5 Types Of Co-workers You Should Avoid At Your Workplace

As adults, we spend a major number of our waking hours in the office. For people living in the metros, a significant amount of time is spent on commuting to and from work. In either of the aforementioned cases, a major chunk of our social interaction is with our colleagues.

The colleagues that we meet in office are people from various backgrounds (speaking both from the ethnic point of view as well as the technical). Indeed there is something new that we get to learn from most of them. While most of the people we encounter in our office are good, there are some people whose presence in our life does more harm than good.

This article talks about 5 such types of toxic co-workers whom you should avoid in your life.

1. The Blamer

These are the people who will find anyone and everyone for all that is going wrong but will never take blame for the same. These types of people are perpetually negative and blame God for all the bad that happens in their life. In an office, the boss is the villain for these people.

If such a member is a part of your team for any assignment or project, they will find ways and means to blame you (or other members of your team) for anything that goes wrong. They will never spend time on retrospection to find out what has gone wrong on their part or which activity could have been done better.

These type of people are usually very adamant in what they believe in and it is very difficult to get work done by them. Thus, in order to maintain office harmony, the best thing that you can do is to keep yourself at a distance from such people.

2. The Backstabber

These are usually the most dangerous type of co-workers that you can meet. The reason for this may be attributed to the fact that these people are very difficult to identify; they may sit right beside you and you may not be able to identify their presence till it is too late.

These people usually speak very sweetly to you (so much so that you may actually make the mistake of thinking of them as your best friend). However, behind your back, they are sheer nasty. They will go ahead and say things that might well tarnish your reputation. The things stated by them may or may not be true.

It is the words spoken by these people that leads to divisions in teams and an uncertainty about whom you can trust and whom you cannot. While it is true that the earlier you identify a backstabber, the better it is for you, the fact remains that you must consult your own instinct and knowledge in such matters. Do not believe what your other colleagues have to say about a particular co-worker.

3. The Credit Seeker

These types of people like to take credit for the hard work of others. To them, only the outcome and ultimate fame matter. The path one treads in order to reach there does not matter to them. Thus, they often get desperate for results and in such a state they will not hesitate to cause you harm.

Even if it means trampling over you by stealing your codes, ideas and writings and passing them off as their own, these type of people are perfectly okay with it as long as it gives them the desired results. Thus, they are amongst those people who can cause maximum harm to you within the office premises. They are usually very clever and cunning.

As is obvious from the nature of their behaviour, these people do not have very a high standard of personal morals and ethics. On a positive note, they are easy to identify and thus, you can take corrective measures to ensure that you stay away from them in the workplace.

4. The Show Off

Having an upper edge over you is what appeals to these type of people. No matter how well you do, they will find ways and means to speak of having done something better. This may extend from the clothes you wear and the food that you eat to the work that you do in the office.

These people like the illusion that they are the best and as long as you cater to this belief of theirs, they will not bother you. Usually, these are the people you do not really have to be scared of. However, they are an unpleasant company and must be avoided.

Spending too much time with them in the office may cause you to become like them, which will do you a lot of harm in the long run. Thus, it is a good idea to take conscious steps to keep away from such people (both in your workplace as well as in your life).

5. The Lone Wolf

These type of people are usually good at what they do and they do not mean you any harm directly. They live in their own shell and make special efforts to ensure that they do not come out of the same. It is precisely this habit of theirs that makes them very difficult to get along with.

These type of people are not well acquainted with the concept of teamwork and collaboration and are not willing to learn that either. They like working on their own and believe that coordinating and collaborating as a team will lessen their personal growth.

Thus, while these type of people may be highly accomplished individuals, having such people as co-workers in your project makes matters more complicated for you. If given a choice, try to avoid roping in such people in your workforce.