Navigating Workplace Jerks

You're working under a boss who really rubs you the wrong way. So you quit your job and take another. But in your new office, you find yourself stuck with a co-worker who bugs the tar out of you.

The presence of annoying, incompetent, and underhanded people isn't a particular workplace problem, but a universal human problem. In any and every group of people, there are going to be bothersome and troublesome personalities.

So if you can't entirely escape them, how do you get along with your fellow humans at work? My guest today has some research-backed advice. Her name is Tessa West, and she's a professor of psychology and the author of Jerks at Work: Toxic Coworkers and What to Do About Them. Today on the show, Tessa describes the seven types of jerks you run into at work — the kiss-up/kick-downer, credit stealer, bulldozer, free rider, micromanager, neglectful boss, and gaslighter — and shares what drives their respective behaviors and how to deal with them.

Resources Related to the Podcast

• AoM Article: How to Deal With Bad Coworkers
• Let Me Google That For You
• AoM Podcast #627: How to Deal With Jerks, Bullies, Tyrants, and Trolls
• AoM Podcast #799: Getting Along Is Overrated
• AoM Podcast #559: How to Handle Difficult Conversations

Connect With Tessa West

• Tessa's Website