# Worse Kind of Co-Workers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 19, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900 "2005-02-19T17:09:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/41 "2005-02-21T15:27:52Z")
Disgruntles: Basically they seem like they absolutely hate their job but they’ve been there for years. They aren’t particularly smart or competant. In fact they are mediocre at best. The basic problem is that their ego exceeds their ability. Every task is beneath them. Every coworker a backstabbing moronic asskiss. Every boss is an idiot. Yet for all this incompetance around them they can’t seem to rise above them. They are generally unpleasent to work with and have no interest in socializing with the coworkers they hate. They focus on their work which, ironicly, they don’t seem to enjoy. They are soon recognized as competant but unpleasent worker-bees so they find work heaped on them by others, which just makes it worse. > [@ivylass](#): > > Weak directors. They will let others walk all over them and create more work for others, just because they won’t put their foot down and say no. Those are the worst. I can’t stand weak or incompetant management. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/42 "2005-02-21T15:32:23Z")
> [@overlyverbose](#): > > The type that forces you to create a papertrail to defend yourself. I’ll agree here. I have one week left on a job with this type of person. Unfortunately this person is the owner. I didn’t realize early on that ‘tidying up’ my desk and files would leave me open for attack. In the past year I’ve saved almost every single little scrap of paper, notes, scribbles on napkins, etc. just to defend myself when the inevitable “I never said that!” comes along. 4 days and counting. ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/43 "2005-02-22T12:43:31Z")
The boss who thinks that effective project management is all about how rigidly you stick to a Microsoft Project Gantt Chart. **Bob:** How far are along now? **Me:** _(Sarcasticly)_ 76.5% through task 7 now Bob. **Bob:** _(Missing the Sarcasm completely)_ Oh! Excellent! The boss who can’t differentiate between their own needs and the needs of the taget audience. **Boss:** Hmmm… I like that, but I like yellow. Make the background bright yellow. **Me:** No. **Boss:** Why? **Me:** Because it’s a website not a fucking post-it note. ---
**Author:** ![Emony\_Dax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Emony\_Dax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emony_Dax)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/44 "2005-02-22T13:40:08Z")
> [@neisha](#): > > What do you think are the worse kind of co-workers? IMHO, it’s the **slacker**. The **slacker** gets credit for doing nothing because they fly under the radar. > > What kind of co-worker do you think is the worse kind? The kind who calls in sick on Tuesday, so I have to cover her noon duty and miss my weekly yoga class, my only chance during the week to relax and unwind without taking time away from my family, AGAIN :mad: Me, bitter? Nooooo, of course not. ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/45 "2005-02-22T13:48:36Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > I think a worse kind of co-worker than a slacker is the office-politicking backstabbing creep who sees somebody more experienced and with more knowledge of his field than he has, perceives that person as a threat, and goes to management to get him or her excommunicated from working with the department. > > Worse than that is the management who goes along with it. Some slackers are the creation of the political backstabber. at my current place of employment I was taught very early not to show too much ambition or intelligence. Having now mastered apathy, my job performance has improved according to my yearly reviews. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/46 "2005-02-22T13:56:50Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > The Old Timer. > > This is an employee who’s been working there for about 300 years and can obey or disobey any established rule as they see fit. They’ll usually have a friend who’s a supervisor who will cover for them. Yeah, this one gets my vote, _especially_ if they’re friends or relatives with the boss. Slackers and Backstabbers are bad in their own way, but I once worked with an Old-Timer who was a cousin of the owner of the company. She never let anyone forget she was related to the Big Boss, came in late every day, left early, was able to slack off as she saw fit, got regular raises and basically just sat around on her ass all day. No other coworker in any other workplace has made my blood boil like she did. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Jaade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/dfb087/32.png) [@Jaade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaade)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/47 "2005-02-22T14:11:07Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > Let’s see… > > - Misses every freakin’ deadline with no plausible reasons. Yet, can’t understand when an ass chewing ensues because of it. Currently on probation. > > - Finds it impossible to be on time for work and gets upset because she falls behind and is counseled (read ass chewed) for doing so. Oh wait, she now has all the time in the world she needs, she’s currently unemployed. > > - Whines to the boss (me) about what everybody else is doing instead of doing what she’s supposed to be doing. Very soon to join the above person in unemployment. > > - Cannot make a decision on his own and has to ask the boss (me) for reassurance constantly. Maybe unemployed soon. > swampbear is on a tear at work. Can y’all tell? Aren’t there only a few thousand people in Leesburg? Sounds like you are going to have to start importing people soon. I’d send you my resume if you weren’t so far inland. 🙂 The slacker is the one that gets to me the most. I abhor laziness in cow-orkers. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/48 "2005-02-22T14:38:04Z")
My current worst cow-orker got fired yesterday. That open container DUI fender bender in the company vehicle kind of clinched it, though it’s been coming a long time. So far today I’ve received five phone calls. Sample call: “I’m sorry, oh God I’m so sorry, I love you, I’m sorry, I can’t help myself, I’m soooorrrrrrryyyyyy…” etc. Average length of call four minutes. My sympathy for alcoholics is at an all time low right now. And since it is my job to answer the phones, I predict this day will suck. ---
**Author:** ![Xgemina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/b5e925/32.png) [@Xgemina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xgemina)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/49 "2005-02-22T15:57:46Z")
The credit thief–especially the one that invites themself to “help” you out for 10 minutes on a week long project and steals the credit for the entire project. You become known as the person that helped, a little. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900/50 "2005-02-22T21:40:59Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Disgruntles: > Basically they seem like they absolutely hate their job but they’ve been there for years. They aren’t particularly smart or competant. In fact they are mediocre at best. The basic problem is that their ego exceeds their ability. Every task is beneath them. Every coworker a backstabbing moronic asskiss. Every boss is an idiot. Yet for all this incompetance around them they can’t seem to rise above them. They are generally unpleasent to work with and have no interest in socializing with the coworkers they hate. They focus on their work which, ironicly, they don’t seem to enjoy. They are soon recognized as competant but unpleasent worker-bees so they find work heaped on them by others, which just makes it worse.\ And they never quit, either. If you hate your freakin’ job _that_ freakin’ much, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT’S HOLY, QUIT!!! My least favourite co-worker (along with The Disgruntled) is The Bully. Saying things just a little too aggressively, acting just a little too aggressive, but not enough for you to call them on it. “I was just kidding! Can’t you take a joke?” but you know very well that they aren’t joking. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worse-kind-of-co-workers/290900.md?page=2)