How To Deal With 4 Most Common Difficult Workplace Personalities | Fusion - WeRIndia

Personality is the sum of characteristics and traits that define a person’s typical thoughts, emotions and behaviours in over time. Good managers increase employee engagement, and that makes teams more productive.

More the managers understand about personality and the different personality types on their teams, the easier it becomes to engage and inspire team members.

For some, that simply means learning which personalities clash with the others and how to manage them.

But for the best managers, it means understanding what motivates their team members and what makes them successful, so they can create the most productive and engaging environment to work in.

The Gossip 

A common difficult personality type found in many office environments is “the gossip.” Office gossips often behave this way out of their own insecurities. This type goes without much explanation, as it is common knowledge that people like this get their title from talking about other people and often behind their backs and spreading rumours about others.

If you have ever found yourself in a conversation with the gossip at your office, you probably know what to expect from them. You may have even found yourself the victim of their bad habits, maybe with even realizing it.

A good communication strategy is directly telling this person the impact of their behaviour on you.

Try staying out of gossipy conversations and avoid sharing details of your personal life with the office gossip.

Let go of the idea that gossip within the office can be controlled and instead focus on your own behaviour and setting a good example for others.

The Blamer

Blamers are another common type of difficult personalities found in many workplaces. For sure, there are times when most of us find ourselves pointing the finger at someone else when perhaps we were the cause of a situation or problem.

Rarely do they acknowledge or apologize for their own misgivings, mistakes, bad decisions, or poor performance. And oftentimes they stretch the truth to convince others that their version of events is accurate and factual even when it’s not.

Try redirecting their attention away from blame and toward facts that are verifiable.

Own up to any mistakes that you’ve made if they attempt to “guilt trip” you instead of engaging in the blame game with them and pointing the finger right back. This can help stop the pattern that many blamers create of finger pointing back.

Maintain firm boundaries around the blamer and try not to let them push you to a point that you’re uncomfortable with. Getting a blamer to see his or her own part in work-related problems may prove more difficult but creating your own safety and limits around them can usually be achieved with some careful effort.

The Control Freak

This difficult workplace personality is the type who is often nit-picky and critical of others who do not do things their way. Such people may have traits of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) even if they do not have the disorder itself. They often feel the need to control the outcome of seemingly everything and everyone around them and may even step over appropriate boundaries and attempt to control situations that aren’t relevant to their own job duties.

They may also be perfectionists and have impossibly high expectations for themselves and others. However, they may be an asset to your company or organization due to their high attention to detail.

To communicate effectively with the control freak may be a great challenge, especially since he or she may very well be your supervisor or boss. Some strategies you may consider include:

• Giving praise for his or her attention to detail and contributions to your workplace.
• Providing detail to him or her and avoiding ambiguity that may raise their anxiety levels.
• Letting go of control at times when the situation or task does not matter as much to you or will not have an adverse effect on your performance.
• Do not take it personally when they’re need for controlling is at its peak.

The Quiet Type

The quiet type of personality is a self-explanatory one and often easy to pick out in an office. This type is not necessarily a difficult personality but can be a confusing one. This is the person who is usually aloof in the office, may sit at their desk a lot and may close themselves off to others by hiding behind their cubicle, keeping their office door shut, or wearing headphones.

Not pushing them to communicate or fraternize with everyone in the office.

Giving them more space and time than others to respond to you and communicate their thoughts and feelings.

Acknowledging their place and value to the organization even if they add little to no value to the office environment socially.

Take some time to get to know what makes him or her tick and show an interest in them as a person. 

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