by P. Onh

Created on: May 11, 2009   Last Updated: July 22, 2011

In my years of supervision, I've encountered these employees over and over, regardless of the business. These employees make me want to kick myself - or my predecessor - for missing signs in the interview and hiring such difficult employees in the first place.

1. The Griper.
Although a dedicated and effective worker, the Griper complains about everything. One coworker left a mess for her to deal with again. Another does not work as hard as she works. That decision management rolled out is unfair. Nothing makes her happy, and you could spend your entire career listening to her complain.

2. The Victim.
It's "they" this and "management" that with the Victim. "They" treat us like children. "They" dump stupid rules on us. "Management" sets unreasonable expectations. "Management" doesn't understand what it's really like. While he's onloading on you, the Victim seems to ignore the fact that "they" is really "you".

3. The Blame-shifter.
You just can't give feedback to the Blame-shifter, because she's quick to point out how everyone else set her up for failure. She had absolutely no fault in this, so don't even try to tell her what she could have done to improve her performance. Let's look at what Marcos, Jamie, and Jennifer did wrong instead.

4. The Sourpuss.
The Sourpuss may not say much, but that grunt that was supposed to pass as a reply to your "hello" says everything you need to know. She doesn't want to be there, she doesn't want to talk to you, and she doesn't want to do anything other than what's minimally required. She just wants to do her eight hours and go home. The Sourpuss is about as joyful to experience as a cloudy day.

5. The Entitled.
The Entitled thinks that the company "owes" him a raise, a certain number of breaks, flexibility with his work schedule, a guaranteed position for life, the promotion he wants, the workload that he wants, an email account, Internet access, and free lunch. The bummer about Dusty is that no matter how much you give, he wants more. If you brought in Starbucks for the team last Friday, he suddenly expects it every Friday. Somehow, Dusty forgets that he accepted an offer when he walked in the door, and since he's still getting his paycheck, he's expected to work.

6. The Manipulator.
The Manipulator knows the rules, but he's quick to catch you on a technicality, or if all else fails, claim ignorance. It's hard work managing him, because you have to document every little thing you ever say to him, just to prove that

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