Can you spot the different types of people that work in your office? Working in a busy office can be both fun and stressful, as you spend so many hours of your day with different people. Even people you love such as friends and family may not make for ideal candidates as work colleagues, as it is intense being with the same individuals for 8 hours a day. Taking a look back at some of the different offices that I have worked in and the varying personality traits of colleagues, here are 9 types of people you find in the work office.
If work finishes at 6 o’clock I am out the door five minutes later. As I shut down my computer and eagerly look forward to my evening, there is always a cluster of people that choose to work late. Even if they have no immediate work deadlines they find an excuse to stay a bit longer. Although I am not a Try Hard myself, I admire their dedication and commitment to succeed at work. Like it or loath it, staying late does get noticed. The Try Hard is one of the types of people you will find in almost every single work office.
In contrast, the Slacker always does the bare minimum to get by. They often stroll in late and spend more time discussing last night's TV than preparing for their meetings. Often a fun person to have in the office the Slacker is great to have around, unless their nonchalance and lack of productivity affect your own workload.
There is always that one person in the office who is upbeat and funny. No matter what crises is brewing at work the Joker is able to put a light-hearted spin on current affairs and cheer everyone up. Laughing is the perfect antidote to work stress so rather than scowling at the Joker, join them in a few belly laughs.
Another great addition to the monotony of office life, Little Miss Sunshine goes to great efforts to cheer everyone up and give a personal touch to a sometimes clinical workplace. She will make you a cup of tea when you’re low, help celebrate your birthday with a homemade card and treat you to lunch when you break-up with your boyfriend. Little Miss Sunshine is like an office band-aid keeping everything together with a cheery smile on her face.
A process person is someone who craves order and control. They love lists, flow diagrams and spreadsheets. I sometimes get a little impatient at process people because they like to take care of all the minor details of a project, rather than just dive in. This said, their love for process means they are in fact the perfect complement to people who love to be creative but don’t consider the practicalities of their ideas.
The creative juice in the office, ideas people dream up new innovative ideas and make it look easy. They love to doodle, go off on a tangent during discussions and focus on aesthetics and design rather than practicality. If you are looking to drive an office forward and keep up with new challenges you will benefit from a set of ambitious ideas people. They will definitely keep you on your toes.
Beige people are those you don’t tend to notice – they come in, do their work and go home. Friendly but quiet, the Beige Brigade are focussed on getting their job done and take pleasure in not being noticed too much. When you leave your job you wont remember their name, just that they were nice and worked well.
There is always the gentle hum in the office; it is the sound of the chatterbox regaling the team with stories from the film they watched at the cinema, current affairs in the news or even what they have for lunch. A great person to have in the office, the Chatterbox reminds you that you are not alone and always makes time to give you the latest gossip.
There is always someone more senior than you watching your work style in the office – a shark circling the ranks of workers. You make sure you are not on Facebook or wasting your time when they walk in the room. They will pull you up on your dress code, tardiness and whether you have met your work targets. Remember to watch your back when the Boss is around.
There are many different types of people that work in a busy office. Hopefully you will recognise some of the personalities I have come across in my own work experience. My favourite is definitely Little Miss Sunshine; after all it is good to see a friendly face in a busy office. If you work in an office do you fit any of these stereotypes?