TOXIC BEASTS AND HOW TO FIND THEM | HOW TO DEAL WITH THEM
Who else is at one with me when I say that working in a positive working environment can bring out the best in you and help you perform to your highest ability? If we see eye to eye on that one, let me give you a heads-up. This page won’t pivot much on a positive workspace which probably most of us want to talk about. However, it’s true that when you are at a working environment where positivity grows and fosters, chances are that you get to flourish into something more than you think you could be; and that working environment has a great impact on the productivity and progress you made.
While much of the emphasis has been placed on a positive working environment, making progress in a conducive workplace, and being at your best version in a motivating working station, it has not been a point of interest to mull over what makes a toxic person in your workplace and how to identify one. In each and every working arena, there is likely that one who will exhaust every piece of positivity you collected, cause you to lose your composure at work, and even bring your vibe down. It could be anyone who will suck your time and energy and eventually leave you drained and totally fed up. When that happens, well I bet you won’t let that happen for that’s the reason why you are here on this page. Getting back, if it ever happens to you at work, know that there is a great deal of things you can do to turn the circumstances into opportunities for you to grow and make significant progress. It all boils down to how you deal with toxic people at work and turn it to your advantage.
Prior to that stage of turning those you consider earth-shattering climaxes in your workplace into milestones, you have to learn how to identify the roots of those disturbances. First things first. You start by identifying those toxic people around you in your workplace. This flock of people might be part of your circle, but that does not always apply to your intimate peers. They could be those who you get to talk to everyday, in a casual way, but you don’t share the same table when you grab your lunch. It could also be anyone you know for quite a long time, but your opposing mindset tells you that being with them can bring you no good.
I have rounded up a few types of time and energy suckers to help you with identifying one. Brace yourself for a quest involving fantastic beasts who suck your time and energy and how to find them.
The Nega-stars. This one has a magic fairy dust which can basically wipe off every bit of positivity you gathered for yourself and leave you empty. Negativity is communicable that you have to do some physical distancing once you sensed one. This type of workmate always opposes the positive breeze that you try to bring into your workplace. More often than not, their thinking goes beyond what happens at present and more likely can ruin the positive outlook that you have for any of your future endeavors and undertaking. If you tolerate being around with these Nega-stars, you can be infected by the negativity they have.
How to deal with it: The Nega-stars might seem hard to get along with, but you can absolutely do them a favor by counteracting or neutralizing the negativity they radiate. All the more that you have to be positive as much as you can. Being with people like this can make you feel uneasy, but you can fight this off by becoming a fountain of positivity. When things get intense or overly negative, you don’t need to get yourself caught in the middle. You don’t let yourself be dragged into a whirlpool of negativity by wasting your time arguing about what’s negative in what they say. Just take your peaceful exit with the hope of sustaining your good vibes all throughout the day.
The Story-weavers. If you wonder why you ever had a misleading story or an issue about yourself that emerged and circulated within and around your workplace, this one is responsible for that life-changing plot that can either make you or break you. This one has honed its creative thinking and probably writing skills that in a snap, they can come up with a story based on an information that they probably have just listened to or overheard. The more people listen and buy these made-up stories, the more they thrive as an author. The worse part is when they make up plots about other people’s personal lives to make them look terrible or even destroy their image.
How to deal with it: They may seem intimidating because they play with words, but I’m telling you, giving them your “the-hell-I-care” response can cease them from crafting fictional stories about you. As a matter of fact, wasting your time and energy confronting this type is not a good move. As long as you know who you are, and you have few people whom you can call friends and who know you very well, everything is alright. Just wait until karma does its thing.
The Broadcasters. Some people call them the Gossiper. But in your workplace, this can hide in a form of a broadcaster. This one is closely related to the Story-weaver. Sometimes or more often than not, they always go together, eyeing on juicy information they can gather together for their valued listeners and viewers. Basically, this reports every bit of information about the workplace, the staff, and even the brand new stuff about your work such as announcements, updates, news and all that stuff. However, what makes them toxic is that they also report something about people’s lives and make them look terrible before their listeners. Most of the time, broadcasters are the root causes of misunderstandings and quarrel between employees because of the misleading stories they report. It becomes more of backstabbing and not a plain news updating.
How to deal with it: One thing that you can do to keep them from harming you or troubling you is by talking less to them. This is for the reason that, the more you talk about something to them, all the more that they will have something against you. You can still communicate with them during work, but make sure that you limit the information you disclose.
The Competitive. This one always takes the lead especially when it comes to outputs and productivity. In short, the most competitive in your workplace. People of this type always eye on the first spot in every task you guys in the area need to do. They could have been out of this roster and be an inspiration to other people around. They can motivate and encourage the rest of the team for their diligence, determination, and dedication to work, however, they use their productivity to harm other people. Instead of becoming role models, they actually spread negativity through their strong enterprise to be recognized as the best person for the job. They go to extreme measures to win — especially not at the expense of others. More often than not, they are the responsible ones for the changes in the schedule of submission of outputs, paperwork and all the other stuff just because they were able to accomplish the tasks earlier than expected. They always brag what they have done and accomplished. Their power even grows more when they outshine everyone in the area.
