OFFICE POLITICS

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The Most Toxic Types of People to Avoid at Work
How to deal with complainers, gossipers and bullies.
U.S.News
Apr 21st 2015 8:25AM

By Robin Madell

Anyone who has ever worked in an office knows there's more to succeeding at your job than just doing the work itself. A big part of almost any position involves "relationship management" – in other words, knowing how to get along with different personality types.

But being a team player and navigating office politics can only take you so far. Even experienced employees can quickly feel like they're drowning in quicksand when working with toxic people. "When you are dealing with a toxic personality, it's like being close to an electric fence – it can be hazardous to your health," says Linda Swindling, author of "Stop Complainers and Energy Drainers: How to Negotiate Work Drama to Get More Done."
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While it's impossible to avoid all difficult people at work, learning to recognize common problematic personalities can be helpful, and in some cases, it can save your career. Once you know the type of person you're dealing with, it's easier to shift gears from "business as usual" relationship management to specific strategies that can minimize the damage such people can do to those around them when left unchecked in the office.

Here are telltale signs of three toxic types of people you may encounter in your company and how to deal with them most effectively:

Constant complainer. Negativity is draining and depressing, both for the person complaining and those around him or her. While there are certainly plenty of legitimate issues one might complain about at work, beware of people who seem perpetually dissatisfied and are constantly kvetching about issues at work that can't be changed.

While you may initially feel compelled to lend an ear, associating yourself too closely with this personality type can mark you as one of the same, according to New York-based clinical psychologist Michael Brustein.

"If you join in negative talk with the depressed complainer, other colleagues may notice your dissatisfaction and be repelled by you," he says. "If complaining continues, it won't be long before your supervisor or boss becomes aware, which could be drastic."

Instead of showing sympathy or chiming in, Brustein suggests trying to avoid constant complainers. "This often can be done simply by not complaining, since complaining is their major method of connecting and relating," he says. "If you cannot avoid them, be friendly and cordial, but keep the conversation light."

Boundaryless BFF. It's nice to have allies at work, and over time, some colleagues may consider themselves to be friends as well as co-workers. But when a peer or boss comes on too strong and quickly in the friendship department, see it as a red flag.

Certified etiquette instructor Callista Gould warns that when starting a job in a new workplace, the first person who wants to be your best friend may not be genuine. "Beware the office gossip who takes a personal interest in you," she says. "That person may be mining for information to be used against you."

Tara A. Goodfellow, managing director of Athena Educational Consultants, notes that the same type of "too close" personality can be seen in some supervisors who want to be pals with their direct reports, grabbing lunch every day and hanging out together after hours. "This has become more challenging with the oversharing of social media and more of a blended work philosophy," she says. "It can really strain the professional relationship over time."

To handle personalities who are too chummy at work, she recommends keeping your own boundaries strong by limiting the outside-of-work activities and including others in the plans, like by setting up a monthly full-team after-hours event.

Office bully. According to 2015 research by Connectria Hosting, more than half (55 percent) of all professionals surveyed have been bullied by a co-worker, and 65 percent say they have "dreaded" going to work because of a colleague.

While you may not recognize the signs of bullying in the office as easily as you do on the children's playground, bullying of adults is very prevalent and can damage a professional's esteem and performance quickly. The Workplace Bullying Institute describes bullying as "a systematic campaign of interpersonal destruction that jeopardizes your health, your career [and] the job you once loved." Common experiences include being constantly undermined in meetings and told your work isn't good enough no matter what you do, as well as being yelled at and ostracized by others.

WBI recommends a three-step target action plan to defend yourself against bullying. First, name this type of harassment for what it is – bullying or emotional abuse – rather than pretend it isn't happening. Second, take time off to recover from the effects of bullying before you launch your counterattack. Third, expose the bully to your employer using a business case based on the costs of bullying to the organization. This worksheet from WBI will help you determine these costs in language that speaks most loudly to employers.

