If there is any place you might spend more time at than your home, it is most likely your place of work – which means that you might also be spending more time with your workmates than you are with your own family. Therefore, it isn’t difficult to imagine how important it is to be around coworkers that are helpful and make you feel comfortable at the office for your own sanity and state of mind. While excelling at your career is important, it is of at least equal importance for people to find a way to enjoy work and experience longevity and an easier working life, and this involves knowing how to choose what kinds of people you engage with at work. Not all co-workers are beneficial to a team; so here are five different types of toxic coworkers that you should avoid if you want to be successful at what you do:
- Negative Co-workers – Coworkers that constantly whine and complain about everything around them are a drag to those trying to buckle down and work. Negativity is unwelcome in any industry because it has a way of spreading around a workforce and affecting others who would otherwise be working well. Happiness at work can become difficult to attain in an environment of negative people – so keep your distance from such people as much as you can.
- Distractive Co-workers – There are many different types of distractions that your fellow workmates can steal your attention with. Coworkers that talk too much or engage in gossip are a great source of wasted time, chatting precious minutes and hours away when you could be spending the time wisely on work. There are also people that talk loudly on the phone, tap on their desks, send excessive memos, notes, and emails, and scheduling frequent meetings that pull you away from your workspace. The only way to deal with this type of coworker is to either find a way to ignore them or speak to them about it – just make sure you remain calm and professional when doing so.
- Ambitionless Co-workers – People who seem to have no direction or interest in advancing in their lives are most likely lacking the ambition it takes to find success at work. These people shortcut everything and do whatever it takes to make the least possible effort – they take extremely long breaks and convince others to lie or pick up the slack for them. However, their most destructive tactic is continuously trying to persuade others around them to do the same. Teams that have this type of worker will always underperform. Distance yourself from these kinds of team members by minimizing contact with them and focusing on the task at hand.
- Credit-Grabbing Co-workers – There are many different kinds of toxic people, but one of the most toxic are the ones that ride on your hard work and then grab recognition that is rightfully yours. Needless to say, the credit-grabber may unjustly receive praise while you, the one who did all the work, may remain unnoticed, or worse, look lazy and unmotivated. If you are having trouble with someone like this, confront them first in a professional manner. But if this fails, the only recourse would be to talk to your superiors and provide evidence of the work that was stolen from you.
- Resentful Co-workers – These people are always resentful about something. Their job, their team members, their superiors, their management, and much more. They constantly refer to others as “stupid” and always see themselves as the victim. They always feel overworked, underpaid, and picked on. Steer clear of these types of people in the office in order to maintain a more harmonious working environment for yourself.
Everybody has to watch their own backs at work – but when it comes to the back-office, Tukko Labs has got your back. Contact us right away and find out how we can best help you!