Interpersonal Communication- A Mindful Approach to Relationships, 2020a

There are many books
out there designed
to help you deal with
difficult people, toxic
people, workplace
vampires, jerks, energy
drainers, etc. Some of
these people are just
irritants, whereas other
problem people can be
more egregious (e.g.,
aggressive, bullying,
deviating from work
norms, overly cynical
about everything).
We view these people
as problem people
because they ultimately
take more of our
resources to deal
with. There’s a reason
some writers refer to
“problem people” as
because we have to use
more of our emotional
resources to deal with
these people, and they
increase our levels
of stress along the
way. 66 In this section,
we are going to explore
the different types of problem people we come in contact within the workplace and how we can strive
towards workplace civility. In organizational literature, we often refer to these people as engaging in
, or voluntary behavior of organizational members that violates significant
organizational norms and practices or threatens the wellbeing of the organization and its members.
Research on problem people in the workplace tends to demonstrate that we have problem people
at all levels of the organization. We have problematic bosses, peers, and subordinates. In 2002 (later
updated in 2009), Janie Harden Fritz created a typology of the different types of problem people we
encounter in the workplace. 67,68 Figure 13.7 shows the typology. In this typology, Harden Fritz discusses
how different positions in the workplace can lead to varying types of problem people. Let’s examine each
of these individually.
Problem Bosses
Through Harden Fritz’s research into bosses, she found that there are six common types of problematic
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Boss
The Good Old
Boy/Girl Boss
The Okay
Boss
The Toxic
Boss
Bosses
The Self-Centered
Taskmaster
The Intrusive
Harasser
The Adolescent
The Mild
Annoyance
The Bully
The Independent
Self-Promoter
The Pushy
Playboy/Playgirl
The Independent
Other
The Soap Opera
Star
The Abrasive,
Incompetent
Harasser
Coworkers
Figure 13.7 Problematic People in the Workplace
The Okay
Subordinate
The Abrasive
Harasser
The Bully
Other
The Incompetent
Renegade
Subordinates
Interpersonal Communication