It’s great to have friends at work.
In fact, it can actually really help you to advance your career.
But there some toxic people that it’s important to avoid.
These toxic people may seem trustworthy and likable, but they could severely impact your prospects (either on purpose or accidentally).
And unfortunately, they appear in all kinds of offices and industries.
Here are 6 examples of these kinds of people.
1. Gossipers
It’s a shame, but some people just seem to have nothing better to do than to gossip about others.
Be wary of such people.
They may appear friendly and trustworthy and it can feel nice that they share with you, but if they reveal other people’s secrets with you, then they’re probably sharing yours with others too.
I highly recommend steering clear of gossipers, but if not, just make sure you don’t tell them anything that you wouldn’t want others to know about or that would put you in a precarious position at work.
2. Liars
Out of all of the negative characteristics, lying is the worst on my list in my opinion.
And frustratingly, liars do seem to get away with it half of the time.
They may lie to their boss about a sale they made or they may lie about other people to get ahead of everyone else. But one lie leads to another and another and so on.
Remain calm, stick to the truth, document your dealings with the liar and know; eventually, they will get caught out! Because you won’t be the only one to notice.
And if they don’t – and the boss seems blinded by their sneakiness – maybe it’s time to move on?!
3. Control-Freaks.
Control-freaks always want to be, well, in control.
It is hard to plan an activity in the office with these people because they always want to be the leader and want everything to work the way they want it to.
This can obviously be pretty frustrating if you’re not allowed to bring your own ideas and suggestions to the table.
It’s important to remain calm with a control-freak. It’s not their fault – and essentially they just want everything to work out.
Be supportive and offer your suggestions and be assertive when you do. Explain why you think your idea will work, how it will benefit that person and show examples of when this has worked before.
You’re going to have to pick your battles I’m afraid, or you may come across argumentative.
4. The Complainers.
Some people are just so bitter that they complain about everything in life.
They may have a great position in the office with great pay and benefits but they are still unhappy and ungrateful. Something as small as the coffee being too strong or their chair being too squeaky will set them off, thus creating a negative environment.
Now, I’m not saying that these people do not have good qualities because I’m sure they do but I guarantee if you hang out with a complainer long enough, eventually you will become a complainer too!
It’s just hard NOT to soak up all that negativity!
You have two choices; limit your time spent with the complainer or stay strong and try to maintain a positive attitude when you’re around them – hopefully they’ll soon catch on and start feeling more positive too!
5. The Condescending/Arrogant.
You may have worked with someone like this before?
Someone who believes they are better than everyone else? And isn’t afraid to show it?
When people in a work environment get promoted; it can go to their head and they can become this way. They forget that they were once in the same position as the other employees.
People like this can become difficult to work.
But honestly, it’s best for you to just get on with your own business.
This kind of behavior won’t go unnoticed, people will be repelled by them and senior management will soon notice. You focus on your development – you won’t have to work with them forever anyway.
6. The Envious.
People that are envious can never be happy for anyone else and spend their lives wanting what others have. Unfortunately, there are far too many people like this in the working world.
You can tell when someone is really happy for you and when someone isn’t.
Their face expressions and actions say it all. Perhaps they try and one-up you all the time? Or belittle your efforts and skills? Maybe they openly criticize you or spend time gossiping behind your back?
Do you know what? These people just aren’t worth worrying about.
There’s a reason they are jealous – it’s because you are doing well. And unless they start sabotaging your career for real, it’s best to leave them to their negativity.
Summary.
Who you hang around with really does matter.
So, spend time with people that will encourage and inspire you in all aspects of your life.
And remember, toxic people are usually just unhappy and/or insecure in themselves.
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Good luck.