"Unfortunately, co-workers and colleagues that could be hazardous don't come with a label," Brustein says. But knowing the personality types you're dealing with just may help you handle those in the "toxic" category before they hurt your career.
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Now is a good time to get started on some important year-end financial tasks. Wouldn’t you rather enjoy the holidays with family and friends than scramble to meet

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Here’s a list of 10 smart money moves to consider—some that need to be addressed by December 31 and others that are an important part of a year-end financial check-in.

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Ten things to do before year end

Tax-loss harvesting might sound complicated, but the principle is pretty simple. Offset your realized taxable gains on your investments (capital gains) with losses (capital

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3.     Give to a charity or your family.

Give to others. Charitable donations are an effective way to reduce your taxable income when you itemize on your tax returns. If you’ve been meaning to make a donation

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Give to family members. You are able to give up to $14,000 a year to as many individuals as you choose without paying gift taxes, which helps reduce the amount of your

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One way to maximize the value of tax deductions is to bunch two years’ worth of itemized deductions into a single year, especially if you expect your income to be higher.

For example, if you have unreimbursed work expenses that you incurred early in the year, you might be able to pull next year’s expenses into this year and double up your

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Consider making an extra mortgage payment or prepay taxes (state and real estate) to allow additional deductions. For tax-deduction tips, read Viewpoints: “Tips for

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5.     Max and match: Reduce your taxable income and save too.

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 Even if you contribute regularly to your 401(k) or 403(b), take a few minutes to see whether you can make an additional contribution before the end of the year—especially

if you aren’t on track to contribute the full amount your employer matches. The maximum you can contribute in pretax dollars for 2015 is $18,000, or $24,000 if you’re

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You may be able to reduce your taxable income1 by making a contribution to an IRA or spousal IRA. While you can make an IRA contribution for 2015 by April 18, 2016 (the

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“Retirement roadmap: rules of the road.”
6.     Use the money in your flexible spending account.

There are two types of flexible spending accounts that allow you to set aside pretax money and then reimburse yourself, with calendar-year “use-it-or-lose-it” deadlines:

health care and dependent care. The U.S. Treasury Department has relaxed the rules a bit this year. Employers can allow participants to carry over up to $500 in unused

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7.     Do a financial reality check.

Understanding how you are saving and spending can be a valuable step to helping put your financial house in order. You don’t necessarily need to manage every penny.

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When reviewing your investments, also make sure you have designated a beneficiary for each account. This can be as important as writing a will, but it isn’t as complex. It is

especially important if there have been changes in your life, such as a birth, a death, or a change in marital status.

One important point to keep in mind is that retirement accounts pass directly to named beneficiaries, rather than becoming part of your estate. This can provide significant

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If you are married, keep in mind that most employer-sponsored retirement plans automatically designate your spouse as the beneficiary unless you name another

beneficiary and your spouse has consented in writing. For more details, read Viewpoints: “Five ways to protect what’s yours.”


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 9.     Go for tax-free growth: Consider converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA.

Who wouldn’t want the tax-free growth potential and withdrawals in retirement that a Roth IRA offers?2 The problem is, not everyone can contribute to a Roth IRA because

of income limits. But you may be able to convert existing money in a traditional IRA or other retirement savings account into a Roth IRA. Because pretax contributions and

gains in a traditional IRA are generally considered taxable income when you convert, later in the year is a good time to take a look. That's because you have more

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If you don’t have an existing traditional IRA, you may want to open one, make a nondeductible contribution, and convert it to a Roth IRA before it accumulates any earnings.

That way it would not be considered taxable income. See if a conversion may make sense with our Roth Conversion Evaluator.
10.     If you’re age 70½ or older: Take your minimum required distribution.

Beginning when you turn 70½, IRS regulations generally require you to withdraw a minimum amount of money each year from your tax-deferred retirement accounts, like

traditional IRAs and 401(k) plans, or pay penalties of up to 50% of your minimum required distribution (MRD).3

If you reached 70½ this year, you have until April 1, 2016, to take your 2015 distribution, but it still might be a good idea to do so before the end of this year. Why?

Because if you wait, you’ll have to take two distributions in one year (the grace period applies only to your first distribution, so your 2016 MRD will have to be taken before

December 31 of next year). That could push you into a higher tax bracket for 2016.