So far on this site, we've discussed ways that employers can ruin employee morale. But let's be honest - your managers, try as they might, aren't the only ones who can make you feel like you're serving a jail sentence instead of punching a clock. Your co-workers, while well-intentioned, can also be a drain on your happiness (as well as your sanity).
No matter where you work, no matter what kind of job you do, I guarantee you have a co-worker that drives you nuts. And it's not like they do it on purpose (at least, hopefully they're not doing it on purpose). It's just the way they are.
There are lots of different types of annoying, morale-draining co-workers. We'll discuss a few of them here (feel free to leave a comment if you've got other examples from your job).
- The Guy That Won't Shut Up: This guy (or gal) will stop by the office with nothing to say, yet will find a way to keep talking to you for half an hour. Naturally, this normally happens when you are trying to get a big project done, or preparing for a meeting with the boss. The conversation may start with a work-related topic, but quickly jumps to last night's game, or a movie he just saw, or better yet, his kids. And none of the "this conversation is over" clues that you're dropping are working (you know, things like turning your back to the person and going back to work, or only responding with "yeah" and "uh huh" and not engaging in any real conversation, or faking a seizure). Your only hope is for your telephone to ring so that you have an excuse to escape this dead end discussion.
- The Annoying Pregnant Lady: (This one obviously doesn't apply to everyone who is pregnant) No offense if you're pregnant, it's one of the most beautiful and life-altering experiences in the world. But that doesn't mean we need to hear all the sordid details about how your little bundle-of-joy-to-be is kicking your bladder so hard that you have to pee every hour. Nor do we need to know about the rash you have and how itchy it is. And yes, we understand that you've put on weight - we get it, you're pregnant. And no, we don't want to look at baby names with you on the internet.
- The Fake Punch Guy: You know who I'm talking about. The guy who, instead of just saying hi in the hallway or shaking hands if the occasion calls for it, feels compelled to have a fake sparring session with you in the middle of the office. And what are you supposed to do, just stand there and not react? No, like a fool, you pretend to think it's funny and throw a fake jab or two back his way (although maybe you come a little closer to his chin than you intended - purely a coincidence). Then you walk away hating yourself for the rest of the morning.
- The Lady Who Loves (insert tv show here) And Won't Shut Up About It: This ties in a little bit with The Guy That Won't Shut Up, but this woman is only interested in her show. Maybe it's Oprah, maybe it's Survivor, maybe it's Knight Rider 2000 - whatever it is, she wants to talk to you about it, regardless of whether or not you've seen the show. To her, this show is the greatest thing that television has ever produced, and you're going to know everything about the show whether you want to or not. And telling her that you don't watch the show doesn't help; if anything, it further aggravates the problem because now she feels like she has to catch you up on everything that's happened. Your ideal way out of this problem is to walk this woman over to The Guy That Won't Shut Up and get them talking to each other. That should free you up for at least a couple of hours.
There are many, many other examples of soul-draining co-workers out there, and not enough space in this column to discuss them all. That's where you come in. If you have, or once had, a morale-reducing co-worker, tell us about him/her (please remember to keep this anonymous - don't use more than a first name). Let's see who works with the best of the worst.
So remember, although your boss may be the prime culprit, it's not just management that can have a negative effect on employee morale.
5 comments:
One of the most draining co-workers is the one who won't shut up about his problems. You may come into work feeling great but after a conversation with him your day is shot. I don't have a Psychology degree on my wall so what makes him think I have the answers to his issues or even care. This co-worker can suck the life out of you.
Here's my favorite co-worker: "The guy who should have been fired three or four times, still somehow is employed, but now acts like a dead-man walking all the time." We have two here. They have catastrophicly f'ed up on more than one occasion, don't care, openly deny responsibility for any of their transgressions (even though ALL in power know they've screwed up, including the HR people)...and they KEEP COLLECTING PAYCHECKS! You talk about a disincentive to work your ass off. Why should I if I can openly harm the business and keep my job?
I work with one of the biggest retards I have ever met. Honestly, this kid thinks he is the best thing that has ever happened to the company and has no idea almost all of his co-workers can't stand him and try everything to get him to stop talking when he stops by their office.
I can say I am one of the lucky ones at the company because I have done something, god knows what, to make him pass by my cube on his prowl to find someone to talk about the 1975 Red Sox game.
I would love to suggest giving him more work, to keep him stuck at his desk but he can barely handle the work he has.
My hope is one day management will realize how much of a waste he is and can him or he will find true love thru internet dating and move away to be with his sweetheart whoever he or she may be!
Co-workers: The people you are to be team players with. The people that rant and rave to you, only to get you wound up to face the boss. Or as my mother would say, 'they make the snowball and you throw it'. And guess who gets reprimanded?
Hmmm maybe a better name would be 'Cow orkers'.
great comment last anonymous commenter, i had a terrible coworker like that who got another coworker of ours fired.
what about people with speech impediments or lisps who are friendly but their speech issues make talking to them problematic? i had a coworker that would stutter and his jaw would lock at the start of every sentence. i worked with this other guy with a lisp and it was frustrating because we discussed investing and the red sox a lot. it makes conversing difficult.
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