How to deal with it: They really are intimidating, but as much as their “showtime” moments do not affect you and your work, you just have to let them snatch some spotlight for themselves to prove what they can do and where they are good at. They might need it to cure their self-doubts and insecurities. They might be striving to be at their best version. So, learn not to be dragged into their games. Do not be too much affected by the standards they want to set. Of course, you also have to be prepared for your own sake. Try to keep up with schedules, meet the deadlines, and attain your objectives. Pay attention to what you need to accomplish and fulfill. Just work smart.
The Malevolent. It goes by the name Malevolent but actually possesses wicked behavior from Maleficent. I’m not sure if the association is good. Anyway, it has the most powerful words and actions that can actually stab you a thousand wounds. They do not give a damn to what others might feel. All that matters to them is to tell you what’s wrong with you, what you did wrong, and what you failed to do in such a way that you appear as the most stupid person in the area. They do not care about boundaries, limitations, and professionalism for they have aplenty of audacity to destroy you and your tiniest hint of self-respect. To be quite honest, their intentions, sometimes, are good but the way they carry out the action is not.
How to deal with it: This will be the last person you would wish to have a chance to work with. They could really suck out every bit of self-respect and self- esteem that took you so long before you acquired and developed. You have to not let your guard down when you are dealing with this kind of people. You need to stay calm, composed, and professional while communicating with them. Remember that it is not you who exhibit unprofessionalism, but them. If this worsens, you can escalate this issue to the higher ups. Pretty sure they do not tolerate people that badmouth other staff who also work their ass off very well. You can also point out the foul words they say to you in such a polite manner. Do them a favor by becoming a source of positivity.
The User and Friendly. People of this type do not actually bring you negative vibe upfront as they go by the name friendly. However, the bad part of this is that this type of workmate uses being friendly for personal gains. They are oddly nice people and become the kindest people when they need something from you. Well, it does not hurt to help those who are in need, but this type takes the credit for the assistance you provided. They will come before you like a helpless and a hopeless case and once you lend a hand to them, acquaintance over. They are more of like parasites. They approach you with their friendly gestures but eventually suck the best out of you. They cannot even utter a simple thank you.
How to deal with it: Providing technical assistance is such a good Samaritan deed that you also want to instill in your workmates. You also need to extend your help to those who need it most. However, to deal with this type requires you a great deal of patience. Helping each other can actually gear the company towards success, but if you notice that someone abuses, learn not to extend your help. If you notice that their SOS (Save Our Souls) moments happen so very often like they ask for the same thing over and over again, you are no longer helping them. You are just allowing them to become rotten and helpless goods. If they depend and rely too much on your assistance, that is not healthy anymore. Teach them a lesson. Teach them to also work their ass off to accomplish something. They are workers as well and not a charity case that you need to help every now and then. Learn to say NO and let them do the work themselves.
The Masked. This one goes by that name for the personality that this type of workmate shows off is fake. People of this type put on masks before everyone. They sometimes go along with the Rivalrous. What makes this type toxic is that they play as the ruling authority in the area by imbibing a “highly-performing” and “the wisest” status to gain a spot in the decision making. They wanted to become the spotlight, the main highlight, and the protagonist of story. They always show off their powers during meetings, group huddles, assembly and a lot more events. However, when given a difficult task that involves planning and management, they back off like a scared stray dog for they know they are not really fit for the task.
How to deal with it: There is absolutely nothing wrong with being at your very best or proving yourself before everyone. However, that can be sometimes annoying, especially when things get worse. They are very easy to deal with during work hours. Just let them do their thing. Might as well they will have opportunities to reflect and mull over things they should not be doing once they get the taste of their medicine. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Allow them to take charge for the time being, and when things get tough, give them the full control over a task to provide them a room for improvement.
That’s basically what makes the roster of toxic people you can meet in your workplace that I have rounded up for you. There may be a few of them whom you had already come across with in the office or you bumped into at the hallway on your way to your station. Some of them may be existing in your workspace and some are not. They are not as bad as you think they are. If we reach out to them, we can discover some things about them such as why they have to do it. Speaking from experience, some of them are not even aware of their negative behavior. While we think of them as people to be avoided, we tend to overlook their own battles to fight and their own cross to carry which can be great factors why they do such adverse stuff.
Remember that it all boils down to how you respond to those unsettling circumstances and deal with those good-vibes vampires that will tell whether you become a toxic or non-toxic workmate yourself. Think of your own actions. Be the source of hope and positivity in a workplace full of pessimistic people.
