7 Worst Kind of Employees (Don’t Be One of Those)

Team culture is very important to the success of a company. Managers can hire based on a person’s resume and qualifications but they will never know what type of employee a person will become unless they experience it for themselves.

If you are working for a company right now, ask yourself what kind of an employee you are. Just make sure you are not on your way to become one of these 7 worst types of employees!

1. The Bully

Everyone in your company may have graduated from high school but it does not stop one from becoming a bully at work. You’re surely familiar with this type of employee.

They are not managers but they tend to go around ordering everyone as if they are in the position of power. They feel they have the right to belittle other people’s ideas or publicly degrade them during meetings and brainstorming sessions. While this is far from the bullying done in high school, it can still affect a person’s confidence and productivity, which is what they [the bullies] want to achieve.

2. The Slacker

It’s hard when you see potential in someone, but they just won’t do the hard work. The slackers have the potential to excel at work and go up the ladder but they just do the bare minimum everyday. You will see their efforts as half-hearted. If you see yourself struggling to do your work, make sure you avoid becoming the slacker of the team.

3. The Backstabber

Nothing kills the positive atmosphere in a company like a backstabber. These people have the skill to recognize a teammate’s great idea and then take credit for it. They tend to see everyone as a threat to their success, therefore throwing people under the bus whenever they get the chance is their wicked way of staying on top.

Having a backstabber in the team decreases the team’s spirit and synergy. If you have something negative to say about an officemate, make sure you’re not just saying it to bring that person down but to help him/her change, and avoid tattling on co-workers, otherwise you’re just the company’s backstabber.

4. The Complainer

Hearing someone complain is normal, but hearing someone complain about everything can be irritating. There are employees who go to work everyday but complain about their job, their boss and even the cafeteria food. Their negativity slowly spreads around the office bringing the mood and productivity of the team down. And if there is something to really complain about, then it’s negativity in the office.

5. The Superstar

Stellar work should always be applauded at the office but not when an employee thinks he/she does everything better compared to others. Superstars tend to think they always perform better – whether it’s increasing sales or coming up with this year’s teambuilding activity. They also tend to let everyone know how big of a superstar they are, hence creating a negative effect on the team’s morale. Avoid having such a big ego that it belittles other people’s performances.

6. The Defender

You may think it is okay to reason out why you were late on a Monday morning but avoid making it a habit. Defenders in the office love making excuses. They always appear to be victims of recurring events that lead to being late or leaving work early. They tend to have an upset stomach or a bad case of the flu exactly on a Monday or Friday, but appear perfectly well the next day. They get back from lunch way beyond break time but packed with the perfect alibi. Defenders are one of the most unreliable employees because they suddenly disappear and return with a convenient excuse.

7. The Time-Waster

 

Social media has changed the environment of our workplace. It has also produced a new breed of bad employees known as time-wasters. They may be nice and friendly to their co-workers but they tend to waste their work hours endlessly browsing through their social media accounts.

You’ll catch them watching cat videos on a Monday morning or tweeting during meetings. They also have the tendency to disrupt other employee’s productivity. They chat them up endlessly or send them unnecessary emails. Talking about the weekend in the break room is acceptable, but spending an hour just chatting away is bad for the team’s productivity.

These types of employees are a manager’s worst nightmare. If you have plans of going up that career ladder, make sure you are not any one of these!