No matter how much you enjoy your job, the chances are there is at least one person in your workplace who drives you bonkers. Meet the office pain.

They may be charming manipulators who cause workplace rifts or socially maladroit pencil pushers who insist on doing everything the hard way. So how do you identify these energy-sapping souls and what is the best way to deal with them?

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The liar. Photo: Shutterstock

The liar, liar

Commonly heard to state: “Look, I fought hard for you, but the board just wouldn’t listen to me.”

The liar is the manipulative colleague without a conscience. They take credit for other people’s work and will lie their way out of any problem to avoid blame.

“They see the workplace as a bit of a game and they think of themselves as the survivors,” says psychologist and author of ‘Working with Mean Girls’, Meredith Fuller.

Ms Fuller recommends ensuring you are never alone with the liar so there is always a witness to your interactions, and to take them on with humour.

“If they start to lie in front of everyone you should say in a light-hearted tone, ‘Yeah, and pigs might fly’ and that takes the wind out of their sails without them being able to allege you have a personal problem with them,” Ms Fuller says.

The gossip

Commonly heard to state: “You can’t tell anyone else this…”

Don’t be fooled by the gossiper’s solicitous tone and overtures of friendship you are next on the chopping block. The gossip may appear to be your friend, but, really, they are loyal to no one and every co-worker’s life is ripe for exploitation.

“When you gossip you are basically saying that you have no boundaries, that you are not professional or ethical, and who wants to work at a place like that?” Ms Fuller says.

Ms Fuller says the best way to beat the office gossip is to stop being their co-conspirator and refuse to give them air time.

The passive-aggressive

Commonly heard to state: “Sorry, I thought I warned you.”

This office type rarely expresses their emotions openly, but they will make their displeasure known in the phone messages that are not passed on to you, the mistakes they let you make, and their general undermining and backstabbing.

“This type is a real doozy,” says Managing Director of Macro Recruitment, Daryl Keeley.

“They are actually quite cowardly and are usually very nice to your face.”

Mr Keeley says these “fear-based” workers represent only 2.5-4 per cent of the working population, but they can do damage if not weeded out.

“If (you have to work with one) I would set clear boundaries with them on what behaviour isn’t acceptable,” Mr Keeley says.

The lazy bones. Photo: Shutterstock

The lazy bones

Commonly heard to state: “But that’s not my job.”

No one likes a lazy co-worker, especially if they expect you to pick up their work for them. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of workers who are happy to do the bare minimum.

“If you are a high-performer who is working with a mediocre performer you are going to get frustrated pretty quickly,” Mr Keeley says.

He recommends checking in with the underperforming co-worker to see if there has been a personal tragedy that is stopping them from giving 100 per cent before you speak to your manager about it.

The dark cloud

Commonly heard to state: “We tried that once and it didn’t work.”

There is no pleasing the dark clouds of the office and they can do serious damage to workplace morale.

Every new project is impossible, they stifle innovation and imagination and they have nothing pleasant to say.

Ms Fuller says it’s a waste of energy attempting to cheer these doomsayers up. They are not looking for solutions to their problems, they want you to wallow, too.

“Always look to work with people who are positive and are can-do types,” says Ms Fuller.

“Misery loves company… you will never succeed in cheering these people up.”