9 Types of People You Work with and How to Deal with Them ...

The Angry Person is, well, angry. They can frequently be found slamming things on their desk or huffing and puffing because something just hasn't gone their way. The Angry Person actually isn't always angry though, they have moments where they crawl out from under their angry rock, just for a moment, to play with the happy and not so angry folk. But that time is limited and they will quickly find something to turn them into Angry Person again. This person needs as much love as anyone else. Your care and attention won't turn them into happy go lucky person, but we can learn a lot from them too. This might be just one of the types of people you work with.

The Flaw Picker isn't as angry as the Angry Person, they're just very cynical and tend to see the negative side of everything. You could say they're pessimistic but the Flaw Picker is more than that. They're a perfectionist; nothing will ever be up to their standards but again, we can learn a lot from them and striving for perfection isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course. It can sometimes lead to unrealistic expectations but the Flaw Picker can help us to see issues and problems that others might not, which is valuable in the work place.

There's always the Office Clown. This person often bounds in, full of energy, and can be a ray of light in a sometimes gloomy and ill-illuminated office space. They'll put a smile on your face and you'll want to be around them because of their energy and the way they make you feel. Office clowns have their off days too, though. Give them space and the time they need to think of new jokes to entertain you with.

This is usually the newbie. They've come bounding in like Bambi on Bud and really want to learn, which is brilliant. After being in a workplace for a while, it can be easy to forget what it was like to have that just-started-a-new-job energy, so these people can be quite infectious and fun to be around.

There's always someone who has no idea about proxemics. Obviously this varies from culture to culture but I used to work with someone who, when talking to me, might just as well have had their lips on mine, as they had a tendency to stand super close. I would take a few steps back and they would follow suit. It was weird. Eventually I found that sitting was the best way to communicate with this person, as they seemed to recognize the chair as the space which signified the barriers between us.

The Party Animal will come in, regaling you with tales about their weekend of alcohol induced debauchery and will always tell you a story about how they woke up in a dumpster, wearing a diaper or some other ridiculous story. They're always organizing social events and are great to turn to if you want to learn about the social activities in the area.

This person is quiet and reserved. They like to come in, do their job and go home. No fuss, no bother and certainly no social events, thank you. We love the reserved types, they are our calm and tranquility in a tempestuous office storm and are a soothing influence.

The Knows It All Person is the wise one. At meetings they will be able to demonstrate their knowledge by telling you some fabulous trivia that you didn't really need to know but that made them feel a whole lot better for sharing with you and that's all that matters. You can learn a lot from the Knows It All Person and I actually quite like to sit next to them so that via osmosis, I may be able to acquire some of their Know It All fabulousness!

I have left this one until last but there is always a departmental gannet. A gannet is a term we sometimes use in Britain to refer to a greedy person. What's worse, is when they raid the fridge and take food which isn't theirs! Perhaps this is just a personal gripe of mine. How to deal with the Fridge Raider? Put CCTV in the kitchen and catch them in action or booby trap the food with chili!

So, how many of these do you recognize in your work place? Have I missed any types out? Which do you think you are?