PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS
The joker
There’s always one. The joker is the person in the office who thinks that it’s his (they’re usually male) job to entertain everyone else. Whether it’s a wisecrack here, a practical joke there, you can guarantee they’ll always find the humour in a situation.
Jokers are useful in an office. They keep people smiling, and they’re often pretty good at their jobs too. But be careful early on. You don’t want to get a reputation as someone who can’t resist a silly prank or doesn’t keep their mind on the job. Best to chuckle from afar.
The moaner
If the joker is always ready to cheer everybody up with a quick gag, then moaners are the exact opposite. Almost every office has at least one of these characters. Life seems to be a constant battle for them, they’ve always got too much to do, or things are going badly, or the boss is treating them unfairly. Their complaints are almost always unjustified—indeed, if they spent as much time working as whinging, they’d probably feel a lot more on top of things.
It’s very easy to find yourself becoming this type of person—everyone likes a good moan every now and again. In a work environment though, the moaners are about the most dangerous people you can meet. Their relentless negativity tends to drag others down with them, resulting in widespread demotivation and a difficult office. Avoid these people as far as you can, stay positive and make friends with other kinds of colleagues. The only way to deal with a moaner is to ignore them.
The shirker
The shirker is similar to the moaner, in that they threaten the happiness of the whole office. This is the person who doesn’t want to work, who always avoids responsibility and who just wants a pay cheque at the end of the month. They rarely help their colleagues and are often nowhere to be found when the boss wants someone to take on a new job.
You don’t need to worry about these people—just don’t become one of them! Shirkers may get away with it for while. They may even get promoted from time to time. Ultimately though, they’ll be found out. There’s no job in the world where you can avoid working forever. If you lead by example, people will notice eventually, and you’ll be rewarded accordingly.
The friend
It’s not always the best idea to become great friends with your colleagues. If you leave, or they leave, or something happens in the office to upset the relationship, things can prove awkward if you’re too close. That said, everyone needs someone at work who they can rely on personally as well as professionally. There’ll nearly always be someone you like in your office (though, despite what lots of
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companies say, it’s unlikely everyone will get on well) and you should take advantage of that.
A friend at work can not only be a useful ally, but also an important confidant when things get tough or when you need a sounding board for new ideas. So be open to making friends at work, and certainly be friendly to others. Just remember that your relationship always needs to be professional first and personal second.
The competitor
Most of the time, everyone’s on the same team. You want your colleagues to do well, because their success means more success for everybody. It’s in no one’s interests for anyone to fail. However, there are people who don’t see it like that. Competition in the work place is an important driver of achievement. If you want to do better, then it makes sense to look at those people in similar jobs to you and try to do better than them.
The problem arises when healthy competition becomes damaging sabotage. Occasionally, you’ll come across people who try to succeed by causing others to fail. They’re the ones who blame poor work on you while taking credit for anything good that happens. Thankfully, these types are rare, but if you do come across them, the trick is to stay calm. Stand your ground, make sure you take credit for the work you’re doing and don’t be afraid to contradict them if they try to claim something they didn’t do. If it becomes a real problem, talk (discreetly) to someone senior about your concerns.
The achiever
Some people seem to find everything easy. As you graft to make your way in the world of work, you’ll come across those who look like they’re sailing through it. These are the types who always pass exams with flying colours, always finish their work promptly and competently, and generally impress everybody they meet. It can get a little bit frustrating.
Two things are worth knowing about an achiever: most of the time, the fact they make everything look easy has more to do with how much they work than how little, and they can be useful assets to others in the office, driving a culture of success that makes for a good working environment. Arguably, they’re the kind of employee you should be aiming to be.
Just the job
Office politics are an unfortunate feature of working life, but they do not have to cause you any great problems. Most offices have a decent balance of characters, and once you know everybody, you’ll get along fine. When problems do arise, it’s worth keeping a sense of perspective. Your job is very important, but it isn’t everything. Family, partners, non-work friends and other social networks all have big roles to play in keeping you on an even keel.
FAST TRACK / Careers module / 2010-2011 39
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