as your colleague might be. If your manager knows of the strained relationship between you and the difficult employee, let him or her know in a gentle way that you rose above your difficult relationship to help.

If the information your foe is seeking is for a personal matter, you’ll have to evaluate whether you want to be helpful. Then, you’ll have no moral obligation to provide a helping hand to someone that’s done nothing but slap it.