Classification of Coworkers

The workplace environment varies tremendously among all settings because of the different personalities and behaviors of all the coworkers. Employee behavior determines how employers and fellow coworkers communicate in the workplace. Once one identifies these certain personalities it is easier to learn how to effectively work alongside them. Problematic coworkers can be most commonly classified as the suck up, the slacker, or the complainer.

To start off, the most agitating coworker is the suck up. These coworkers are constantly demanding attention from the boss. Making friendships with the higher ups for the purpose of getting a good reference or a promotion is their top priority and they do not seem to care what their coworkers think. In other words, this coworker is always trying to remind the boss how wonderful he or she is even if it is at the expense of others.

They will not hesitate to throw a coworker under the bus in order to make themselves look good. They are constantly around the boss trying to develop a strong relationship with them and even do extra work to stand out over their coworkers. Coworkers often get angry with them because they are too busy trying to impress the boss and not doing their part. The suck up causes many disruptions in the workplace by demanding the boss’ attention all the time and not being a team player.

In contrast, we have the slacker coworker who is just there to make money and does not care about anything else. You never see this person working hard. They are the experts at working hard to get absolutely nothing done. They are perfectly content with everyone else doing all the work but showing up to take the credit themselves. They never get their work done on time and get someone else to finish it up for them by using their charm. These coworkers are also the last ones to show up to work and the first ones to leave. This coworker creates imbalance in the workplace, not getting his or her work done and relying on someone else to pick up the slack.

Last but not least, the complainer always has something to complain about, making them a drag to work with. No job is too big or too small for the complainer to whine about. Whether things are so slow that they’re dying of boredom or so busy they’re going to go insane, you’re sure to hear about it. They are impossible to please. Cheering them up doesn’t work, suggesting solutions doesn’t work, even complaining along with them doesn’t work. Even though they normally get the job done, no one likes to work alongside them because their negative thinking can be contagious. Since negativity is so contagious, just one complainer can create a highly negative working environment.

Although the suck up, slacker, and complainer are common types of coworkers, most people who you will work with will not fit these categories. However, these descriptions can help you learn how to identify certain personalities of different coworkers and figure out how to work alongside them effectively in the future.