This list is more or less a cut and paste off the internet with some editing made. I have seen all of these types at LEG over the years.
Have you experienced any of these bully types? Is there anymore you want to add? Got any advice for anyone reading this that may be currently experiencing any of these types of DB coworkers and bosses?
- The Disruptive Loudmouth
This is the most easily recognizable type of workplace bully. They are loud and obnoxious, and their abusive behaviour is meant to berate and humiliate you. They thrive on the notion that others fear them. These types tend to avoid written communication like emails and chat to have plausible deniability a verbal convo gives them. This type also loves to converse using speaker phone in an inappropriate setting like a shared cubicle office space to be as disruptive as possible to you and others.
- The Gossiping Two-Headed Snake
To your face, this employee acts like a trusted friend, colleague or leader. However, when you are out of earshot, this person will try to destroy your reputation, stab you in the back and even take credit for your work or make your good ideas theirs.
- The Constant Critic
This bully’s goal is to dismantle your confidence through constant – and often unwarranted – criticism. A critic will look for any possible flaw in your work and labours tirelessly to ki-l your credibility. Impeccable work? No problem: This type of bully isn’t above falsifying documents or fabricating evidence to make you look bad. This bully type may even try to manipulate others to criticise their target and do their dirty work for them.
- The Gatekeeper
Every office has at least one employee who gets off on wielding his or her power over others – regardless of whether that power is real or perceived. Gatekeepers will deny you the tools you need – whether it’s resources, time or information – to do your job efficiently.
- The Attention Seeker
This type of bully wants to be the centre of the action at all times. They’ll try to get on their superior’s good side through consistent flattery and even come on as kind and helpful to their peers – especially the newer employees. However, if you don’t provide the right amount of attention, these bullies can quickly turn on you.
Attention seekers are often overly dramatic and relate everything to something that’s going wrong in their own lives to gain sympathy and control. These bullies also have a tendency to coax personal info out of new employees – only to use it against them later. See # 1.
- The Delusional Wannabe
This is an employee who sees himself or herself as absolutely indispensable and expects recognition for everything. But DWs aren’t usually very good at their jobs. To compensate, these bullies spend a majority of their time more competent workers and looking for areas of skilled workers’ performance to complain about.
DWs will demand that everything is done their way – even when there are better ways of doing things. Because they’re automatically opposed to others’ ideas, they’ll do everything in their power to prevent changes to their work processes. People leaders with this trait often have a high rate of staff turnover. A DW who makes it to middle management or higher likely got their by latching on to a #8.
- The Narcissist Guru.
Generally, there’s nothing wrong with this bully’s work performance. In fact, it’s not unusual for an NG to be considered an expert in his or her own niche area. What these bullies offer in technical skill, however, they severely lack in emotional maturity.
NGs see themselves as being superior to their peers or the people that report to threm. As a result, they don’t consider how their actions will affect others, aren’t able to fathom the possibility that they can be wrong and don’t accept responsibility for their own actions. In addition, because these bullies feel as though they’re “above it all,” they don’t always feel compelled to follow the same rules as everybody else.
- The Sociopath
Intelligent, well-spoken, charming and charismatic, sociopaths are the most destructive bullies of all. Reason: They have absolutely no empathy for others, yet they are experts at manipulating the emotions of others in order to get what they want.
These bullies often rise to positions of power within the company, which makes them extremely dangerous. Sociopaths tend to surround themselves with a circle of lackeys who are willing to do their dirty work in exchange for moving up the ranks with them.