Sometimes you love them, sometimes you hate them…but mostly, you just love to hate them.
Dealing with coworkers is a unique skill that can sometimes require more patience than you have to give. But if you’re looking to climb the corporate food chain you’re going to have to deal with a few bad apples.
Here are the irksome types of individuals that top the list of coworkers we have some serious love-hate feelings for:
THE CHRONICALLY LATE ONE
Why We Hate Them: These people are late for everything. I’m talking everything from meetings to deadlines to your second cousin’s bar mitzvah. More often than not, you’ve found yourself tapping your toes waiting on this person for something. Even if it doesn’t prevent you from doing your job, it can be frustrating when someone is never on time.
Why We Love Them: Sometimes good things are worth waiting for. When the Chronically Late One does finally show up, they better produce some great work and mind-blowing ideas (or just coffee…I’d accept coffee).
THE KNOW-IT-ALL
Why We Hate Them: *Insert eye-roll here.* Half the of time the Know-It-All knows nothing, and the other half, they know too much. Either way, it’s incredibly annoying to deal with. We get it; you’re smart (or at least think you are). Good for you. Now start helping instead of just talking.
Why We Love Them: Assuming they are the latter half – they know too much – the Know-It-All is the person who we (begrudgingly) turn to when we need answers. And while they often chime in when their two cents isn’t needed, we’re happy to have them around when it is.
THE GOSSIP QUEEN
Why We Hate Them: They are all up in your business. All. The. Time. They feign interest in your life and pretend to care about your problems, but you’re wise to their ulterior motives. The Gossip Queen does not care if a rumour has any truth to it and has no issues with eavesdropping or sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong.
Why We Love Them: They are your guilty pleasure. You know you shouldn’t feed into the office gossip, but sometimes the Gossip Queen’s juicy news is just too good to pass up. They always have the dirt on everyone and it’s like having your very own Perez Hilton just down the hall. But when the talk turns too negative: run Forrest, run!
THE PARTY ANIMAL
Why We Hate Them: The Party Animal does not know when to say no. They’re the ones who drink too much at the office party and hit on the boss’s spouse. There’s an underlying concern every time this person has to represent your workplace at any event and you definitely wouldn’t trust them to take a client out for drinks. What was cool when we were 19 is not a good look now – we’re over dealing with someone who is hungover on a Tuesday morning.
Why We Love Them: Before the Party Animal turns into a hot mess, they are a pretty good time. They can be a great de-stresser after a long week and really get you to let loose at happy hour. You two have fun from time to time – as long as you know your own limit.
THE BRUTALLY HONEST ONE
Why We Hate Them: Can you say #NoFilter? The Brutally Honest One has no time for sugar coating. They will tell it like it is whether you like it or not. Sometimes their unforgiving words leave your head spinning like: “That was way harsh, Tai.”
Why We Love Them: Sometimes no filter is a good thing. When you want an honest opinion, you know the Brutally Honest One will hold nothing back. If you can handle the cold hard truth, they might be the perfect person to help you make your next project a success.
THE ANNOYING ANNIE
Why We Hate Them: You know who they are: the loud talking, non-stop humming, question asking, coffee slurping, life-story telling, cherry picking, always one-upping colleagues. These people can only be handled in small quantities. Having to spend a whole day with them is torture and you’d likely volunteer to work on a Saturday if it meant avoiding them the rest of the week.
Why We Love Them: Even though this person bothers you to your core, the rational person inside you knows that their heart is in the right place. Deep down, Annoying Annie is a really nice person (which makes their annoying-ness even more annoying). Either they don’t know that they are irritating or they just can’t help it, so you grin and bear it, and quietly pride yourself in not being as annoying as them.
