PR Grouch: Our guide to nightmare colleagues

 21st May 2015    PR Guru 

Our guide to nightmare colleagues

If you don’t learn how to handle some of the terrible people you can come across in this profession, you will go mad. And get an ulcer. And probably turn to drink. So to save your health, both mental and physical, here are my top tips for dealing with some of the monsters you probably have to work with.

The bully. This is harder to deal with at work, than if it is if you are being bullied by a client or a journalist. With clients and journalists, you can scream and swear about them to your heart’s content in your office, and everyone will back you up-unless the client is married to someone in your office. If your boss is bullying you, you have little power to retaliate. I wish there was a simple solution to this one, but either they must go, or you must.

The Tyrant. If your boss is a tyrant, this is much easier to handle than a bully. Just pander to their whims, agree that his kids are genius', admire his ties and remember they have a fragile ego because deep down they think they are a nobody. An opinion you may often share.

The neurotic. Working with people who worry about everything has its advantages. It means you don’t have to think about what can go wrong, because someone else is doing it for you. Meanwhile if your client is Housing.com, have a beer.

The lazy worker. This isn’t me of course, though some may disagree. If someone at work lets you do the lion’s share of media rounds, then you are a fool frankly and deserve it. Just make sure you say “no” sometimes and pass on plenty of work to the guy in the office having a snooze.

The credit-stealer. Once you have realised that someone at work is trying to take the credit for your hard work, you have to be ruthless. Shame them publicly. Shout out loud: “I did that, not that twit over there!”