Cube Life

Is Your Co-Worker Hard to Work With?

There’s a co-worker in your office you just don’t get along with. They frequently miss deadlines, and you’ve been told they sometimes talk about you behind your back. But are they just having a bad day or is there something more complicated going on?

What is a Toxic Co-worker?

Before we dig in, we want to outline what a toxic co-worker is. As defined by a study put out by Harvard Business School, a toxic worker is one who “engages in behavior that is harmful to an organization, including either its property or people.” So, someone that acts in such a way as to cause emotional or physical damage to the company, it’s property, or most often, other co-workers. It doesn’t mean that they’re a bad person; just that, for whatever reason, they’re hard to work with. Here are a few warning signs to look for. (more…)

Foods to Avoid Outside the Breakroom

Sometimes our favorite food is one that offends the noses of our co-workers. Maybe it’s a fearsome fish or a bowl of hard-boiled eggs. Or perhaps whatever you’re eating, unbeknownst to you, is just loud to consume. You might think you’re nibbling on your pretzels, but to anyone sitting near you it’s the most annoying sound imaginable.

Honestly, if you’ve done any of the above, we can’t really blame you. Sometimes we just don’t know a food is perturbing until someone tells us. So we are, telling you some foods to avoid outside the breakroom. (more…)

Signs Your Co-Worker Might Be Toxic

We go to work to get things done, and it never helps to blame a co-worker for problems that happen. It’s far better to work together to achieve our goals.

Usually, anyway. But sometimes it just seems like a co-worker is dead set on derailing the entire work process. Maybe they’re constantly gossiping about their peers or always missing deadlines. Whenever you ask them about their problematic behavior, there’s an excuse. They’re having an off day because they slept badly, they missed a deadline because their aunt is sick, they aren’t gossiping, they just “say it like it is.” Here are a few signs your co-worker might be toxic. (more…)

If Your Job Were a Reality TV Show

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.

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What To Do When Your Boss is Laid Off

Your world just got shaken up; how do you handle it?

You walk into work as usual, but your boss isn’t there. You figure they’re at a doctor’s appointment, or maybe they had to bring their kid to school, so you go about your day like any other day. But they never show up. Eventually your boss’ boss calls you in for a discussion, and that’s when you find out they’ve been let go.

Maybe they did something wrong, or maybe it was a mutual decision. Regardless of the reason, your job is in for some major changes, at least in the short term, and probably a new boss.

What questions should you ask yourself? What does this mean for your job? Take a deep breath and review these tips.

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