Dealing With the Jerk at Work
You can confront the office jerk and reclaim your sanity at work. Human resource pros show you how.
By
Elizabeth Heubeck
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By
Louise Chang, MD
Did you ever stop to wonder why the television sitcom The Office,
which features a first-class office jerk—the boss, no less—is so popular?
Simple. For starters, it's a theme to which so many of us can relate. If you've
ever worked in an office, chances are you've encountered an office jerk—that
annoying co-worker whose ridiculous antics or downright inappropriate behavior
wreaks havoc on the productivity and morale of every other office employee.
It's also a lot easier to laugh at the office jerk whose cubicle is nowhere
near yours.
It's an entirely different matter when you're stuck working with an office
jerk day in and day out. When you're at the receiving end of the office jerk's
bad behavior—whether it's bullying, backstabbing, egotism, or just downright
annoying behavior—there's little humor in it, especially when you feel
helpless about changing it.
But there is hope, say experts. Understanding why the office jerk continues
unabated to get under co-workers' skin and learning how to confront the creep
head on can make the work environment a whole lot more tolerable. WebMD asked
human resource pros to share the inside scoop on what makes an office jerk
tick, and how to dismantle the ticking time bomb.
Office Jerks Operate in Oblivion
Like Michael Scott, the clueless boss on The Office, most office
jerks have no idea that their behavior annoys co-workers, contributes to
workplace stress, and disrupts the organization's productivity.
Mitchell Kusy, PhD, a Fulbright scholar and professor at Antioch University,
has spent years studying the causes and effects of behavior by "toxic
individuals" in the workplace—aka office jerks. "Most [toxic
individuals] don't realize they're toxic," Kusy tells WebMD. When he and
colleagues surveyed 500 corporate leaders identified by co-workers as
"toxic," most admitted they had no idea how their behavior was
perceived by others in the workplace.
Other experts echo Kusy's findings. "Don't assume that people know
they're being challenging or difficult," says Julie Jansen, a workplace
consultant and author of the book, You Want Me to Work With Who? Chances
are, office jerks are surprised, even shocked, to learn how irksome co-workers
find their behavior.
It may not seem fair, but often those of us on the receiving end of the
office jerk's antics are partly to blame for the ongoing onslaught of insulting
behavior. That's because most of us shy away from confronting the bully,
belittler, cheater, backstabber, or other kind of office jerk who makes our
work lives so miserable.
Office Jerks Are Rarely Called on Their Bad Behavior
Let's face it: Few of us enjoy confrontations. So as demoralizing as it can
be to work with office jerks, most of us try to ignore them. Research bears
this out. Surveying more than 900 people about their thoughts on
"untouchable employees"—defined as poor-performing, rude, and/or
obnoxious co-workers—corporate consulting company VitalSmarts found that the
office jerk, although ubiquitous, is rarely confronted. An overwhelming 94% of
respondents said that the problems these "untouchables" create in the
office are no secret to peers and even bosses, but about three-quarters of
respondents admitted that they avoid confronting these problem-makers, choosing
instead to complain to co-workers or attempting to work around them.
Experts insist that if more people would call office jerks on their bad
behavior—from actions as simple as poor office etiquette to those as serious
as harassment—then the workplace would run much more smoothly. If only it
were that easy.
Of those willing to muster the guts to confront an office jerk, few have a
clue how to do it effectively. Such confrontations often have the opposite
effect of what was intended, creating rifts instead of opening up honest and
productive dialogue. But, say the experts, when done right, confronting the
office jerk can work wonders.
How to Confront the Jerk at Work
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