It’s the dream of any young professional to have a bunch of helpful colleagues. However, it can be quite devastating when your colleagues are toxic. They can put you down and make the going quite difficult. Studies show that 4 out of 5 employees have either worked in the past or presently working with a co-worker who spreads negativity, blames others or circulates malicious rumours. Do you find it really difficult to deal with those toxic colleagues?

5 common types of toxic colleagues

Let’s go through the different types of colleagues who can spoil your happiness at workplace. Also, let’s check how you can tackle them effectively.

The negativity spreaders – “Why did you join this organisation?” “There is absolutely no career growth in this company”. Have you ever come across such demotivating statements from your co-workers? They are the ones who are not happy with their professional growth. Such people just want to spread their negativity to others as well. No wonder, a huge 58% of the professionals have quit their jobs due to the negative office politics. The negativity spreaders generally target new joiners. Those people clearly know that experienced professionals just don’t fall in their trap.

Any new employee joins an organization with high expectations. Speaking to a negativity spreader can be quite demotivating for them.

Solution – It’s high time to realise that it’s your performance that matters the most. If you put in your best effort, you will definitely be recognised. No doubt, one day or the other, you will be promoted to the next level. Speak to those negativity spreaders in a diplomatic manner. Just ignore their advises and give your best at work. As much as possible, try to stay away from them.

The rude bosses – Losing sleep over a rude boss? Studies show that 56% of American workers opine their boss is mildly or highly toxic. A rude boss may shout at you during team meetings. There are other instances where he/ she makes sarcastic comments. It might make your life miserable.

Solution – Stay cool and check where you are going wrong at work. If it’s a mistake from your end, take necessary corrective actions. Make sure that you don’t repeat the same mistake again. By producing high-quality work, you naturally bring down the scope for someone else to criticise you. If you feel that you have performed your work perfectly, be confident to speak to your boss. Prove your point so that boss finds your work quite impressive.

The credit takers – After months of hard work, you complete a project. Now, you will be having high hopes of recognition and rewards. Unfortunately, you later realise that someone else takes credit of your work. Did this ever happen to you? The credit takers are those employees who just want to take credit of others’ work. They are smart, they make others work and ultimately take credit of others’ work. It can be quite disheartening and you don’t feel like putting in extra effort in the future. No worries. Let’s see how you can get rid of  those credit takers.

Solution – There is no point blaming the credit takers. You just cannot expect them to change their character. It’s you who needs to be smart enough. Whenever you are working on an important project, try to highlight your work. In each stage of the project, keep your boss informed about the status. Copy your team members as well in your e-mails. Let everyone come to know that you are putting in hard work.

The fault finders – They are colleagues who always find fault with you. Even if you give your best shot, they are not happy with your work. It becomes horrible after a point of time. At the back of your mind, you have a feeling that there’s no point continuing in the job.

Solution – The best way to deal with fault finders is to learn from them. Though they might put you down, most of them will generally be good at their work. Many of them suffer from an inferiority complex. They just can’t accept the fact that someone else is better than them. Hence, gain the required knowledge from them and just focus on your personal growth.

The lazy gooses – They just don’t encourage innovative ideas. The lazy gooses are employees who are quite contented, happy with their present role. They just don’t want to take any extra effort. In short, they are just not interested in further career progression. Do you want to get stuck in the same role as them? The choice is yours.

Solution – Assume that you have a fantastic idea. Never make the mistake of discussing your idea with that lazy colleague. There are chances that they might discourage you. In such situations, the right approach would be to discuss the idea directly with your immediate boss or manager. Also, don’t get negatively influenced by that lazy goose.

Conclusion

At workplace, it’s quite common to come across different types of colleagues. Depending on their character, their behaviour might also vary. Building a healthy relationship at work has become much easier now. Just by following the tips discussed above, now you can easily deal with negativity and office politics.