After reading yesterday's post someone asked me a question which I thought was very relevant.  When you have a new member of staff, should you tell them about any office politics or difficult issues with individuals?  Basically what's behind the question is, is it better for the person to be warned and risk them adopting a biased approach based on this information, or should they be kept in ignorance and risk having them flounder into a difficult situation unaware that there is a history to a particular person, after all, forewarned is forearmed.

This is a tricky situation, because of course none of us think we are biased in our opinion of tricky situations or when dealing with difficult people.  After all, they are 'difficult' aren't they?  It's not my fault!

Hopefully if the manager of the new person is aware of the situation and able to view all sides of the argument then they should probably guide them in how they want the situation dealt with.  I think it is fair to let them know that there have been some issues, and perhaps explain the background and the points of view of all concerned.  The manager should then give some guidance on how they wish the new person to proceed.  In some circumstances the right approach can make all the difference between a good working relationship and a difficult one, so being given the heads up can be helpful all round.

If the manager is not taking on board this responsibility I think it is worth giving some informal advice to the new person. I would try to be as balanced as possible about the problems and couch the advice in terms that offer practical and positive advice for dealing with the situation, rather than negative critical appraisal.  Imagine how your reaction would be if someone said, 'that person is difficult' compared to 'that persons prefers to have their opinion asked before you do this'. The latter approach is probably likely to get a better interaction between both people.

I often find that if you can put a positive spin on things the end result is often more positive as well. It's not about avoiding the truth, but about influencing behaviour positively instead of negatively.