Types of Office Workers You Might Work With

The office workplace can often introduce you to a range of quirky and colourful colleagues that can certainly make your workday a bit more interesting.

Whether you work in a small enclosed office or for a large company, there are certain colleagues with all too similar traits that you tend to find in the office workplace. From the sneezers to the gossipers, it's likely we've always worked with a few of the types of colleagues we've listed below.

This is all in good fun so we’re not naming any negative traits in people, just fun, positive and maybe somewhat annoying but we’re not here to put anyone you work with in a bad light. A lot of the time you spend more time with your colleagues than your own family, so it’s probably best to focus on the positives than the negatives.

The Event Organiser

Team building is always important and developing a decent, working relationship with your colleagues can be very beneficial to work morale and performance. But there’s always one person who wants to do something every week, whether it’s a drink after work or bowling on the weekend, this person is the ultimate social bee and believes work needs to continue outside of the office.

What they might say:
“Hey, does anyone wanna go paintballing soon?”

The “Did you watch … last night” person

From that insane cliff-hanger on The Walking Dead to last night's ludicrous display of football, this colleague is always the first one to bring it up at work. What potentially follows is a long detailed conversation about the events that happened or a sudden halt to the proceedings when the person answers no or doesn't want it to be spoiled. It’s probably the number one question in the office, besides ‘Where’s that report I asked for?’ or 'Did you get that memo?'

What they might say:
“What was Wenger thinking, sending Walcott on that early?”

The Provider

Sharing is caring is the attitude of this office worker and will always do their best to provide for their office family. Whether that’s cake, biscuits or making you a cup of a tea, they don’t want to see you suffer from your lack of snacks or warm drinks. They may even bake a cake because who doesn’t ever want cake? 

What they might say:
“Guess who made cake again!”

The Alternative Tech Support

They have a love for tech as well as a reputation for knowing how to use computers so are often sought after when the technophobes of the office need a bit of IT support. Sometimes they might be a bit over-confident and are willing to sort out your problem before they even diagnose it, which either results in a quick work-around or referring them to the actual tech support team. Either way, sometimes it's best left to the dedicated support team.

What they might say:
“Nah, don’t call IT support… I’ll sort it out.”

The Sicknote

Sneezing, red nosed and all bunged up. They’ve picked up that flu that’s going around once again and all you can hear is coughing, wheezing and sniffling. You’d almost feel sorry for them if they hadn’t passed it onto you and half the office! Nine times out of ten their secret santa gift is usually a box of tissues and some Lemsip. 

What they might say:
“Atchoo!”

The Gossiper

Gossip is a hot topic in the workplace so if you like to keep your personal life separated from your work life then it’s probably best not to expose too much to this one. You could end up being the subject of prying eyes from across the office who just found out something interesting about you and once it spreads to the marketing department you know there's no going back. They’re usually responsible for the office rumour too, and enjoy standing back to see their words spread like wildfire.

What they might say:
“Jeff and Hilary broke up. Don’t tell anybody.”

The Over-Dramatic Complainer

Computers can run slow and where some people may just have the patience to wait for their system to catch up, others may vent their frustration through various groans, grunts and outbursts. Every day is usually the worst day ever for them and you’ll be sure to hear their dramatic remarks from the other side of the office or via e-mail.

What they might say:
“That’s it! Worst day of my life!”

The Quiet One

Some people just come into work to simply… work. You don’t hear much from them, they’re content with their role at work and will need to be engaged if you ever want to hear anything from them. This could be for a number of reasons, they’re new and still adjusting to their new working environment and will eventually come out of their shell or they choose to be that way. If the latter, probably best to leave them to it.

What they might say:
“…”

The Comedian/Entertainer

You’ll find a lot of funny people at work, whether it’s a witty reference or general banter, you’re not short of a few laughs at work. But for some, it appears to be their duty and sole responsibility to be the office jester. Singing to the radio station, doing impressions and being cheeky to the boss are just a few of their mannerisms and if this is what they’re like at work, wait until the office Christmas party!

What they might say:
“Hey, did you open up my email? Funny, right?”

Have we missed any?

Of course we have! There are so many unique and memorable characters in the office that we can’t put them all on one list so we will likely save that for a part 2 at some point.

Like the idea of working in an office? Technojobs have many IT job opportunities available across the country so click the link below and see if there is something ideal for you.