Reality TV can be a blast to watch because of all the big personalities. People fight, gossip, backstab, and it’s only a matter of time before someone gets a drink thrown in their face.
And according to Buzzfeed, these archetypes aren’t limited to just the small screen. They outline 14 personalities you’re likely to encounter in both the hyped-up reality world and the real world (the actual real world, not The Real World).
Here are our top three reality personas as they relate to the working world, and how you can survive them.
- The One Who’s Here to Win
From day one, this go-getter made sure you knew they were top dog in the workplace.
Cool. Passion and drive are great. But they take it one step too far by turning everything into a competition. If you don’t reply to an email right away, they’ll send another five “just to make sure you got this,” each one with your manager copied. Your brainstorming contributions are never appreciated. Things get personal FAST.
They want a promotion, and running you over, in their mind, is the best way to get it.
An easy way to deal with someone that’s here to win? Don’t compete. Stay out of their path and don’t take anything they say personally. Reply to emails as quickly as you can but know that they’re living in a totally different world where every situation has a winner and a loser. Might as well let them win since this isn’t Survivor, and you won’t be getting kicked off the island.
- The One with The Catchphrase
This co-worker is a comedian. Or at least they think they are. Every discussion ends in a joke or a one-liner, and they might call you by a ‘fun’ nickname. Sometimes it can seem like they care more about what their peers think of them than the quality of their work. They like to be liked. But that doesn’t mean they like to meet deadlines.
Usually The One with the Catchphrase is fairly harmless. You don’t need to engage unless their missed deadlines start to affect your work. If that happens, have a one-on-one discussion and let them know what’s happening. Odds are they aren’t even aware of what they’re doing. However, if they try to laugh it off with another joke and nothing changes, it might be time to talk to your manager.
- The Aspiring Singer
Nobody wants to hear a terrible rendition of the latest Taylor Swift hit at 8 a.m. The aspiring singer doesn’t understand that. Whether they’re working next to you in the warehouse, dunking French fries in the fryer, or typing in the cubicle next door, none of their work can happen without a solo.
Oftentimes these starry-eyed hopefuls don’t realize that everyone else can hear their whisper-singing. Usually you can stop their behavior with a polite reminder that you are in fact at work and it’s not karaoke night. If their songs continue to ring out across the land, a conversation with your boss might be the next step.
The workplace is full of interesting personalities. Do you have any co-workers that would be great on a reality TV show? Let us know in the comments section below!
