Not Everyone is Considerate: Dealing With the Inconsiderate

If the world were full of considerate, responsible, on-top-of-their-game people, there would be no complaints from anyone. Unfortunately, there are always going to be those people you have to work with, deal with and see on a regular basis who are so inconsiderate and flaky that you find it impossible not to feel irritated on a regular basis. They’re always late, they let you know about changes at the last possible moment and they have no regard for anyone else’s feelings/life/schedule. Here’s how to deal.

Talk to Them

When someone is an hour late once, it’s annoying. When they’re an hour late for your dinner reservations, party or gathering a second time, it seems they might have an annoying habit. It’s not considerate to keep people waiting. Of course, extenuating circumstances make it impossible to avoid being late or having to cancel plans at the last minute from time to time, but a simple phone call and apology will suffice. When someone is late or waits until the last second to cancel plans on a regular basis, your job is to talk to them about how their actions are not considerate.

Don’t Give Second Chances

When someone is inconsiderate in some way, shape or form – don’t give them a second chance once you’ve spoken to them. If you have a reservation and they’re more than a few minutes late, don’t wait to order. Don’t wait to leave on your trip or whatever it is you need to leave for. It might feel rude and inconsiderate, but sometimes those who behave this way regularly need to know you will not be taken advantage of.

Don’t Make Plans

At some point, it might become necessary to stop making plans with people who are inconsiderate. If they wait to cancel reservations until you’re already there, if they’re regularly more than a few moments late or they don’t bother to call or return emails, it’s time to move on.