Co-Workers….or Children?

1. Cheerleader.  Or overly positive person.  These workers are the perkiest of the perky, the blow-sunshine-out-their-butts type. They have a perpetual smile on their face, probably masking decades of seething anger.   Nothing gets these bubbly down and you often wonder if they are just heavily medicated, or like the abuse.  Since they can’t say no to anyone, they are stuck with the crap jobs.  

2. Dissatisfied with Life.  Not only is this pesky work thing getting in the way of them living, everything that could possibly go wrong in one’s day happens to them.  One of their nicknames is Eeyore because the world is out to get them.  Sunny days – they forgot their sunglasses.  Snowy days – they’re the only ones who are affected.  Rainy days – their umbrella is missing.  They are exhausting to be around since they bitch and whine about everything….and nothing.

3. The Slacker.  How these workers hold onto their positions is one of the great mysteries of life.  They do the least amount of work, but make it look like they work harder than you.  Even when you’re the one running up and down the hallways, juggling 4 projects at once and running herd on your department, somehow they find a way to pile their work on your desk.  And come out on top.  

4. Scandal/Gossip-Monger.  There are no secrets with this type around.  Somehow, whether they’ve bugged every office, they are in the know.  They know who is having an affair, who is getting axed, who is in the midst of a divorce. And they live to spread the gossip, whether it is true or not.  They can usually be found whispering in someone’s ear or stop talking when you approach.   

5. Control Freak.  Someone at some time put them in charge of social events, and while they may be amazing at it, you pay for it.  There are about 50 different ways you know that could lighten their load, but you know they wouldn’t listen.  Whether it is opening the mail, filling in for someone or answering the phones everyone in the office is aware of their accomplishments.  They consider themselves the hardest working person in the company.  And because they do their job “old school” and spend twice as much time on their tasks, they are probably right.

6. Paranoid.  Either everyone in the office is against them or hiding something from them.  They are convinced that someone is getting into their files simply to screw with them.  They may report you to your higher-ups, even when they have no evidence to justify their complaints. Shown documentation to the contrary, they point out the documentation could have been doctored so the company could cover their ass.  Nothing is ever their fault – it is their computer, or their phone or their tablet.   This type is exhausting because you never know what will set them off next.  

7. Never Retainer.  No matter how many times you show them how to perform a task, they are helpless.  They could be with the company 2 years and still are incapable of attaching a document to an email.  You know that they’re not stupid, but sometimes you wonder.  This type can bleed over into Slacker territory – so much easier to get you to do it for them than to learn themselves.  

Concentrate on your work, make sure your boss is aware of your accomplishments and above all, keep your nose clean, so to speak.  Don’t let these types get you down – it’s only 8 hours of your day…..5 days a week.  Sigh.

Written by: Allyson Johns